Page 804 - Politics
Stalin slams SEC plea to defer TN local body polls
DMK President M.K. Stalin on Monday condemned the State Election Commission's move to seek more time from the Supreme Court to hold local body polls in Tamil Nadu.
US will accelerate its pressure campaign on Iran until its leaders change their behaviour: Pompeo
The US will dramatically accelerate its pressure campaign on the Iranian regime until its leaders change their destructive behaviour, respect the rights of the their people, and return to the negotiating table, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday. Pompeo remarks came soon after US President Donald Trump announced that his administration will not issue any additional Significant Reduction Exceptions to existing importers of Iranian oil. "The Trump Administration has taken Iran's oil exports to historic lows, and we are dramatically accelerating our pressure campaign in a calibrated way that meets our national security objectives while maintaining well supplied global oil markets," Pompeo told reporters at an early morning news conference. The Secretary of State warned countries of importing oil from Iran. "We stand by our allies and partners as they transition away from Iranian crude to other alternatives," he said, adding that countries have to bring down their import of oil ...
False cases against Pragya, Aseemanand: Shah
Defending his party's decision to field Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur as its candidate from Bhopal, BJP President Amit Shah on Monday said that she was framed in a false case in the name of "Hindu terror" and the real culprits were still out of the purview of law.
Shibu Soren, Jharkhand Minister file nominations
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) President and former Chief Minister Shibu Soren and Jharkhand Water Resources Minister Chandra Prakash Chaudhary filed their nomination papers on Monday.
Mehbooba asks govt to release 'ill' Malik from NIA custody
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti Monday appealed to the Centre to immediately release separatist leader Yasin Malik from the NIA custody in view of his failing health. Malik, who was placed under arrest by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a case related to funding of separatists and terror organisations, had complained of chest pain on April 19. He was sent to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in New Delhi for a medical check up and doctors discharged him after a routine examination. He has since been sent to Tihar jail on judicial custody. "It is unfortunate. Malik is very ill. Sadhvi Pragya (Thakur) has been granted bail because of her ill health, but is contesting election and is speaking poison everywhere. She has been let off, but Malik, who is very ill and his life is under threat, has been kept in prison. "I would like to appeal the government to immediately release Malik so that he gets treatment. God forbid, if something bad happens to him, the ...
Sitharaman hits out Chidambaram over statement on Indo-Pak ties, asks Cong to clear stand
Slamming former Union minister P Chidambaram's statement that India must change its behaviour towards Pakistan, Defence minister and BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday asked the Congress to clear its stand on the issue. She questioned if the Congress wants the Government of India "to stop taking action against terrorists", "compromise" country's territory and accept that Jammu and Kashmir is a "disputed" territory". After his party's manifesto that was "pummelled for being friendly and kind" towards the terrorists, the statement by Chidambaram has further "worsened" the Congress' position, Sitharaman said at a press conference at BJP headquarters. At an event hosted by Observer Research Foundation(ORF) on Sunday, Chidambaram had said that in order to bring a change in Pakistan's behaviour, India must also change its behaviour towards the neighbouring country. The former home minister also said that a way must be found to normalise the India-Pakistan relations so as to answer the .
Trump decides not to grant waiver to India, 7 others importing Iranian oil
In a move that could have implications on India's energy security, US President Donald Trump on Monday decided not to grant sanctions exemptions to any oil customers of Iran, further squeezing Tehran's top export commodity. "President Donald J. Trump has decided not to reissue Significant Reduction Exceptions (SREs) when they expire in early May. This decision is intended to bring Iran's oil exports to zero, denying the regime its principal source of revenue," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said. The US re-imposed sanctions on Iran last November, after President Trump pulled out of the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The US' move which is seen as an escalation of President Trump administration's "maximum pressure" on Iran comes after it last year gave temporary 180-days waiver to eight countries, including India, China, Turkey and Japan among others. As a result of this decision all countries including India would have to bring down its import of oil from Iran by May 2. ...
Rahul rakes up Rafale deal 'corruption' in Amethi
Raking up his often-repeated poll theme of alleged corruption in the Rafale deal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Monday exhorted people to ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi what he got in return for benefiting Anil Ambani with Rs 30,000 crore in the fighter jet deal. Mocking at the prime minister's "main bhi chowkidaar campaign" he said, "When his (Modi's) theft was caught in the Rafale deal, he says 'hum sab chowkidar hain." Addressing an election rally in his parliamentary constituency here, Rahul said, "When the prime minister comes and makes false claims, just ask him why he gave Rs 30,000 crores to Ambani and what Ambani did for him in return." Addressing the rally in Tiloi area here, Rahul Gandhi said, "Soon after the Congress comes to power after the Lok Sabha elections, an inquiry would be instituted in the Rafale deal and the truth will be before everyone." "What the former former (French) President Francois Hollande said and what is in the French defence files will come ...
Amarinder dubs PM's nuke war statement 'highly irresponsible'
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "highly irresponsible" statement on India's nuclear arsenal and appealed people to support the Congress party in its 'jung' for protecting the future of the nation.Speaking to media here, Amarinder said the Prime Minister's threat to trigger a nuclear war is "clearly a tool to be re-elected."The Prime Minister, while addressing a rally in Barmer on Sunday, had quipped that India has not kept its nuclear weapons for Diwali."India has stopped the policy of getting scared of Pakistan's threats. Every other day they used to say 'We have nuclear button'.....What do we have then? Have we kept it for Diwali? Humne Pakistan ki sari hekdi nikal di. Usey katora lekar duniya bhar me ghumne ke liye maine majboor kar diya hai. People think that I have done the right thing. But Congress and its allies feel I have not done the right thing," he had said.Meanwhile, Amarinder, while addressing a public .
Kerala aspirants make 'courtesy calls' ahead of vote
With just hours left for people to cast votes in the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, candidates from the three key political parties on Monday got themselves busy making last round visits and expressing confidence about their respective victories.
2 LS, 3 Assembly seats in Goa go to polls on Tuesday
Nearly 11.35 lakh voters will on Tuesday decide the fate of candidates in Goa's two Lok Sabha and three Assembly seats, after a gruelling election campaign that saw the ruling BJP and the Congress predictably emerge as top contestants for the April 23 polls, in which regional party MGP will also a key role.
Renowned hairstylist Jawed Habib joins BJP
Celebrity hairstylist Jawed Habib, on Monday, joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi.Habib is considered amongst the best hairdressers in the world and currently has over 550 unisex hair salons across India with three international ones.This move has come right in the middle of the Lok Sabha elections.Delhi will see polling on May 12 in the sixth phase of elections. The counting of votes will begin on May 23.
Congress supporting anti-nationals, says Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday accused Congress of extending support to "anti-nationals" in the country, saying it wants to turn India into a hub of "terrorism and Naxalism."
Lok Sabha polls: PM, Advani to vote Tuesday in Ahmedabad
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union minister Arun Jaitley and BJP patriarch L K Advani are among top leaders who will vote Tuesday in Gujarat, which will have a single phase polling for its 26 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP, in a release here said, all its key leaders, including Modi and Advani - who are registered voters in Gujarat - will exercise their franchise in morning hours. The prime minister, who is expected to land in Ahmedabad Monday night, will cast his vote at a booth set up inside a school in the Ranip area of the city, which falls under the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, it said. BJP chief Amit Shah is the BJP nominee from Gandhinagar, earlier represented by Advani. Shah would exercise his franchise at a booth in the Naranpura area here and Advani at a government school in Khanpur, said the release. It said Finance Minister Jaitley would cast his vote at a booth inside a college located on the SG Highway here. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and state BJP ...
5 JD-S workers from Karnataka dead in Colombo blasts (2nd Lead)
Five activists of the ruling Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) died in Colombo's serial bomb blasts on Sunday, a top state official said on Monday.
Court sends complaint against Rahul to another judge
A court her on Monday sent the private complaint filed against Congress President Rahul Gandhi for making an objectionable speech against Prime Minister Narendra Modi to another judge.
Move HC, SC tells petitioner on plea to restrain political parties from offering loan waiver
The Supreme Court Monday told a petitioner to approach the high court with his plea seeking restrain on political parties from offering loan waivers and other monetary schemes in their election manifestos. The matter came up for hearing before a bench comprising Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer. "Counsel for the petitioner seeks permission to withdraw this petition with liberty to approach the high court. Permission sought for is granted. The writ petition is dismissed as withdrawn with the afore-mentioned liberty," the bench said in its order. The plea, filed by advocate Reena N Singh, had said that political parties should be restrained from offering loan waivers and other monetary schemes in their poll manifestos as these plans involve public funds and adversely affect the economy. The plea further said that the Centre as also the states should not be allowed to waive loans and banks need to be restrained from technical write-offs of non-performing assets (NPA) to ensure that ...
Cong announces six candidates for Delhi; fields Sheila, Maken and J P Agarwal
Ending months of speculation over a possible tie-up with AAP, the Congress on Monday fielded three-time Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit from North-East Delhi and former Union minister Ajay Maken from New Delhi, as it announced the names of candidates for six Lok Sabha seats in the national capital. The Congress also fielded J P Agarwal from Chandni Chowk, Arvinder Singh Lovely from East Delhi, Rajesh Lilothia from North-West Delhi and Mahabal Mishra from West Delhi. Eighty-one year old Dikshit, who took over from Maken as the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee chief earlier this year, was last a Member of Parliament from 1984-89 from Kannauj. She was the chief minister of Delhi for three terms between 1998 and 2013. She had contested from East Delhi constituency in 1998, but lost. Diskhit had not entered electoral fray since she lost to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in 2013 Assembly polls. Dikshit will take on BJP's sitting MP Manoj Tiwari and Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Dilip ...
Old political rivalries playing out in Ahmednagar
The Lok Sabha election for Ahmednagar seat in central Maharashtra is seeing an old rivalry between Sharad Pawar and the Vikhe Patil family playing out. The constituency, which goes to polls on Tuesday, will witness a fight between senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil's son Sujay, who is contesting on a BJP ticket, and NCP's Sangram Jagtap. To the embarrassment of the Congress, an ally of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil is campaigning for his son. The Vikhe Patil Junior joined the BJP last month following the Sharad Pawar-led NCP's refusal to give up the Ahmednagar Lok Sabha seat. The NCP has lost the contest from the seat to the BJP in the past three elections, yet Pawar refused to cede it to the Congress, citing his old rivalry with Sujay Vikhe Patil's late grandfather and former Union minister Balasaheb Vikhe Patil. Sujay Vikhe Patil, a neurosurgeon, is also the great-grandson of late Vitthalrao ...
Five LS seats in West Bengal to go polls in the third phase
Five West Bengal Lok Sabha constituencies - Balurghat, Maldaha North, Maldaha South, Jangipur and Murshidabad will go to the polls in the third phase of elections on Tuesday. The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, BJP and Congress are the main contenders in the five seats in which the fate of 61 candidates will be decided by a 80,23,852-strong electorate. Four seats will see four-cornered contests between the three parties and the CPI-M. It will be a three-cornered contest in Maldaha South as no Left party is in the fray in the seat. The constituencies saw high-octane campaigning by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, BJP president Amit Shah and Congress president Rahul Gandhi who raised a series of issues ranging from corruption to communalism, NRC to chitfund scams and development to security, besides infiltration. The TMC has fielded sitting MP Arpita Ghosh against BJP's Sukanta Majumdar in Balurghat. The Congress has .