Page 817 - Politics
BJP leadership taken over by Gujaratis: Om Rajbhar
Uttar Pradesh Minister and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party chief Om Prakash Rajbhar attacked the BJP leadership on Sunday, saying it had been captured by "Gujarati people". He challenged the party to sack him as minister. "The BJP has not remained Atal-ji's party. It has been captured by Gujarati people. I will not resign as minister now. Let the BJP sack me," Rajbhar told reporters here. He said in eastern UP his party would wipe out the BJP, and by the election's sixth and seven phase conclusion the BJP would "faint" on the election battlefield. Speaking on the Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat, Rajbhar said BJP candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirhua will face defeat at the hands of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Rajbhar, whose party has fielded 39 LS candidates, said he would campaign for all party hopefuls. Rajbhar's party has four MLAs in the 403-member state assembly.
BJP, Congress upbeat on winning Goa polls
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have expressed confidence of winning the two Lok Sabha polls and three Assembly by-elections, campaigning for which concluded at 5 p.m. on Sunday. The seats will go to polls on April 23.
Wayanad: Congress claims Rahul wave, opposition differs
From the moment it was announced that Congress President Rahul Gandhi will contest the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, for many his victory was a foregone conclusion. The opposition disagrees.
ISI can be behind Sri Lanka terror blasts, says MQM chief Altaf Hussain
Exiled Pakistani politician and founder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain has claimed that Pakistan's military and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) may have a hand in the multiple blasts which shook Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday."Hussain appealed to the UN Secretary-General and all democratic countries that they should never ignore the possibility of the involvement of Pakistani military and ISI in this horrific Colombo terror blasts at the Churches and hotels as almost every single incident of terrorism globally had its foundation originating from Pakistan," an MQM press release stated.He severely condemned the eight blasts, which killed at least 207 people and left around 450 wounded in Sri Lankan cities of Colombo, Negombo, Kochchikade, and Batticaloa on April 21."In his message of strong condemnation, he said that each and every worker of MQM stands in solidarity and is severely saddened on the loss of precious lives," the release quoted Hussain as saying."This ...
West Bengal: CPI(M) extends support to Congress in Malda-South seat
Malda (West Bengal) [India], Apr 21 (ANI): CPI(M) on Sunday said that it will extend support to Congress in West Bengal's Malda South Lok Sabha seat after deciding not to put up a candidate from there.Veteran Congress leader Abu Haseem Khan Chaudhury is contesting from the Malda-South constituency.CPI(M), however, has fielded Biswanath Ghosh against Congress's candidate and Abu Haseem's son Isha Khan Choudhary for the Malda North seat.According to CPI(M) sources, the two parties had earlier agreed to not oppose each other on six seats in the state. However, Congress later fielded its candidates from Raigunj and Murshidabad seats."The idea of not opposing each other was initiated by our party, hence, unlike them, we kept our promise. We want a secular government in the state," CPI(M)'s Malda district secretary Ambar Mitra said, adding that the Left Front felt these constituencies should not go either to BJP or TMC.The party will also extend support to Congress in the Berhampore ...
Pragya's co-accused condemns Karkare remarks, but to back poll
A co-accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case Sunday denounced BJP Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate Pragya Singh Thakur's comments against former Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare but added that he would still campaign for her to defeat the Congress' Digvijaya Singh there. Sameer Kulkarni, a Malegaon blast accused out on bail currently, addressed a press conference here and stressed that no one had the right to make such remarks against Karkare who laid down his life fighting terrorists. "Not only Sadhvi (Thakur), no one has the right to make such remarks. Because making such remarks against bravehearts is sheer ingratitude towards their supreme sacrifices," Kulkarni said. However, taking a stand supporting Thakur, he added, "While in custody for several years in the blast case, we, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, were subjected to unlimited torture. It is possible Sadhvi made that statement out of anguish." "However, realising her mistake, she ...
Turkey opposition leader attacked at soldier's funeral
The leader of Turkey's main opposition party was attacked on Sunday at a funeral for a soldier killed in fighting against Kurdish militants, a state news agency and his party said. Republican People's Party (CHP) chief Kemal Kilicdaroglu was taken to a nearby house by security forces for his protection, Anadolu state news agency said. Video of the incident on social media showed a mob pushing and shoving around Kilicdaroglu as he makes his way through the crowd. His party confirmed Kilicdaroglu had been attacked, but it was not immediately clear if he had been injured. The group first protested against Kilicdaroglu presence at the funeral in the Cubuk district of the capital Ankara and then attacked him with blows, Anadolu said. The Ankara governor's office said in a statement: "Legal action has been launched against the culprits of the incident." The CHP last month won Ankara and Istanbul mayors' offices in local elections in a setback for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling ...
Jet collapse: Privatisation not remedy, says AI union official
Privatisation is not a remedy, which can make an airline profitable or efficient and shuttering of Jet Airways and Kingfisher is a case in point, a senior Air India employees union official said Sunday even as he urged the government to reconsider its plans to de-nationalise the flag carrier, which are currently on hold. Supporting the 20,000 employees of the grounded Jet Airways, the union official said that the present policies of the government need to be relooked as they have only lead to a crisis in the industry and jobs of thousands of people are at stake. Weighted down by huge debt, majorly from the public sector banks, Kingfisher went belly-up in 2012. Jet Airways, which has a debt of Rs 8,500 crore, mostly from the government-run banks, ceased operations last Wednesday due to paucity of cash. The abrupt closure of Jet Airways operations for the time being has put jobs of its over 20,000 employees. Moreover, as many as six airlines have closed down in the last ..
Filing of papers for Himachal polls begins Monday
The filing of nominations for the four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh, that go to polls on May 19, will start on Monday and continue till April 29, election officials said on Sunday.
Campaign ends for Lok Sabha polls' third phase in Bengal
The campaign for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal ended on Sunday in five parliamentary constituencies scheduled to vote on April 23.
Big names like Maneka Gandhi responsible for Aonla's backwardness: BSP candidate Ruchi Vira
Big names like Maneka Gandhi have represented Aonla constituency in Uttar Pradesh but they were never bothered about its development, BSP Lok Sabha candidate Ruchi Vira said, holding the BJP responsible for the "backwardness" of the region. The 57-year-old, who has served as an MLA in nearby Bijnor district, said Aonla is considered a BJP stronghold but lacks basic facilities like proper roads, colleges for girls and faces problems of unemployment and farm distress. "Although some famous people have represented this seat, Aonla still remains a backward area. These famous people never returned here and did not do what was needed. If you go around, you'd not even see basic facilities like bus stops, hospitals. There is a need for a sugar mill in the area, the sugarcane farmers have to transport their produce to far off mills," she told PTI in an interview. Aonla, which votes on April 23 during the third leg of the seven-phase elections, had elected BJP's Maneka Gandhi to the Lok Sabha ..
Nomination process for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab begins tomorrow
The nomination process for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab going to polls in the seventh and final phase on May 19 commences Monday, an official said Sunday. The state's Chief Electoral Officer, S Karuna Raju, said that as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission, the filing of nomination papers would start with issuance of notification on April 22 and would continue till April 29. The scrutiny of the nominations would be done on April 30 and the last date of withdrawal of candidature is May 2, he said. The nominations for the upcoming elections would be filed in the office of respective returning officers situated in District Administrative Complex from 11 am to 3 pm from April 22-29, excluding April 27 (Saturday) and April 28 (Sunday), he said. He said that April 27, being the 4th Saturday of the month, is a holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881; therefore, nomination papers cannot be presented to the Returning Officer on that day. Polling would be held for ...
Congress expecting to win around 13 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, says Hardik Patel
Congress leader Hardik Patel on Sunday said that the Congress party is expecting to win around 13 Lok Sabha seats out of 26, in the ongoing elections."According to our estimate, we are expecting to win around 13 seats," Patel told ANI when asked about Congress' expectations in Gujarat.Speaking on the slapping incident, Patel said: "I am not so weak to get afraid of any slap or attack. I am a man who is afraid of a villain."On Friday, a man slapped Patel while he was addressing a gathering at the Jan Akrosh Sabha in Surendranagar. He had also requested adequate police security ahead of his road show in Jamnagar on Sunday.The Congress leader said that issues of farmers and youth unemployment are the main issues of the ongoing elections."Farmers and youths have decided to give a befitting reply to those who made false promises. Common people are frustrated and baffled. After the GST and demonetisation, traders have suffered a big loss. Farmers did not get water for irrigation. That's why
Ideology no bar, Patnaik open to post poll tie-up with any party committed to Odisha's interests
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], Apr 21 (ANI): Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed willingness to stitch a post poll alliance with any political party, so long as it is ready to support the demands and work towards the welfare and development of Odisha.Speaking exclusively to ANI on Sunday, Patnaik, while responding to a question on a possibility of extending support to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if they fall short of the requisite majority to form the government, said, "Any party or coalition that supports the development and just claims of Odisha will have our support."On being asked whether the ideology of the party seeking support from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) would be a deciding factor on a post poll tie-up, Patnaik reiterated that the key focus would be whether the said party would back the development of Odisha and the welfare of its people."Ideology of all parties is democratic but I do want them to support Odisha's claims," he outlined."Let's see what the ...
BJP releases animated videos to target Opposition
The BJP on Sunday took to animation videos to mock Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders with a series of sports-based animated clips to accuse them of seeking proof of the Balakot terror strike and to assert Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invincibility against a fragmented challenge in Lok Sabha polls. The videos, released through the saffron party's official Twitter handle and by its senior party leaders including Arun Jaitley and Piyush Goyal, sought to draw analogies from cricket, chess, tug of war, kabaddi and other sports to show "confusion" and differences among the opposition parties. Almost all the videos prominently presented Modi as a hero single-handedly taking on the opposition leaders on various issues including corruption and fight against terror. In one cricket-based animated clip, Modi has been shown as hitting a six to win the match, while opposition leaders are shown questioning the empire on his decision to declare the shot a sixer and demanding .
Haftar forces press offensive on Libyan capital
Forces backing Libya's unity government battled to push back an offensive by strongman Khalifa Haftar on Sunday as his troops approached the gates of Tripoli after air raids overnight. Haftar's self-proclaimed Libyan National Army, galvanised by victories in its eastern stronghold and in the country's desert south, announced an offensive early this month to seize the capital from the UN-recognised administration of Fayez al-Sarraj. But his forces have faced fierce resistance from armed groups backing the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), including powerful factions from the western city of Misrata. The bloodshed has derailed efforts to bring peace to a country where jihadists and people smugglers have exploited the chaos unleashed by the NATO-backed overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. At least 227 people have been killed since Haftar's forces launched their offensive, the World Health Organisation said Sunday, adding that a further 1,128 have been ...
Congress releases plan on national security
Congress on Sunday released its plan on national security which emphasises on five key issues - assuming India's rightful place in global affairs, securing the neighbourhood, internal security, protecting people and strengthening capabilities.
Campaigning ends for third phase of Lok Sabha polls
Campaigning came to an end on Sunday in 117 constituencies spread over 15 States and Union Territories, which will go to the polls on Tuesday in the third phase of the mega seven-phase electoral exercise.
Congress and NCP are paper tigers, says UP deputy CM
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma Sunday described the Congress and the NCP as "paper tigers", who he said would be wiped out in the Lok Sabha elections which are being held in seven phases. Addressing a press conference here, Sharma said the BJP would improve its tally of Lok Sabha seats from Maharashtra under the leadership of state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. In 2014 general elections, the BJP had won 23 out of total 48 seats in Maharashtra while its ally Shiv Sena bagged 18 seats. Sharma, who was in the city to campaign for BJP candidates in the fray from three out of total six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai, also attacked Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who is contesting from Mumbai North West. "Nirupam was first among those to seek proof of (the cross-border) surgical strike which was conducted after Uri terror attack (in 2016). After the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, Nirupam was seeking peace with Pakistan," Sharma said. Mumbai region is set to .
TMC has invited Pak PM Imran Khan to campaign in West Bengal: Mukul Roy
BJP leader Mukul Roy on Sunday claimed that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal is planning to invite Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to campaign for the party in West Bengal."I have information that TMC has invited Imran Khan as ex- Pakistan player to come and campaign for TMC in Bengal," Roy said while addressing a press conference here."I have written a letter to EC Delhi to cancel the registration of TMC," he added.His statements come after two Bangladeshi nationals were reported to be campaigning for TMC in West Bengal.Bangladeshi actors--Ghazi Ahmed Noor and Ferdous Ahmed participated in election rallies of the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee led TMC, following which they were asked to leave India.The Lok Sabha polls for the 42 seats of the state are scheduled to be conducted in all the seven phases. Five seats went to polls on April 11 and April 18. The counting of votes will be done on May 23.