Page 826 - Politics
People treated me as anti-national, traitor : Azam Khan at Rampur rally
Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan addressing a public rally here on Saturday alleged that he was being treated as an "anti-national" and that his supporters and party workers are being targetted by the administration.Khan also hit out at the Modi government at a joint rally in which Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samajwadi Party supremo Mayawati shared a dais with Khan."PM Modi handed you a broom in the name of Swatch Bharat Abhiyan, while my party gave you a pen," said Khan who is the SP's candidate from Rampur."For the last five years, 125 crores Indian have shed tears of blood. You have been deceived by the Modi-led government. I want you to take revenge for these tears," Khan said.The SP leader was banned from campaigning for 72 hours by the Election Commission on Monday for his remarks against BJP candidate Jaya Prada."During the period of the ban, people called me a fraud and treated me as if I am an anti-national or a traitor."The SP leader also hit out against
Congress's Krishna Kumar joins BJP, says Sonia Gandhi has no idea of Indian heritage
Former union minister Dr S Krishna Kumar on Saturday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain and party leader Anil Baluni."As a developmental activist, I have appreciated the depth of knowledge, attention to detail, and the political will of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I have decided to devote the rest of my life as a soldier of Narendra Modi," Kumar said in a press conference here."I feel people should give a mandate to PM Modi not for five years but for ten years, by which he will bring India to the top of the world," he added.The 1963-batch IAS officer said he was against the leadership of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi."I was a three-time Congress MP, but during UPA's time, I was against the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and now I am against the leadership of her son. I was a close associate of Rajiv Gandhi, but I feel that after him desh-bhakt (patriot) Prime ...
Congress leader files police complaint against Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur
Congress leader Devendra Singh Yadav on Saturday filed a police complaint against BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur for her comment on late Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare.Earlier in the day, the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a notice Sadhvi Pragya for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct by making comments on Hemant Karkare.The notice was issued by Bhopal District Election Officer and Collector Sudam Khade, seeking an explanation from her within a day on her comments.Thakur, who is contesting against Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, had said on April 18 that Karkare lost his life because she had cursed him."I called Hemant Karkare and asked him to let me go if there is no evidence (against me). He (Karkare) said that he will bring evidence but will not leave me. I told him -- You will be ruined," Thakur had said.Thakur is an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.On Friday, the Indian Police .
Tragic to see government spending resources on industrialists but not on farmers, says Priyanka
It is tragic to see the Central government spending 'time and resources' on industrialists, but not on farmers, said Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra here on Saturday.Coming down heavily on BJP-led Central government, Priyanka said: "When a government ignores the needs of the people; writes off loans of big industrialists to the tune of Rs 3,17,000 crore, hose loans, but does not have time to help and support farmers like you, people who are struggling and suffering to feed the country, and to make a country grow, it is truly a tragedy and a shame."Priyanka, who was addressing an election rally here, also termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "weak leader," who does not have the courage to listen to the voice of the people of the country."A leader who does not have the courage to listen to the voice of the people, a leader who wants to suppress people when they protest, when they agitate, and when they ask for their rights, a leader who claims that he is a ...
Modi, Jagan greet Chandrababu on birthday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy were among the leaders who greeted Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu who turned 69 on Saturday.
J&K govt relaxes ban on civilian traffic on NH (2nd Lead)
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday decided to partially relax the restrictions on movement of civilian traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, imposed earlier this month to enable safe movement of the security forces in the aftermath of Pulwama attack.
ISIS module: NIA arrests key conspirator from Delhi
The NIA on Saturday arrested a person from Delhi in connection with its probe against an ISIS-inspired group, which was allegedly planning suicide attacks and serial blasts, targeting politicians and government installations in Delhi and other parts of north India. Mohammad Gufran, a resident of Amroha in western Uttar Pradesh (UP), formed a pro-ISIS module namely Harkat Ul Harb-e-Islam with the help of accused persons arrested earlier to wage war against the Government of India, a spokesperson of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said. He is the 13th accused to have been arrested in the case. Gufran was one of the key conspirators in planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Delhi NCR and UP, the official said. He was inspired by the ideology of the dreaded ISIS terror group which is a proscribed organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), he said. Investigation revealed that he was instrumental in procurement of arms and ammunition and also explosives .
Gokhale to visit China, Masood Azhar issue expected to figure in talks
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale is slated to begin his official visit to Beijing on April 20.This is the first high-level engagement between the two countries after China put a technical hold - for the fourth time - on the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist at the UN Security Council following the terror outfit's perpetrated Pulwama terror attack.Gokhale is scheduled to meet with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit which, according to sources, is a part of the regular bilateral consultation process. The issue pertaining to the designation of Azhar is expected to figure during discussions.The Chinese Ambassador to India, Luo Zhaohui, has previously expressed optimism regarding the issue, telling ANI that the matter "will be resolved"."Regarding Masood Azhar, we fully understand and we fully believe this matter. We understand India's concerns and are optimistic this matter will be resolved...This matter (of putting Masood Azhar
3-phased local body polls in Telagnana from May 6
Barely a month after the Lok Sabha elections, Telangana will have three-phased polls to the zonal and district level local bodies beginning May 6. A notification was issued Saturday for the polls to 5,817 madal parishad territorial constituencies (MPTCs) and 538 zilla parishad territorial constituencies (ZPTCs), Telangana State Election Commissioner V Nagi Reddy told reporters here. The first phase would held on May 6 while the second the third phases on May 10 and May 14 respectively, he said. Telangana has been in the grip of election fever since December last when the assembly polls were held. In January, elections to the panchayats were conducted. Elections to 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state were held on April 11. Reddy said around 1.56 crore voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in the coming elections to the two upper tiers of local bodies. The Telangana government had earlier conveyed its readiness to the SEC for the conduct of the polls between April ..
Tired of treated as 'vote bank', Valmiki organisation fields candidates for all LS seats in Delhi
Angered by political parties using the downtrodden as a mere "vote bank", a Valmiki community organisation in Delhi has decided to enter Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, seeking to take their "destiny in their own hands". Delhi Democratic Alliance, a coalition of activists, trade union leaders, and a few civil society groups working for such communities, have fielded their own candidates ahead of the elections, in an "act of defiance" against existing parties. "We have announced our seven candidates, one of whom is a sanitation worker. Two of the candidates filed nominations on Thursday while two others filed today," said Ashok Agyani, convener of the alliance. "We have entered the election not to challenge any party or candidate, but to challenge the status quo. We are tired of being treated as a mere vote bank. We are tired of being exploited for political gains by parties," he told PTI. Agyani says, Valmiki community forms a sizeable chunk of voters, about "40 lakh" or "about 27 per cent .
EC notice to Pragya over her remarks on Karkare
The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday issued a notice to BJP nominee from Bhopal parliamentary seat Sadhvi Pragya Thakur over her remarks on police officer Hemant Karkare, who was killed in the 26/11 terror attack.
Modi suffering from haratanka, trying to divide people on
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is suffering from 'haratanka', a phobia of losing elections and is trying to win in the state by dividing the people on communal lines. Modi is merely repeating words told to him by party cadres and is not cross checking the facts about Bengal, she said. "He(Modi) knows that he will lose the elections and that is why his face has turned pale. He is now suffering from 'haratanka' and is uttering nonsense everyday thinking about losing in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, New Delhi, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha and others," she said at a rally held at Panighata in support of party candidate for Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency Mohua Moitra. "I do not mind if BJP wins in Tripura but that will not give him (Modi) 543 seats. That is the reason he is roaming around in Bengal hoping to get votes by dividing people along Hindu-Muslim lines," Banerjee .
Injustice with Chaturvedi exposed Congress: Himachal CM
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday said that the injustice with Congress national spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi has exposed the "justice for all" slogan of party President Rahul Gandhi.
J&K relaxes restrictions on civilian traffic on NH
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Saturday decided to relax the restrictions imposed on the movement of civilian vehicles on the national highway on Sundays and Wednesdays.
BJP has broken the idea of India, hurt the nation's soul: Sam Pitroda
The BJP government has "broken the idea" of India and has "hurt the soul" of the country, Congress leader Sam Pitroda said Saturday. Pitroda, a long-time Gandhi family adviser, also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he was "lying to the country day in and day out". "Today we are fighting one of the biggest battle of ideas," the technocrat-turned-politician said while addressing the Congress Gyan Samvad here. "When Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, 'India did nothing for 70 years', I want to remind him and his colleagues, 'India did hell of a lot'. I feel sorry for you that you don't see it, that you don't respect the talent and hardwork a large number of people put in, and it's an insult to our own country," Pitroda said. Pitroda recalled that when he said something about the Balakot airstrike, the prime minister had started tweeting and ministers started speaking. "Congress leaders started calling me saying, 'What did you say', and I said, I said the truth. I ...
Nyay will act like petrol, kickstart engine of economy: Rahul
Congress president Rahul Gandhi said here Saturday that the 'Nyay' minimum income scheme promised by his party will act like "petrol" and revive the economy. He was addressing his first poll rally in Chhattisgarh after the Lok Sabha elections were announced. With the Nyay scheme, people will be able to buy things they need "which will revive manufacturing units and thereby generate employment opportunities", he said. "Nyay scheme will act like petrol for the Indian economy which will kickstart its engine," he added. "In 2014, Narendra Modi made tall promises of providing two crore jobs, fair prices to farmers and depositing Rs 15 lakh in everyone's bank account," the Congress chief said. Instead, Modi "snatched money from the poor and put it in the pockets" of a few businessmen, he said. "Modi had raised hopes of people by promising to deposit Rs 15 lakh in their account. I was well aware that it cannot be done," Gandhi said. "I spoke with world's renowned economists and .
Congress nominees in Himachal to file papers from April 23
Congress candidates in Himachal Pradesh will start filing nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections from April 23, the party said on Saturday.
Restrictions on civilian traffic on Srinagar-Jammu highway partially relaxed
The Jammu and Kashmir government Saturday partially relaxed the two-day-a-week restrictions on the movement of civilian traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway which was put in place to facilitate movement of security forces' convoys. Earlier this month, the government had imposed the restrictions on the national highway (NH-44) connecting Jammu to Srinagar, days after the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The restriction barred civilian traffic from plying on the road on Wednesdays and Sundays. Now, there would be no restrictions from Srinagar to Baramulla (both in the Kashmir region) on Wednesdays, an official spokesperson said Saturday. However, the restrictions would continue between Srinagar and Udhampur, in the Jammu region, on NH-44 as earlier, he said. "These would be reviewed periodically and relaxation would be made as the need for restriction reduces," he said. Srinagar falls between the two cities.
People have decided to change chowkidar: Rahul
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said voters have made up their mind to "change their 'chowkidar' this time" as he has proved he is "not fit for the job".
Iraq summit brings together rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran
A summit organised by Iraq is bringing together regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran to bridge relations and invest in Iraq. Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohamed al-Halbousi is heading the one-day summit between Iraq and its six neighbours: Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, and Kuwait. The summit underlines a shift to Iraq's foreign policy, placing the country as a mediator between neighbours who are often at odds over weighty issues, such as the civil war in Syria, and US sanctions against Iran. Iraqi leaders have emphasised Iraq's sovereignty since elections last year, and they say it is vital to Iraq's security and economy to develop good relations with the neighbours. The country is seeking billions of dollars in aid and investment to help it rebuild after 15 years of war.