Page 829 - Politics
Sikh pilgrims allowed to travel on J-K highway
The Jammu and Kashmir authorities on Saturday decided to allow members of the Sikh community to travel on the national highway on Sunday to participate in post-Baisakhi celebrations at a gurdwara in the border town of Uri.
Ex-MP CM Digvijaya files papers for Bhopal LS seat
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Saturday filed his nomination papers for the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat.
Congress set to contest Delhi LS polls alone
The Congress is all set to contest the Lok Sabha polls in the national capital alone by fielding candidates on all the seven parliamentary seats, a senior party leader said on Saturday.
Samajwadi Party names candidates for Phulpur, Allahabad
The Samajwadi Party on Saturday named Pandhari Yadav as its candidate from the Phulpur parliamentary constituency. Pandhari Yadav is a former district President of the Samajwadi Party (SP).
PM helped industrialists, ignored government firms: Sidhu
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he has behaved like a "business development manager" and benefited industrialists while "sidelining" the government companies.
Jayant Sinha richest candidate so far in Jharkhand
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, a BJP nominee from Hazaribagh Lok Sabha constituency, has declared assets of Rs 76.91 crore, making him the richest candidate among all those who have filed their nomination papers in Jharkhand so far.
Mayawati campaigning for those who disrespected Ambedkar, says Yogi
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Saturday charged BSP president Mayawati with seeking votes for those who had disrespected Babasaheb Ambedkar. "You can see how low politics has gone. Mayawati is today campaigning for those who used to humiliate Babasaheb Ambedkar. Those who do not respect India are not worth voting for," the chief minister said, addressing an election meeting here. The chief minister was referring to a joint election rally of the 'mahagathbandhan' in Rampur, in support of Samajwadi Party's Lok Sabha candidate Azam Khan. Mayawati had spoken at the meet. Adityanath said the former SP and Bahujan Samajwadi Party governments did not provide houses to the poor, claiming there was shortage of funds. "Farmers were faced with immense problems, there was hunger and all the money was going into corruption," he said. Giving an account of the work done by the BJP government in the state, Adityanath said, "Modi-ji has not seen caste or religion before undertaking ...
Foreign Secretary Gokhale to visit China for talks with Chinese FM
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale starts his two-day visit to China on Sunday during which he will hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as both countries grapple with a host of issues, including Beijing's continuous attempts to block efforts to list Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Masood Azhar as a "global terrorist". Gokhale will be visiting China for regular consultations, the Indian Embassy here said on Saturday. He is due to meet China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on April 22. His schedule here is being worked out, it said. The visit of Gokhale, previously India's Ambassador to China before he took over as Foreign Secretary last year, is taking place amid close engagement between India and China following the February 14 Pulawama terror attack carried out by a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Following the suicide attack, the US, the UK and France moved a proposal under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN ...
EC orders Eros Now to take down web series on Modi
The Election Commission Saturday asked Eros Now to stop till further orders online streaming of a web series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In its direction, the poll panel has cited its April 10 order, banning a biopic on Modi, to place a similar bar on the web series titled "Modi - Journey of a Common Man". "In view of the admitted facts and material available on record, this web series being an original web series on Shri Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister and a political leader and a prospective candidate in the current general elections to the Lok Sabha, cannot be exhibited," said the poll panel.
Is Modi a PM or business development manager of Ambani, Adani: Sidhu
The Congress on Saturday fired a fresh salvo at the BJP, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of favouring private firms over government companies in giving defence contracts."The government is favouring private entities over the government firms. The private companies are minting millions. The Prime Minister had coined a slogan, 'Na Khaunga, Naa Khilaunga' which has fallen apart," Congress leader and Punjab Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu told reporters here.Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Modi's 'Mein Bhi Chowkidar' (I too am a watchman) campaign, Sidhu claimed that the 'Chowkidar' is found outside rich houses where the poor are prohibited.Reading out a media report, Sidhu alleged that Modi travelled to 55 countries with businessmen Anil Ambani and Gautam Adani, where 18 agreements on defence projects were signed."In 2015, Modi went to Russia with Ambani. Reliance defence, which has a debt of Rs 7,500 crore, signed the deal for an air-defence system with Russia worth USD 6 ...
What if there is a hung parliament? (Column: Political Circus)
Conventional wisdom has it that the current polls will not produce a clear-cut result as in 2014.
SP fields Pandhari Yadav from Phulpur LS seat
Samajwadi Party (SP) Saturday fielded Pandhari Yadav as its candidate from Phulpur constituency for the Lok Sabha election, a party spokesman said. Yadav is secretary in the state unit of the party. In the 2018 by election to the seat, SP candidate Nagendra Patel, with the help of BSP support, had defeated BJP's Kaushlendra Patel. In 2014, the seat was won by BJP's Keshav Prasad Maurya who later joined the Yogi Adityanath government as deputy chief minister. BJP has fielded Kesari Devi Patel from the seat associated with country's first prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru who registered three straight wins (1952, 1957 and 1962).
Jihadist attack kills 13 regime fighters in north Syria: monitor
An attack Saturday by jihadists linked to Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate killed 13 regime fighters on the outskirts of the northern city of Aleppo, a war monitor said. A faction linked to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham "early Saturday attacked checkpoints and positions of regime forces on the western outskirts of Aleppo city", the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Heavy fighting and shelling broke out between both sides, so far "killing at least 13 regime troops and allies fighters", the Britain-based monitoring group said. The ongoing clashes have also taken the lives of at least eight members of the Abu Bakr Al-Sadeeq Army jihadist faction, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman added. Islamist and jihadist factions control the countryside to the west of Aleppo, which is part of the broader Idlib region under administrative control of HTS. That region is in theory protected from a massive regime military offensive by a deal inked in September by government ally Russia and rebel backer
Modi suffering from fear of losing elections : Mamata
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. "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 everyday is uttering nonsense thinking about losing in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, New Delhi, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha and others," she said at a rally here 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 543 seats. That is the reason he is roaming around in Bengal hoping to get votes by dividing people along Hindu-Muslim lines," she added. Reacting to BJP's allegations that she as chief minister of the state has done nothing for West Bengal, Banerjee said that people will ...
2014 contest was tougher, says Shashi Tharoor
Congress leader and party candidate from this parliamentary constituency in Kerala Shashi Tharoor, who is aiming for a hat-trick win in the Lok Sabha elections, on Saturday said that the 2014 fight was tougher.
Goa: Taking on BJP stalwarts, two women promise jobs and
Rakhi Prabhudesai Naik of Shiv Sena and activist-cum-politician Aishwarya Salgaonkar have focussed their campaign for Lok Sabha elections in Goa on burning issues like the stalled mining activity and lack of employment in the coastal state. Prabhudesai Naik and Salgaonkar, who is contesting as Independent, are in the fray from South Goa and North Goa constituencies, respectively. Prabhudesai Naik, 34, has been the face of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party in Goa since the last two years, taking up various issues against the BJP-led government in the state. Her opponents are BJP MP Narendra Sawaikar, Francis Sardinha of Congress and Elvis Gomes of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Salgaonkar had left the Congress after a bitter fallout with Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee president Pratima Coutinho. She had sat on fast seeking intervention of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. She is squaring off against Congress' Girish Chodankar, sitting BJP MP Shripad Naik and AAP leader ...
Youths want Modi to return as PM: Rawat
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Saturday said the country's youths want Narendra Modi to return as prime minister. Rawat, who has been campaigning in Rajasthan in support of BJP nominees in the Lok Sabha elections, said it was time the expectations of the young generation were fulfilled. "The young generation of the country wants Prime Minister Modi. Our youths feel Prime Minister Narendra Modi can fulfil their expectation of empowered India. The youths see only one such face to do this," Rawat said, addressing a press conference here. He said the BJP will again win all 25 LS seats in Rajasthan. In 2014 general elections, the BJP had won all LS seats in the state. "In 55 years, 12 crore people had gas connections in the country, but in 55 months, 13 crore new LPG connections were given, out of which seven crore were provided free of cost. In the last five years, the government has given 1.20 crore houses to the poor under the prime minister's housing scheme. Under .
To support my wife is my duty, says Shatrughan Sinha on campaigning for Poonam Sinha
Amid criticism for campaigning for his wife and Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Poonam Sinha, Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha on Saturday said to support his wife is his duty as a husband."Yesterday was a big and special day for my family as my better half, the graceful and radiant #PoonamSinha embarked on a new chapter of her life. I stood by her as a dutiful husband amidst remarks of me crossing party lines to campaign for my wife. But my stance was very loud and clear," Sinha said on Twitter."I learnt that there was a mixed bag of reactions among people to my action. Some said I was behaving in my authoritative style as a star, others said that I did no wrong... as I said I will serve the people of Lucknow," he said in another tweet.Sinha also expressed gratitude to the Gandhi family saying, "Expressed my thanks to the Gandhi family and Congress party for giving me the opportunity to fight this battle."Poonam Sinha, who is contesting as SP candidate, was pitted against Bharatiya ...
13 people shot dead in Mexico
As many as 13 people including a child were killed on Friday (local time) when a group of unidentified gunmen opened fire at a party in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, authorities said."Federal and state forces have deployed a strong search and capture operation of those responsible for the events," Gutierrez Maldonado, secretary of public security in Veracruz state, tweeted on Saturday.Authorities told CNN that an investigation in the matter has been launched to find those responsible for the shootings.State authorities have held an emergency meeting "to address the regrettable and condemnable events," Veracruz state Governor Cuitlahuac Garcia tweeted.Four other people present in the party were injured in the attack.Preliminary reports said that the gunmen were in search of a person, named El Beky, the owner of a bar located in Minatitlan city in Veracruz.Further details are awaited.
LS polls: North Malda to witness tough fight between first cousins
Malda (West Bengal) April 20 (ANI): With election fervour running intense in West Bengal, Malda district gears up for the third phase of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections with a battle between the 'first cousins' of a veteran political family.Isha Khan, son of Congress stalwart Abul Hasan Choudhury, will be contesting against his first cousin Mausam Noor who is a sitting MP from Malda North.Mausam Noor won the MP seat under the Congress banner. In 2008, she defeated her rival Haji Ketabuddin of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) by a margin of 21,205 votes. Later, she was elected as Lok Sabha MP from Malda North parliamentary constituency. She also became the youngest Muslim woman to be elected to the 15th Lok Sabha. But, she joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the name of development this January.Senior Congress leader Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury and brother of Ghani expressed discontent about his sister's daughter (Mausam Noor) joining Trinamool. "This is unfortunate as our ...