Page 834 - Politics
No unanimity yet in Congress on AAP tie-up
The Congress on Friday said it is yet to decide unanimously on a poll alliance with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Lok Sabha elections.
Leaders quitting as Congress is sinking ship: Shahnawaz
BJP's national spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain on Friday mocked the Congress by calling it a 'sinking ship' after one of its spokespersons, Priyanka Chaturvedi, quit the grand old party and joined the Shiv Sena.
BJP accuses TMC, BJD of resorting to violence, asks EC to deploy more central forces in WB, Odisha
Accusing ruling parties in West Bengal and Odisha of resorting to violence, the BJP Friday urged the Election Commission to take more measures, including deploying additional central forces and installing CCTV cameras, to ensure free and fair polls. The BJP has submitted three memorandums, all pertaining to different issues, to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). In one of its memorandums, the BJP denied allegations levelled against it by opposition parties in Tripura that it was causing law and order problem. The party told the EC that in the Tripura East constituency, where general elections were postponed from April 18 to April 23, the CPI(M) and the Congress had levelled allegations that a law and order problem was being caused by the BJP. These are misleading, the BJP said. The BJP, in another memorandum, urged the poll panel to deploy central paramilitary forces and install CCTV cameras for smooth conduct of polls in the remaining phases of the Lok Sabha elections in West ...
Hardik slapped at rally, slugfest between BJP, Congress (2nd Lead)
Firebrand Patidar leader Hardik Patel was on Friday slapped at a public meeting in Gujarat's Surendranagar district by a man who alleged Patel was playing politics with the sentiments of the community.
Modi remembers his caste only during polls: Ambedkar
Bahujan Vanchit Aghadi leader Prakash Ambedkar slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday for talking about his caste. Ambedkar was speaking at a campaign rally for Sharad Wankhede, Vanchit Aghadi candidate from Jalna, here. Two days ago, at a rally at Akluj in Maharashtra, Modi targeted Rahul Gandhi on his "why are all thieves named Modi" remark, saying the Congress chief, by making the jibe, had maligned the backward community he hails from. Ambedkar said that "Modi remembers his caste only during the election". The prime minister should note that backward class students were not receiving their scholarship money under his rule, the Dalit leader said. Ambedkar also hit out at state Congress chief Ashok Chavan. The talks between the state Congress and Ambedkar for a pre-poll alliance had not borne fruit. Speaking at the rally, Ambedkar said if his party came to power, he would institute a fresh inquiry in the Adarsh Housing Society scam, for which Chavan had come under .
C'garh LS poll: Raipur's BSP candidate supports Cong nominee
In a setback to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Chhattisgarh, its Raipur Lok Sabha candidate Friday said he would support the Congress nominee from the seat. Voting will be held in Raipur Lok Sabha seat on April 23. Addressing a press conference with Congress leaders, the BSP's Khileshwar Kumar Sahu said, "I don't have enough party workers or funds. I have not got any funds from the BSP to contest the polls." "I like the work of Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and so have decided to support Pramod Dubey, the Congress candidate for Raipur Lok Sabha seat," he added. The BSP, meanwhile, accused the Congress of luring Sahu and demanded that Dubey's candidature be rejected. "The Congress has lured and pressured the BSP candidate. We stronglycondemnthis act which is a threat to democracy," BSP state chief Hemant Poyam told PTI. However, this development will not dampen the morale of BSP workers who will continue to campaign for the party in Raipur constituency, ...
Ex-manager of international airline in US pleads guilty to acting as Chinese agent
A former manager of an international airline has pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of the Chinese government, a role under which she placed packages on flights from New York to Beijing at the direction of military officers assigned to China's mission to the UN. Ying Lin abused her privileges to transport packages from John F Kennedy International Airport to China aboard Air Carrier flights at the behest of the Chinese military officers and in violation of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations. She pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of China, without notification to the Attorney General, by working at the direction and control of military officers assigned to the Permanent Mission of China to the UN. Lin, the former manager of China-headquartered Air Carrier, faces up to 10 years' imprisonment. As part of the guilty plea, Lin agreed to forfeit approximately USD 25,000 as well as an additional USD 145,000 in connection with her resolution of the government's ...
169 FIRs, DD entries against political parties, others for poll code violation: Delhi CEO
Nearly 170 FIRs and daily diary (DD) entries were filed against political parties and others here for violation of the model code of conduct, officials said Friday. The statistics surveillance team of Delhi's Chief Electoral Office constituted to keep an eye on the expenses of political parties, has seized Rs 2.82 crore in cash and 1338.40 kg of narcotics and drugs. "A total of 169 FIRs or DD entries have been lodged till date in connection with the violation of the model code of conduct," the office of the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said in a statement. "Out of these, 20 are against the Aam Aadmi Party (12 FIRs and eight DD entries), 23 against the Bhartiya Janata Party (12 FIRs and 11 DD entries), eight against the Congress (three FIRs and five DD entries), one against the Bahujan Samaj Party (one FIR), Samajwadi Party (one DD entry), two against CPI (M) (one FIR and one DD entry) and 114 (110 FIRs and four DD entries) are against others or non-political (entities)," it ...
Pompeo says he's still in charge on N.Korea, works with Japan
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday he remained in charge of negotiating with North Korea despite the regime's demands to exclude him, as he voiced guarded hope with Japan on securing a deal. Pompeo led four-way talks in Washington of the US and Japanese foreign affairs and defense chiefs, the latest in a flurry of major meetings scheduled between the close allies. Amid a standstill with North Korea, Pompeo brushed aside an angry statement this week in which Pyongyang called the top US diplomat "reckless" and immature and demanded that he be removed from future negotiations. Pompeo is believed to have encouraged Trump, who has admitted to having a soft spot for Kim Jong Un, to hold firm with North Korea's young authoritarian leader during a summit in February in Hanoi that ended in deadlock. "Nothing has changed. We continue to work," Pompeo told a joint news conference. "Still in charge of the team," Pompeo said, while adding that Trump "is obviously in charge of the ...
Journalist shot dead in N.Ireland unrest
A journalist was shot dead during riots in Northern Ireland in what police Friday were treating as a terrorist incident following the latest upsurge in violence to shake the troubled region. "Lyra McKee was murdered during orchestrated violence in Creggan" in the city of Derry, also known as Londonderry, police chief Mark Hamilton said in a statement. Republican political party Saoradh said a "republican volunteer" was trying to "defend people" from the police when the shot was fired that "accidentally" hit McKee. McKee, 29, had earlier posted an image from the riots, accompanied by the words "Derry tonight. Absolute madness." Images of the unrest posted on social media showed a car and van ablaze and hooded individuals throwing petrol bombs and fireworks at police vehicles. Saoradh said "heavily armed" police went in to Creggan "to attack republicans in advance of upcoming Easter Rising Commemorations." "The inevitable reaction to such an incursion was resistance from the youth of ...
Sadhvi Pragya apologises for Karkare curse remark after row
BJP's Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who sparked a controversy on Friday by saying that Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare had died during the 26/11 terror attack due to "her curse", apologised for her remark and termed him a "martyr".
Kushwaha to remain RLSP chief till polls are over: EC
Former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha will continue to be the President of the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) and the symbol of "ceiling fan" will be reserved for the party till the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission (EC) ruled on Friday.
'Several security personnel injured in stone pelting during polling for Srinagar LS seat'
Several security forces personnel, including two officers, were injured in stone pelting incidents during polling for the Srinagar parliamentary seat, an official spokesman said here Friday. Chief Electoral Officer Shailendra Kumar had on Thursday said the polling remained peaceful and incident free. "As the polling for Srinagar parliamentary constituency was going on yesterday (Thursday), several incidents of stone pelting on security forces and polling staff were reported from different areas," the spokesman said. He said during the election process, the security forces came under severe stone pelting from miscreants at various places. "However, the security forces exercised maximum restraint while dealing with the law and order problem," he said. The spokesman said several police and security forces personnel, including two deputy superintendents of police, were injured due to stone pelting at different places. "In one such incident at Hyderpora, a civilian driver identified as ...
J-K highway ban: HC seeks govt's response on issuing passes for emergency civilian movement
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Friday sought the government's response on allegations of non-compliance with an administrative decision to issue travel passes for civilian traffic movement in case of emergencies during the two days restriction on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. A bench of justices Ali Mohammad Magrey and Tashi Rabstan was hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the closure of highway for civilian traffic on Sunday and Wednesday every week to allow smooth movement of security forces' convoys. During the hearing, the counsel for the petitioners alleged that a decision taken at the divisional commissioner's level, which provided that in case of any requirements for local traffic movement for any emergencies, travel passes will be issued, was not being adhered to. Senior Additional Advocate General B A Dar sought time to file a response on the allegations. "Let the counsel for respondents file their response as regards the steps being undertaken to ensure that the
Ahmedabad East seat has maximum 'crorepati' candidates in Guj
Ahmedabad East Lok Sabha constituency has the highest number of 'crorepati' candidates in Gujarat, while Congress candidate from Mehsana A J Patel is the richest one, an analysis of election affidavits shows. A total of 371 candidates are in the fray for 26 seats in Gujarat that will go to polls on April 23. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an election watchdog, said in a report that six out of 26 candidates from Ahmedabad East have declared that they possess assets worth Rs one crore or more. It is followed by Gandhinagar, where five out of total 17 candidates are worth Rs one crore or more. There are a total of 75 'crorepati' candidates, around 20 per cent of the total 370 candidates analysed by the ADR. Among the candidates from Ahmedabad East, BJP's Somabhai Patel is the richest candidate with Rs 7.46 crore-worth assets, followed by BSP's Ganesh Vaghela at Rs 7.09 crore. Congress' Geeta Patel has declared assets of Rs 4 crore. BJP president Amit Shah, who
BJP concerned only about its own progress: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Attacking the ruling BJP government, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Friday said it was concerned only about its "own progress" and not the country's. "Governments are of two types... one which works for people's progress and the other which is concerned only about its own progress.The BJP government is of show off and publicity," said Priyanka Gandhi while addressing an election meeting here. The Congress general secretary and eastern Uttar Pradesh in-charge, who held a massive roadshow here earlier, was campaigning for party candidate and former Union minister Shriprakash Jaiswal. "They (BJP) were making Kanpur a smart city but nothing has happened so far. Youth are unemployed and farmers are committing suicide due to debts," she said. Priyanka Gandhi stressed that the Congress works for the people, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) only favours industrialists. "We have promised Rs72,000 peryear for the poor, but BJP is saying that there is not enough money... they (BJP) .
Afghanistan made progress against torture in detention centres, but govt needs to do more: UN report
The Afghanistan government's policies to prevent ill-treatment of detainees, linked to ongoing conflict, in the war-torn country's prisons were having an effect, but they were far from sufficient as torture of prisoners is likely still widespread in these jails, the UN has said. Based on interviews with more than 600 detainees and published jointly by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), their latest report on the treatment of prisoners in 77 facilities in 28 out of 34 provinces indicates that an average of nearly one in three, provided "credible and reliable" accounts of suffering. In the previous reporting period, covering 2015 and 2016, the ratio was closer to four in 10, it said noting that an "encouraging reduction" in the level of abuse since 2016 have been witnessed. Beatings was the most common form of torture and ill-treatment, according to the report, which also noted that "the vast majority" of detainees held for alleged ..
JMM MLA denounces oppn seat sharing deal, to support Modi
Sitting JMM MLA Jai Prakash Bhai Patel Friday decried the seat sharing deal of opposition parties of Jharkhand and announced his support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Patel's move came after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leadership 'ignored' his request to nominate him either in Giridih or Hazaribagh Lok Sabha constituency. However, Hazaribagh went to the Congress in the seat sharing deal among the opposition parties in Jharkhand and the JMM nominated another MLA, Jagarnath Mahato, for Giridih. Patel claimed that ignoring his candidature for Lok Sabha elections "is an insult to my father late Teklal Mahato, who was once JMM MP of Giridih and five-time MLA of Mandu". After his father's death, Patel won twice from Mandu which is under Hazaribagh Lok Sabha constituency. The seat sharing deal was made with an aim to win Dumka (ST) and Rajmahal (ST) seats where Shibu Soren and sitting MP Vijay Hansda were nominated respectively. "The JMM leadership should not think that .
BJP will draw a blank in Bengal: Mamata Banerjee
Taking a jibe at Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for his comments that the Northeast, Bengal and Odisha would be the surprises in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in for a "surprise" as it will secure a "rosogolla" (zero) from her state.
Ram Madhav blames Cong for infiltration in Assam
BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav on Friday accused the opposition Congress for encouraging infiltration in Assam and even backing out from updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC). He also accused former Congress chief minister Tarun Gogoi of backing out in 2010 after protests during the initial preparation and "ran away" from the updation of the NRC. "Who allowed infiltration from Pakistan ? It was the Congress government at the Centre in 1967 who repealed the Prevention of Infiltration from Pakistan Act and opened doors for infiltrators from the then East Pakistan to come into Assam and Northeast," alleged Madhav while addressing a press conference here at the BJP Assam unit headquarters. It is Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal of BJP who took up the NRC process again under the guidance of the Supreme Court, Madhav, who is the party's in-charge for the north east, said. Hitting out at the Congress, the BJP leader said "They are friends of infiltrators .