Page 839 - Politics
Kumaraswamy accuses PM of not sharing details of Balakot air strikes
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not sharing complete details of Balakot air strikes. The remarks come a day after Modi's attack on him during the PM's Belagavi and Chikkodi election meetings on Thursday. Modi took on Kumaraswamy for saying the matter of air strikes on terror camps in Pakistan's Balakot should not be overpublicised "fearing the vote bank bank would get angry." "Now tell me, Where is Congress and the JD(S) vote bank? Is it in Bagalkot or Balakot? This Congress-JD(S) has to decide," the prime minister said. Talking to reporters in Hubballi, Kumaraswamy said, "We do not know anything about the air strike. We read only in the newspapers. You (Modi) did not give the complete information to the people of India about the air strikes. "He (Modi) publicises it as if he himself carried out the air strike and nobody had ever crossed the Pakistan border in the past," the chief minister said. He said the prime minister ...
Mukesh Kumar elected Judo Union of Asia general secretary
Former Judo Federation of India chief Mukesh Kumar was Friday re-elected as general secretary of the Asian governing body at its ordinary congress at Fujairah in the UAE. Incumbent Judo Federation of India President Partap Singh Bajwa was elected as Vice President of Judo Union of Asia as well as president of South Asia Judo Federation. "A judo training camp of best countries will be conducted in India in 2020. South Asian Judo Championships is also being planned for next year in India," Mukesh said. Mukesh is also the Chairman of the Technical Conduct Committee of the 36th National Games allotted to Goa.
Rahul Gandhi should explain whether he wants to fight BJP or Left: Yechury
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has urged Rahul Gandhi to explain whether he is keen on fighting the BJP or the Left as he feels that the Congress chief's decision to contest from Left stronghold-Wayanad has sent out a different message. Hinting that Gandhi's decision won't prevent the two parties from coming together after election, he spoke about 2004 when the CPI(M)-led Left Front had extended outside support to the Congress-led UPA. He said out of the 61 Left MPs, 57 had won by defeating the Congress. "In all the 20 seats of Kerala, the contest is between the Congress-led UDF and Left-led LDF, whether its Rahul Gandhi or XYZ candidate. We are saying today that defeating the BJP is necessary to save India today," Yechury told PTI in an interview. "Now what does Rahul Gandhi want to do is up to him. What is the message he is giving by contesting against the Left in Kerala unlike his mother or grandmother who had contested against the BJP from Karnataka. He should tell the ..
Minor injured in post-poll violence in Bengal
A Class 7 student sustained a bullet injury during clashes between West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress supporters and BJP activists at Chopra in North Dinajpur district on Friday, a day after Lok Sabha polls were held there, police said.
Priyanka holds strategy meeting in Amethi, welcomes new entrants in Congress
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi held detailed parleys with senior party leaders Friday to finalise the campaign strategy of her brother and party chief, Rahul Gandhi, who is seeking reelection from the constituency. A senior Congress leader, who was present at the closed-door meeting, said she gave new directives and finalised the strategy of the party in the constituency and took feedback on the preparations for the election on May 6. During a five-hour meeting, she told local leaders a 20-member team from Delhi is here to review the progress in the responsibilities given to party functionaries. Priyanka Gandhi arrived in Amethi from New Delhi this morning and held the meeting with party office-bearers at the Congress office in Gauriganj area. She consulted senior party leaders and exchanged notes. In a development the party is viewing as a good sign, Bhalchandra Yadav, former Samajwadi Party MP from Sant Kabir Nagar, Vijay Pasi, who had contested Vidhan Sabha election on .
Debate with our youth wing chief, Shah taunts Rahul
BJP chief Amit Shah Friday challenged Congress president Rahul Gandhi to debate with the the president of the ruling party's youth wing on what the country's oldest party has done for the poor in its over five-decade rule. Addressing an election meeting here, Shah listed achievements of the Narendra Modi government and accused the Congress of creating hurdles in the path of development of BJP -ruled Gujarat. "Rahul baba chants about the poor. The Congress again raises the remove poverty (garibi hatao) slogan. For five generations and 55 years, only your family ruled the country. "Come to any crossroad in Vadodara with an account of what you did for the poor, and our youth morcha president will respond to you," Shah said. Shah's dare comes against the backdrop of Gandhi on several occasions challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a debate on corruption, especially in the Rafale fighter jet deal, and demonetisation. "For five generations, you (Congress) sought votes ..
Congress demands PM's apology over Pragya Thakur's comments on 26/11 martyr Karkare
The Congress Friday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologise to the country and take action against the BJP's Bhopal nominee Pragya Singh Thakur, who claimed that 26/11 martyr Hemant Karkare died because she had cursed him for "torturing" her. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the remark was an insult to every soldier who has sacrificed his life for the country while fighting terrorism. "Modi ji, only BJP leaders can commit the crime of declaring 26/11 martyr Hemant Karkare a traitor," Surjewala said on Twitter. "This is an insult to every Indian soldier who has sacrificed his life for Mother India while fighting terrorism. Apologise to the country and take action against Pragya," he added. Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur is the BJP candidate for the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat against Congress heavyweight and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh. Addressing a gathering of BJP workers on Thursday, Thakur said Karkare committed an anti-national act by .
Pragya's remarks on Karkare insulting: IPS Association
Calling it an insult, the Indian Police Service (IPS) Association on Friday condemned BJP's Lok Sabha candidate Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur's remarks on former Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad Chief Hemant Karkare.
Karkare died because of my curse, says Sadhvi Pragya
BJP's Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate and 2008 Malegaon bomb blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur on Friday sparked off a controversy by saying that Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who lost his life in the 26/11 attack, had died to "her curse".
Journalist shot dead in N.Ireland in 'terrorist incident'
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 last night," Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said in a statement. McKee had earlier posted an image that appeared to be from the riots in the Creggan housing estate in the city of Londonderry, also known as Derry, 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. "A single gunman fired shots in a residential area of the city and as a result wounded Ms McKee," said Hamilton, adding that police believed the gunman was a "violent dissident republican." "We are treating this as a terrorist incident and we have launched a murder enquiry," he added. Journalist Matthew ...
Mamata says BJP will get 'rosogolla' in West Bengal
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee Friday claimed that the BJP will get a 'rosogolla' (zero) in West Bengal in the general elections, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aim of winning a large number of seats will remain a day dream. Banerjee said the the prime minister's promise of offering 'laddoos' to the voters of Bengal in both their hands will never be fulfilled. Mentioning a popular Hindi adage, she said, "Delhi ka laddoo - jo khaya wo pastaya (whoever has eaten laddoos of Delhi has regretted), they will get a big zero in Bengal this time," she said at two election rallies in North Bengal's Dakshin Dinajpur district. Before the 2016 Assembly elections in West Bengal, PM Modi had said in public meetings that if the people vote the BJP to power in the state, they would have 'laddoos' in both their hands, with one as the NDA government at the Centre and the other in the state. Taking a jibe at the BJP's aim of winning at least half of the 42 Lok ...
Modi targeting Pawar to grab headlines: NCP's Supriya Sule
NCP leader and Lok Sabha candidate Supriya Sule has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was targeting her father Sharad Pawar during election rallies in Maharashtra just to garner headlines. Sule, seeking re-election from the family bastion of Baramati in Pune district, said Modi has no issue to highlight and hence he is making personal remarks against Pawar, his family and the NCP (Nationalist Congress Party). The PM, in his election rallies in Maharashtra, has been speaking about internal affairs of the NCP and the Pawar family. He had accused Pawar of drawing inspiration from the "Delhi model" of dynasty. "Modi is really in a crisis mode when he criticises us and says he is targeted because he is (from) a backward (class). Do we say such things," she asked while talking to PTI. Asked about the BJP's attempts to make a dent in her constituency, Sule said she was flattered as a woman that top leaders of the saffron party are working to defeat her. "If they wanted to ...
'These are worst days for country', says Mehbooba Mufti on remarks of Sadhvi Pragya against Karkare
"These are the worst days for the country", said former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday, reacting to remarks on former Anti-Terrorist Squad chief Hemant Karkare by Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, the BJP candidate from Bhopal and an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. "I think these are the worst days for our country that you are giving such a choice of candidates to the people who use such language against a martyr like Hemant Karkare," Mehbooba told reporters here. Thakur on Friday said Karkare died during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks as she had cursed him for treating her badly. Karkare, along with two other senior police officers, was killed while fighting terrorists during the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in November 2008. The BJP on Wednesday had fielded Thakur from the Bhopal parliamentary seat, where she is set to have a direct contest with Congress heavyweight and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh. Out on bail, Pragya has been ...
Mayawati shares stage with Mulayam, calls him genuine OBC leader (Third Lead)
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Ministers Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati on Friday erased 24 years of bitter hostilities and shared the same platform in Mainpuri where the BSP President took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi while the Samajwdi Party patriarch declared that this will be his last election.
Cong, SP-BSP getting zero seats in first two phases of LS polls in UP: Yogi
Resuming campaigning after a 72-hour EC ban, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Friday claimed that the Congress and the SP-BSP-RLD alliance will get zero seats in the first two phases of general elections held so far in the state. Addressing an election meeting at Kaila Devi here, Adityanath said: "The BJP has got the maximum votes in the first two phases of polling on 16 seats and the Congress and the SP-BSP have been reduced to zero seats." "I am coming to you after sadhana of Bajrang Bali for three days... I also had a darshan of Kaila Devi," the CM said, adding that he never seeks votes in the name of religion. "Remember the Congress government when the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said that Muslims had the first right over the country's resources while Mayawati in a rally in Saharanpur asked Muslims to unite and vote for the BSP-SP alliance... I have never sought votes in the name of caste or religion," he said. Without taking the name of SP leader Azam Khan,
Fierce battle brewing between Left, Cong in northern Kerala; BJP emerging as significant player
The politically volatile north Kerala is witnessing a fierce battle between the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and the opposition Congress-headed UDF in the three Lok Sabha constituencies Vadakara, Kannur and Kasaragod, to wrest them from the rival front in the April 23 election. While the main battle is between the two fronts in Kerala, the BJP has emerged as a significant player after extending support to the Sabarimala devotees. How the saffron party fares in the bipolar polity of the southern state is being keenly watched by political observers. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has fielded its strongman P Jayarajan, to reclaim Vadakara from state Congress chief Mullappally Ramachandran who had won the seat with a meagre margin of around 3,300 votes in 2014. Jayarajan, CPI(M)'s former district secretary in Kannur, has a considerable clout among the party cadre, prompting the Congress to find a heavyweight to take on him. But Congress, in a surprise move, picked K Muraleedheeran, ...
Russia dismisses US special counsel's report
Russia on Friday dismissed US special counsel Robert Mueller's report, saying it contains "no proven evidence" that Moscow interfered in the 2016 US presidential election.
Not going to say anything about Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur: Digvijaya Singh
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday said that he is not going speak anything about the BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who is contesting against him from the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency."I will only say one thing that I am not going to say anything about the BJP candidate," Singh told reporters here when he was asked to comment on the BJP candidate.When asked about Thakur's comment on former Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, the Congress leader said, "I have never criticised my opponent and I am not going to speak regarding her."Speaking on Karkare, Singh said, "The Election Commission of India (ECI) has clearly said that no political comments should be made on Army and martyrs... I want to say that Hemant Karkare was an honest and committed officer who attained martyrdom for the people of Mumbai in a terror attack."On Thursday, Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, said that the former Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare lost his ...
Terror funding, drug trade, fake currencies forced India to suspend LoC trade with Pak
Infiltration of third-party goods, channeling funds and arms for terrorists, clandestine trade of drugs and pumping fake currencies were among some compelling reasons, which left India with no other option but to suspend the Line of Control (LoC) trade with Pakistan, said sources in Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday."LoC trade across Chakkan-Da-Bagh and Salamabad was intended to be a confidence-building measure for the population living in remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir and living across LoC in PoJK and J-K. However, third parties manipulated the trade and misused the facility for trading goods being produced from outside Jammu and Kashmir," said sources."For example, the almonds produced in California, US, were finding their way through LoC trade involving a large transport network spread in many countries. It was defeating the positive purpose with which the LoC trade had been initiated," sources said.According to sources, channeling of funds and arms for terror outfits ...
Abhijeet Mukherjee dubs Mamata's claim of BJP-RSS supporting him 'baseless'
Murshidabad (West Bengal) [India], Apr 19 (ANI): Abhijeet Mukherjee, son of former President Pranab Mukherjee, has dismissed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegations as "baseless" and "imaginary" where she had reportedly claimed that BJP and RSS are supporting him in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections."I deny it. It is nothing but an imaginary and baseless claim. In his statement at RSS headquarters (in Nagpur), my father Pranab Mukherjee clearly stated to BJP and RSS that India is for all. He also clearly mentioned that India is a secular country and reminded that BJP and RSS were deviating from this," Mukherjee told ANI in an exclusive interview on Thursday.Further taking a potshot at the Chief Minister, Mukherjee asserted that the "allegations" made by the Trinamool Congress supremo was nothing but "malicious" and "intentional"."I must politely remind Mamata Banerjee that she was part of the BJP-led NDA government in the early 2000s. That alliance went on to defeat ...