Page 847 - Politics
Priyanka Gandhi's road show in Kanpur on Friday
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will hold a road show in Kanpur on Friday, party leaders said on Thursday here.
Kumaraswamy hits out at PM for ridiculing Cong-JDS govt
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was playing with the emotions of people in the name of religion and terrorism. During an election rally at Chikkodi, Modi ridiculed the Congress-JDS coalition government and said the Congress wanted a "helpless" government and told the voters to look at the "helpless" Kumaraswamy. He also mocked the frequent emotional outbursts of Kumaraswamy, saying it was "natak" (drama). Hitting out at Modi, Kumaraswamy tweeted "PM Modi alleged opposition parties use emotions 4 (sic) votes. But it is Mr.Modi himself who is playing with the emotions of people in the name of religion & terrorism. Had he been confident of his development work to bring in votes Y (sic) would he resort to propaganda movie&TV channel in his name?" The chief minister also sought to know whether the prime minister could eliminate black money by demonetising Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes. "Dear PM you claim
Congress not serious about LS elections in Goa: Sawant
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Thursday said the Congress was not serious about the Lok Sabha elections in the state and hence none of its national leaders could be seen campaigning. He said his party- BJP, on the other hand, was serious about both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa and hence Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders like Nitin Gadkari, Suresh Prabhu and Devendra Fadnavis were campaigning in the state. The chief minister was speaking while addressing a press conference along with the coalition partners, including Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte (independent), Art and Culture Minister Govind Gawade (independent) and Ports Minister Jayesh Salgaonkar (Goa Forward Party). "Congress is not serious about Goa as far as elections are concerned. From the time elections were announced till date, no national leader of the Congress visited Goa...Forget about national leaders, their own MLAs are not with the official candidate," he said. The BJP has fielded ...
Russians meddled in polls, but Trump didn't collude
Attorney General William Barr said on Thursday that the inquiry into alleged cooperation between Russia and US President Donald Trump's campaign in the 2016 election found there was no collusion between them, although it established Moscow's interference.
After I-T raids, Shiv Sena picks holes in demonetisation
The Shiv Sena Thursday sought to pick holes in the BJP-led government's demonetisation exercise after the I-T raids during the ongoing poll season and said the note-ban was aimed at weeding out black money and stop illegal distribution ofcash during elections. The Sena, a BJP ally, said in the last few days, there have been I-T raids on prominent political parties and their leaders in which large amount of cash is claimed to have been confiscated. There was an I-T raid on DMK leader Kanimozhi's house and that the opposition is alleging the ruling party in Tamil Nadu is using the state machinery to put pressure on the DMK, said the Sena in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'. "There is an AIADMK government in place in TamilNadu and the BJP is fighting election by allying with it," the Sena said. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party further noted that cash amounting to Rs 100 crore was seized from an aide of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and around Rs 211 crore .
No raids but verification exercise: EC on I-T action against Kanimozhi
No raids but a verification exercise was carried out by a joint team of Income Tax and police officials at the premises of DMK leader Kanimozhi in Tuticorin on April 16, the Election Commission said Thursday. The poll panel has sought a report of the incident by tonight from the special expenditure observer deployed by it in Tamil Nadu, officials said. The action was taken under Section 131 of the Income Tax Act (power regarding discovery and production of evidence). It was a verification exercise and not searches, the EC's Director General (Expenditure), Dilip Sharma, told reporters here. The commission has sought a report from the special expenditure observer, Madhu Mahajan, and it is expected to be sent by tonight, he said. The I-T sleuths, accompanied by local police and election surveillance teams, conducted an inquiry after they were informed by the Tuticorin collector that there were reports of some "cash being stocked" at the location of Kanimozhi, officials had earlier ...
Election Commission launches 'Voter Turnout' app
The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday launched a new mobile application for near-realtime availability of voter turnout during elections across the country.
62 per cent turnout over 8 UP seats in second phase
Over 62 per cent of the votes were cast in the eight constituencies which went to the polls in Uttar Pradesh in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on Thursday. State Congress chief Raj Babbar and actor-turned-politician Hema Malini (BJP) are among the 85 candidates in the fray in this phase. The Election Commission put the overall voter turnout at 62.30 per cent for the eight seats at 6 pm, the closing time for polling. However, people still in the queue at the polling centres then were being allowed to cast their vote, officials said. According to the EC, the polling percentage till 6 pm was 62.10 in Nagina (SC), 68.77 in Amroha, 62.14 in Bulandshahr (SC), 61.25 in Hathras (SC), 59.60 in Agra (SC), 62.80 in Aligarh, 60.56 in Mathura, and 61.16 in Fatehpur Sikri. There are 1.4 crore registered voters in these constituencies. People boycotted the polls during the initial hours in Nagina constituency's Gujjupura, protesting that there was no polling booth in their own ...
Congress linked Hindus with terror: Pragya
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Bhopal Sadhvi Pragya Thakur on Thursday accused the Congress of being anti-Hindu and said the party harassed a woman by linking Hindus with terrorism.
India suspends cross-LoC trade, says misused to fuel terror (2nd Lead)
India on Thursday announced suspension of trade across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir from Friday, saying it is being misused by Pakistan-based elements to send weapons and illegal currency to fuel terrorism and separatism in this country.
Over 76% turn out in Bengal amid sporadic violence (evening lead)
Over 76 per cent of the electorate cast their votes in the three northern West Bengal constituencies in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Thursday.
Search ambulances, govt cars to prevent poll related malpractices: Pb CEO to officials
To ensure free and fair polls in the state, Punjab CEO S Karuna Raju Thursday directed law enforcement agencies to search ambulances and government vehicles to avoid election related malpractices. The officers of interstate coordination committee held a meeting with the law enforcement agencies here wherein Raju and DGP Punjab Dinkar Gupta took stock of preparations for the elections, an official release said. They also held discussions with the officers from Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh and Jammu and Kashmir, it added. Raju emphasised that Punjab and neighbouring states should ensure the effective setting up of interstate police barriers to check all vehicles including government cars and ambulances to prevent smuggling of intoxicants and arms. The Chief Electoral Officer also directed that buses and trucks entering the state from Delhi be searched at CCTV equipped checkpoints. Asking officers to ensure that the rule limiting the expenditure of each candidate to ..
Pakistan will bot be 'pressured' by anyone on Masood Azhar: FO
Pakistan will not be "pressured" by anyone on the issue of banning Masood Azhar, a top official here said on Thursday, a day after China dismissed reports that the US, the UK and France have served an ultimatum to Beijing to lift its "technical hold" on designating the JeM chief as a global terrorist by the UN. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said that Pakistan has a clear stance on Azhar. India says Pakistan-based Azhar's Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group was behind the deadly February 14 attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Asked about China putting a technical hold to prevent Azhar from being designated a global terrorist at the UN, Faisal said: "Whatever decision Pakistan takes in this regard will be in its national interest. Pakistan will not be pressured by anyone". China Wednesday dismissed reports that the US, the UK and France have served an ultimatum to Beijing to lift its "technical hold" by April 23 on branding ..
Jaideep Sarkar appointed High Commissioner to South Africa
Seasoned diplomat Jaideep Sarkar has been appointed as India's next High Commissioner to South Africa. "He is expected to take up the assignment shortly," the External Affairs Ministry said, making the announcement. Sarkar, a 1987-batch Indian Foreign Service official, is currently serving as India's ambassador in Bhutan. He served in Indian Missions in Tokyo, Seoul and Bangladesh as well. Sarkar also worked in the Ministry of Finance from 1992-1996 dealing with economic relations with European Union member countries. In 2004, Sarkar joined the Prime Minister's Office as a director and dealt with a number of ministries including the MEA, Finance and Planning. Before taking over as Ambassador of India to Bhutan, Sarkar was India's Ambassador to Israel from October 2012 to January 2016. The government also appointed Suhel Ajaz Khan, presently serving as India's Deputy Chief of Mission in Saudi Arabia, as next Ambassador to Lebanon.
Terrorism, Naxalism grew under Modi govt: Sachin Pilot
Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot Thursday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, alleging that terrorism and Naxalism have grown during its tenure. He also blamed the Modi government for the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. "Naxals killed one MLA (in Chhattisgarh). Naxalism, terrorism are growing but you are not ready to give an answer," said Pilot, also the Rajasthan Congress president, at a rally in Churu. On the BJP's defeat in the last year's assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the deputy chief minister said it is a reflection of voters' mood and their inclination towards the Congress. Taking a jibe at the BJP's 'Congress-mukt Bharat' slogan, Pilot said, "They used to say that they will make India free from Congress, but we sent them out of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh." Asserting that the Congress is gaining momentum across the country, he exuded confidence that the party will win all the 25 Lok
VHP asks EC to ban Abdullahs, Mehbooba from holding rallies in J-K
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Thursday demanded that the Election Commission ban top leaders of Jammu and Kashmir -- Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti -- from holding public rallies in the state and file FIRs against them for allegedly promoting enmity between the Muslim majority and the other minorities in Jammu and Kashmir. A delegation of VHP led by its international working president Alok Kumar met officials of the poll panel and submitted a memorandum along with copies of speeches of NC leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti in which they have made allegedly made controversial remarks on Section 370 related to special status of Jammu and Kashmir. "Going by the statements of these three leaders on Section 370, it is clear they are dancing to the tune of Pakistan which is a dreaded enemy of India and is continuously waging war against our country. They are in total connivance and are acting under a well-planned conspiracy with ...
CPI-M-led LDF holds road show in Wayanad
A day after Congress chief Rahul Gandhi campaigned at Wayanad, from where he is contesting besides his stronghold Amethi, the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF held a massive road show at Sulthan Bathery here led by party general secretary Sitaram Yechury. LDF candidate P P Suneer and Kerala health minister K K Shylaja were also present in the open jeep along with Yechury who was wearing a red hat and waving to the crowd. Addressing the rally, Yechury said the support of Left parties were necessary to form a secular government at the Centre. He also said it would be a repeat of 2004 when the LDF had won 18 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in the State. "The Left parties are necessary to form a secular government at the Centre..In Kerala, the LDF will repeat a 2004," Yechury said. Yechury dismissed the allegation that Rahul Gandhi has a soft stand on CPI(M) and said it was not going to influence the voters. "There is no confusion among our party members....," I Yechury said. In a campaign ..
BJP will lose its Delhi main engine after polls: Patnaik
BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday ridiculed the BJP leaders' calls to bring to power a "double engine" in the state and said the saffron party's "main engine" (Narendra Modi) in Delhi will be derailed after the results of the 2019 polls are announced. Patnaik asked the people of the state to analyse why BJP faced the poll debacle in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Chhattisgarh despite the presence of "double engine" in them. The chief minister, who is seeking re-election for the fifth straight time, was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to the people of Odisha to ensure that a "double engine" - a government of BJP in Delhi and in Odisha is voted to power for the speedy development of the state. Almost all the visiting BJP leaders who visited the state for the high voltage campaigning spoke about the "double engine." "BJPs 'double engine' is already derailed in the five states and its 'main engine' is going to
Cong's Ajay Singh, BJP's Dharambir file nomination papers
Senior Congress leader Ajay Singh Yadav and BJP candidate Dharambir Singh were among candidates who filed their nomination papers Thursday for the Lok Sabha polls in Haryana. Congress candidate and former minister Yadav filed his nomination papers from Gurgaon seat, while BJP's Singh filed his papers from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh seat on the second day of filing nominations for the general elections, according to an official release here. Several other candidates who filed their nomination papers included Pyarelal as Independent candidate from Hisar parliamentary constituency, Deepak Gaur of Aarakshan Virodhi Party from Faridabad seat and Kanwal Jit Singh as Independent candidate from Kurukshetra seat. Joint Chief Electoral Officer Inder Jeet said out of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, nomination papers had been filed for seven parliamentary constituencies. He said so far 18 candidates have filed their nomination papers from seven Lok Sabha seats -- Ambala, Kurukshetra, Hisar, ...
Mueller finds no Trump-Russia collusion: AG
US Attorney General William Barr said on Thursday the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller "found no collusion" between the Donald Trump's campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election.