Page 861 - Politics
BJP is 'plotting' to retire Rajnath Singh: Akhilesh Yadav
A day after Poonam Sinha, wife of actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha joined Samajwadi Party, chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said she will contest from Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow where ruling BJP has fielded Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.Welcoming Poonam Sinha into the party fold Akhilesh Yadav appealed to voters to back her."The first phase of voting is over and tomorrow the second will be over tomorrow. We are fighting the elections based on the work we (SP-BSP) did during our rule in the state, we will fight the elections in Lucknow based on the work I did in the area. Poonam Sinha has been given the ticket from SP and he (Shatrughan Sinha) will definitely come and campaign in Lucknow for SP."Poonam Sinha also said that her husband will campaign solely for the 'cycle', the election symbol of Samajwadi Party. Shatrughan Sinha who very recently joined the Congress after a long association with the BJP.Taking a dig at the BJP, the former Uttar Pradesh CM said that BJP is planning to
Cong favours scrapping sedition law to 'strengthen' stone pelting in J-K, Naxalism: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched an attack on the Congress saying that the party wants to remove the sedition law to ensure "strengthening" of stone pelting in Jammu and Kashmir and Naxalism in rest of the places in the country.The Prime Minister while addressing a rally here said that the ongoing elections will decide whether nationalist forces will rule the country or those who want to help the "tukde tukde gang" by scrapping the sedition law."Congress has said in its manifesto that it wants to remove the sedition law, so that stone pelting in J-K and Naxalism in rest of the places in the country can be strengthened, 'tukde tukde gang desh ke tukde karne ki apni shararatein khule aam kar paayein'," Modi said while addressing a rally in Gujarat's Anand.Referring to National Conference (NC) leader Muhammad Akbar Lone statement that he will retaliate against those who hurl abuses at Pakistan, Prime Minister Modi said, "In Kashmir, a Congress ally says that 'if anyone .
Former union minister Ali Ashraf Fatmi quits RJD
Former Union Minister Ali Ashraf Fatmi on Wednesday resigned from the primary membership of the Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), following denial of ticket to contest Lok Sabha election from Madhubani parliamentary seat.According to sources, Fatmi might contest from Madhubani Lok Sabha seat in Bihar on Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket."After serving the party for 30 years continuously, I resign from the primary membership of the @RJDforIndia party," the former Member of Parliament (MP) Fatmi tweeted.A few days ago, Fatmi had told media personnel, "I was working with RJD for the last 30 years but they broke my trust." Fatmi had threatened that he will file nomination against the party on April 18, if he is overlooked.Fatmi's son, Faraz, is presently the RJD MLA from Madhubani constituency.On March 27, Fatmi had expressed disappointment over speculation that he may not be getting the ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls from the seat.He had unsuccessfully ...
US forges ahead to allow Cuba lawsuits, defying EU warnings
The administration of President Donald Trump on Wednesday forged ahead with a long-delayed law that allows lawsuits in US courts over property seized by Cuba, defying warnings from the European Union and vowing to issue no exemptions. Fueling fears on the island over its economic future, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the measure -- passed by the US Congress in 1996 but until now delayed systematically by each president every six months -- will go into effect on May 2. "Any person or company doing business in Cuba should heed this announcement," Pompeo told reporters. Under the provision of the Helms-Burton Act, any companies that operate in property seized by Cuba during or after Fidel Castro's 1959 communist revolution could face lawsuits in US courts from the vast and politically powerful Cuban American diaspora. "Those doing business in Cuba should fully investigate whether they are connected to property stolen in service of a failed communist experiment," Pompeo ...
Campaign to pick up momentum for Karna second phase poll; PM
As 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka go to polls Thursday, the focus has shifted to the second phase next week with leaders hitting the campaign trail in the northern belt of the state. Of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, fourteen in the northern parts will go to polls on April 23 in the second phase. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address rallies in Bagalkot and Chikkodi Lok Sabha constituencies Thursday. Congress President Rahul Gandhi is set to campaign in Raichur and Chikkodi segments a day later. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy along with Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar Wednesday campaigned for JD(S) Shimoga candidate Madhu Bangarappa, son of former chief minister S Bangarappa. Madhu is pitted against another former chief minister B S Yeddyurappas son and sitting BJP MP B Y Raghavendra. Addressing a rally, Kumaraswamy asserted that BJP and Yeddyurappa would lose their hold in Shimogga. Former chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah ...
Police recommend indicting Czech PM for fraud
Czech police believe billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis should be indicted for alleged involvement in EU subsidy fraud worth two million euros, a spokesman said Wednesday. "The investigation is over and the complete file has been submitted to the state prosecutor with a recommendation for indictment," Ales Cimbala, spokesman for the Prague state prosecutor's office, told AFP. He said the prosecutor would need "weeks or even months" to decide on the indictment because the file is a substantial one. Babis, a 64-year-old agro-chemicals mogul pegged by Forbes as the second-wealthiest Czech, is suspected of abusing EU funds to build the luxury Stork Nest resort and farm near Prague in 2007. His populist ANO movement leads a minority coalition government with leftwing Social Democrats. It also has tacit backing from the Communists -- a first in the post-Communist country's history. Late last year, the government survived a confidence vote after media reported that Babis' aides had ...
Former secretary Thapaliya to become Nepal's CEC
A parliamentary panel on Wednesday endorsed former secretary Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya for the post of Nepal's Chief Election Commissioner. The Parliamentary Hearing Committee approved Thapaliya's appointment after conducting a hearing on Wednesday. The Constitutional Council had recommended him for the post that had been lying vacant after Ayodhee Prasad Yadav's tenure ended last month. Thapaliya has served as secretary at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration. He presented his plans for reforms in the commission and electoral system. He pledged to hold a free and fair election, ensure voting rights for the people living in foreign countries, and upgrade the election system. He will formally join office after President Bidhya Devi Bhandari officially appoints him to the top post.
Goa CM takes dig at Cong over 'imported' nominee in North Goa
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Wednesday said the Congress "imported" a candidate from South Goa to contest in North Goa constituency in absence of a capable challenger to BJP's sitting MP Shripad Naik. He was addressing a public meeting at Mandrem assembly constituency, where elections are due along with both the Lok Sabha seats on April 23. "Due to dearth of a capable candidate in North Goa, the Congress imported a candidate from South Goa," the CM said referring to Congress' North Goa nominee Girish Chodankar. Chodankar, who heads Goa Congress unit, has been a voter in South Goa constituency since he is a resident of Fatorda Assembly segment. "Chodankar is going to lose from North Goa Parliamentary seat so he is free to contest in upcoming byelection for Panaji constituency," the chief minister said.
BJP expels Wakchaure
The BJP Wednesday expelled Bhausaheb Wakchaure, former MP from Shirdi in Maharashtra, as he is contesting the Lok Sabha elections against the candidate of the BJP ally Shiv Sena. Wakchaure is contesting from Shirdi as an independent against the Sena's Sadashiv Lokhande. Bhanudas Berad, Ahmednagar district president of the BJP, said the expulsion order was issued by the party's state office. Wakchaure, elected from Shirdi in 2009, was expecting that the BJP would field him from the constituency. However, Shirdi was given to the Sena as part of the seat-sharing deal between the two allies.
Cong creates "lies", its "vision" based on "division": Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the Congress, saying its only "vision" was "division" of communities and accused party chief Rahul Gandhi of labelling all OBCs as "thieves". He said the Congress operated an ecosystem that worked on spreading "lies" against him and his government, first when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister and then when he moved to Delhi in 2014. Modi said in its attempt to defame him, the opposition party was only maligning the country. "The Congress is running a system of lies. It played the same game when I was in Gujarat, it is doing the same after I moved to Delhi," Modi said, addressing an election rally in Anand. "They would first come together to create a false article and get it published somewhere, then they would carry the article all over the world, advertise it, spread it on WhatsApp... "On the second day, they would hold a press conference on those issues," he said. Based on the false article, a PIL ..
HC order on martyr a slap for Congress, SAD: Mann
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said the Punjab and Haryana High Court's decision redeeming the honour of martyr Bakshish Singh was a "tight slap on the faces of the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)" and asked all the past governments in Punjab and the Centre to apologise to his aggrieved family.
Modi says Congress will destroy Gujarat
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the Congress had a pathological hatred for Gujarat and if it formed a government at the Centre, the party would destroy the state as its "first target."
AAP, Cong alliance talks inconclusive following disagreement over tie-up in Haryana: Sanjay Singh
The talks for an alliance between the AAP and the Congress ended "inconclusively" after the grand old party refused a tie-up in Haryana, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said Wednesday. However, sources claimed that the talks are very much on and a decision on an alliance might be taken in the next couple of days. Singh said he held talks with senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and PC Chacko, and proposed an alliance of 6:3:1 in Haryana on Tuesday. In Haryana, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had proposed to fight from one seat, while offering the Congress and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) six and three seats, respectively. "Congress leaders Azad and (Bhupinder Singh) Hooda have refused to form an alliance in Haryana. We were ready to give three seats to the Congress in Delhi if they had agreed to form an alliance in Haryana too," Singh said. "The talks ended inconclusively between the two parties after the Congress refused a tie-up in Haryana," he said. On Tuesday, the AAP had said it
NCP sacks Malegaon leader for filing nomination from Dhule
The NCP has expelled its Malegaon corporator Nabi Ahmed Ahmadullah after he opted to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Dhule constituency against the nominee fielded by the ally Congress. The action was taken on disciplinary grounds, the NCP said in a statement on Wednesday. The Congress has fielded Kunal Patil from Dhule seat in north Maharashtra. Ahmadullah is contesting election on a ticket from Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), being led by Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh leader Prakash Ambedkar and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. Malegaon is one of the six Assembly segments that falls in the Dhule Parliamentary constituency. "Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil has expelled Nabi Ahmed Ahmadullah for not following the party discipline," state NCP general secretary Shivajirao Garje said in the statement. Garje said the NCP had asked Ahmadullah to not contest the election against the candidate of the grand alliance, yet he went ahead with filing his nomination. Dhule goes to poll on .
Modi failed on every front: Omar
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the "self-anointed chowkidar" has failed on every front. "Every vital sector of the country is narrating the grim tale of failure. The self-anointed chowkidar has failed on economic front (as) his much touted note ban wasn't able to yield the anticipated results. His undertaking on getting back the black money also turned out to be a damp squib," said the NC vice president. Omar Abdullah attacked the prime minister while addressing an election rally in support of his party's candidate Hasnain Masoodi for the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, which is going to polls in three phases from April 29 to May 6. He was addressing the rally at Shangus in Anantnag district. Mocking at the BJP's claim of drying up the source of blackmoney, he said, "We also come to see how illicit consignments of money are being caught across the country, the scenario has debunked the claim of crackdown on
BJP fields Sadhvi Pragya against Digvijaya Singh
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday fielded Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts, against senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh from the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to the polls in the sixth phase on May 12.
New BJP candidate might find going tough in Assam's Nowgong
Assam's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may find the going tough in the state's Nowgong Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to the polls in the second phase of the elections on Thursday, after changing its long-time candidate.
Govt opponent confirmed as Istanbul mayor, objection pending
Turkish authorities on Wednesday confirmed the opposition's candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, as the mayor of Istanbul, ending more than two weeks of recounts of the March 31 vote demanded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party. All eyes however, were turned toward Turkey's top electoral body, which has yet to consider a ruling party request for the vote in Istanbul to be invalidated and for the election to be repeated. Imamoglu received a certificate confirming his win by a slim margin in Istanbul against the ruling party candidate, former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, hours after a final appeal by the ruling party was rejected. Large crowds of supporters chanting "Mayor Ekrem" gathered outside a courthouse where the 48-year-old former district mayor was given his certificate, as well as outside the municipality, where he formally took over the city hall. "We are aware of the needs of the city. We know the citizens' requests and we will immediately begin to serve them," Imamoglu
Sidhu attacks Modi over Godhra incident
In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu Wednesday said those behind the Godhra incident had no right to question him or talk about patriotism. The cricketer-turned-politician made the remarks while addressing a rally in Dholka town of Ahmedabad district today. "Tum Narendra Damodardas Modi, koi Godhra karaane wala Sardar Bhagwant Singh Sidhu ke bete ko sawal nahi kar sakta...rashtrabhakti ki baat nahi kar sakta. (You, Narendra Damodardas Modi...someone behind Godhra (incident) cannot question Sardar Bhagwant Singh Sidhu's son or talk about patriotism)," he said. The Punjab minister was referring to the incident that occurred on the morning of 27 February 2002, in which 59 people died in a fire inside the Sabarmati Express train near the Godhra railway station. The incident triggered violence and large-scale riots across Gujarat. Modi was then the chief minister of the state. Responding to Sidhu's criticism of Modi, who was
BJP pits Malegaon accused Sadhvi Pragya against Digvijay Singh
Bringing its Hindutva plank to the fore, the BJP on Wednesday fielded Malegaon blast case accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in Lok Sabha elections from Bhopal against Congress heavyweight and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh. Moments after the announcement of her candidature, she tore into Digvijay Singh, holding him responsible for defaming "Sanatan Dharma". Out on bail, Thakur has been discharged by a court on charges under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the 2008 case, but is still facing trial under other criminal provisions including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The BJP's choice of the 48-year-old saffron activist underlines its efforts to corner the Congress as its top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah, have often accused the opposition party of coining the "Hindu terror" phrase and slapping "false" terror cases on Hindutva activists when the UPA was in ...