Page 867 - Politics
Kashmiris having a 'rethink' over state's accession to India: Mehbooba
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday claimed the situation in Kashmir has worsened to an extent that the people have begun rethinking over the state's accession to India. "There is a law of jungle here. Yesterday an SDM and other staffers with him were beaten up by the Army. Prison inmates are beaten up, bodies (of militants killed) in encounters are mutilated and burnt by some chemical..," claimed the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister. She was talking to reporters after a convention of her party workers at Khanabal in Anantnag district of the state. "It does not seem we are with the India to which Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and Maharaja Hari Singh had acceded. That India was the country of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and everyone," she said. "Today, there is so much of oppression and atrocities committed that Kashmiris shiver and think which India did we accede to!" Mehbooba added. The PDP chief president, meanwhile, asked police not to take action against anyone involved in the ...
BJP writes to EC, alleges campaigning by B'deshi national for TMC MP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday approached the Election Commission (EC), alleging campaign by Bangladeshi national Gaazi Noor for Trinamool Congress MP candidate Sougata Roy in Dum Dum Lok Sabha seat.This comes after another Bangladeshi national, Ferdous Ahmed was campaigning for the Mamata Banerjee-led party in the state, following which the government subsequently blacklisted Ahmed from campaigning, cancelled his business visa and asked him to leave India.In a letter to the EC, the BJP wrote, "It has come to our notice that yet another Bangladeshi national Gaazi Noor has been campaigning for the TMC candidate Shri Sougata Roy in the Dumdum Lok Sabha constituency. To substantiate our allegation we are enclosing with this letter a pen drive with a two-hour long video of the entire road show."The BJP claimed that Noor was seen very close to Roy's vehicle during campaigning. The Bangladeshi national was also seen with another TMC leader, Madan Mitra, the party alleged."Not
Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur to contest against Digvijay Singh from Bhopal
Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who formally joined the BJP, will contest against senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh from Bhopal parliamentary constituency, the BJP announced today."I am ready (to fight the election). There are some formalities which will be completed very soon," she told ANI after the announcement.Sadhvi Pragya said she is confident of winning the elections against Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP and two time Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.The 2008 Malegaon blast accused had joined the BJP on Tuesday.Earlier on Wednesday, Sadhvi Pragya, a Hindu hardliner, met with senior BJP leaders including Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Ramlal, Anil Jain, Narottam Mishra, and Prabhat Jha at the state party headquarters here.After the meeting, Sadhvi Pragya said, "We will unitedly fight against the people who are conspiring against the nation. We will win this 'Dharm Yuddh' (crusade).""After spending 10 years in jail due to Congress conspiracy, I have come here to fight the political and ...
No need to be afraid of the paramilitary forces on election day: Anubrata Mondal
Birbhum Trinamool Congress chief Anubrata Mondal on Wednesday told voters not to be afraid of the central forces, which will be deployed near the polling booths across states on the election day."There is no need to get afraid of the paramilitary forces on the election day. State police will also be there to help you. If you face any injustice, do not spare them. We are with you," he stated while addressing a public rally here.Mondal also stated that he would quit politics if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) manages to win more than 120 Lok Sabha seats on May 23."If you win more than 120 Lok Sabha seats, I will leave politics. This government at the Centre has betrayed the public and I am sure people will not cast their ballot in favour of the BJP this time," Mondal said.The second phase of Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal is scheduled for April 18. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
BJP, Congress await top leaders to campaign in Jharkhand
Both ruling BJP and Congress in Jharkhand are still waiting for their top leaders to campaign in the state where first round of polling in the ongoing parliamentary elections will take place for three seats on April 29.
Are hunger, poverty Modi's nationalism, asks Sidhu
Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi if he considered the prevailing problems of hunger and poverty in the country as nationalism.
Myanmar grants amnesty to 9,535 prisoners
The Myanmar government on Wednesday granted unconditional amnesty to 9,535 prisoners on the first day of the traditional New Year, according to an order of the President's Office.
Amit Shah criticizes TMC MLA's statement on central forces
BJP national president Amit Shah Wednesday criticised TMC MLA Ratna Ghosh Kar for her comments against the central forces in the state in connection with the parliamentary polls and said her comments prove that TMC believes in the idea of violence and anarchy. His comment follows Trinamool Congress lawmaker Ratna Ghosh Kar, an MLA from Chakdah in Nadia district, who during a party meeting asked its workers to "chase away central forces with brooms" during voting for the Lok Sabha elections. "Finally, Mamata didis trusted lieutenant accepts that her party believes in the idea of violence and anarchy. But I want to remind Mamata didi that such destruction of democracy won't last long. People of Bengal will vote out TMC at the hustings. Her time is up," Shah said in a tweet and posted the video. In the video Kar is seen saying "If you want to win a war, there is no fair or unfair, democratic or undemocratic way of winning it. You have to win it by any means. I have seen in
LS polls: Sitting Sirsa MP among six candidates named by INLD
Sitting MP from Sirsa Charanjeet Singh Rori was re-nominated as the Indian National Lok Dal Wednesday announced the names of six candidates for the May 12 Lok Sabha polls in Haryana. At a press conference here, senior party leader Abhay Chautala said the names of remaining four candidates will be announced on Friday. INLD's former deputy mayor from Yamunanagar Ram Pal Balmiki will contest from Ambala reserved constituency, party leader from Assandh Dharamvir Pada has been fielded from Karnal, youth leader Surinder Chhikara from Sonipat, Suresh Koth, who has been fighting for farmers' cause, will contest from Hisar and party secretary Mahender Singh Chauhan has been named from Faridabad, Abhay Chautala said. The candidates for Kurukshetra, Rohtak, Bhiwani-Mahendergarh and Gurgaon will be announced on Friday, he said. "Our senior leaders Ashok Arora and Rampal Majra have been entrusted with the job of consulting party's national president Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala," the INLD leader .
Indonesia election: Early survey results point to second Widodo term
Indonesian President Joko Widodo is on course for the second term, according to the quick count conducted by independent survey groups in the country.Around 193 million people in Indonesia on Wednesday casted their vote in one of the world's biggest direct presidential elections.An initial count of Wednesday's ballots put Widodo on around 55 per cent of the vote, leading by over 10 per cent over his longtime rival and former military strongman Prabowo Subianto, reported CNN.For the first time, the country held its presidential and legislative elections on the same day.The final official results will be announced by May 22.
BJP demands apology from Ashok Gehlot for his remarks against President Kovind
The BJP on Wednesday demanded an apology from Congress' senior leader Ashok Gehlot, for his comments against President Ram Nath Kovind, claiming that he was elected to the highest constitutional post due to his caste. The party also urged the Election Commission (EC) to take strict action against the Congress leader."We demand an apology from the Congress leader Ashok Gahlot for his comment that Kovind was made President because of his caste," BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said at party headquarters here.Rao accused Gahlot of insulting the President, the custodian of the constitution, and termed the Rajasthan CM's remark as "anti-Dalit, anti-poor, anti-people, and anti-constitution".He said, "We appeal to the EC to serve a notice to Gahlot. Force him to apologise. And give a directive that no political party should make any critical comments against Honourable President of India. Congress is guilty of bringing disrepute to our democracy."Earlier in the day, Rajasthan CM Ashok ..
Election Commission has been compromised says DMK
A day after her house was raided by Income Tax, DMK leader Kanimozhi on Wednesday said it was political vendetta and alleged that a "compromised" Election Commission was acting on the "whims and fancies of the BJP" to target opposition leaders.Speaking to ANI, Kanimozhi said: "Over the last five years, practically every government agency has been exploited and they have become the part of BJP and its whims and fancies. CBI, ED, Election Commission all have been compromised and only opposition leaders have been targeted repeatedly."Terming Tuesday's raid on her house as political vendetta, she said, "After the announcement of elections, only opposition leaders and candidates are being raided. This has created doubts in my mind.""When IT officials came to my house yesterday, they repeatedly said that they had come to raid candidate. It is very clear that they had come to raid, because I am a candidate from the opposition party. It is a political vendetta," the DMK candidate from ...
Patnaik's chopper checked by flying squad in Rourkela
BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's chopper was checked by personnel of the Election Commission's flying squad in Rourkela on Tuesday, party sources said. Patnaik extended full cooperation to the flying squad and kept waiting inside the chopper till the process was complete on Tuesday, they said. The chief minister was in Rourkela to hold a roadshow. "Soon after Patnaik landed there, the ECI's flying squad officers approached him and requested the chief minister to allow them to check the chopper and luggage," an official entrusted with Patnaik's security, said. Election officials in Odisha said the flying squad is entrusted with undertaking such inspections, notwithstanding the personality. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan's chopper was also checked by fyling squad staff on Tuesday.
Fatmi quits RJD, will contest as an independent
Former Union Minister Ali Ashraf Fatmi formally quit the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Wednesday, a day after he resigned from all party posts.
UPA regime had sent Shah, cops to jail to topple my govt: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said the then UPA government arrested BJP president Amit Shah and some police officers in Gujarat to topple the state government then headed by him. Speaking at a poll rally, Modi also said this election will decide if nationalist forces will rule the country or those who want to help the "tukde tukde gang" by scrapping sedition law. "From 2004 to 2014, there was a 'remote control government' and you know who was in control. In those 10 years, those sitting in Delhi tried to damage the interest of Gujarat and acted as if the state is not in India," Modi said. "Our police officers, and even Amit Shah, were thrown behind bars. They (UPA) employed all means to break the Gujarat government," Modi said, alluding to the time when he was chief minister of the state. "Now should we give them a chance to destroy Gujarat once again? They (Gandhi family) are more angry as they are out on bail. They are thinking that they were ruling this ...
Himachal voters ask for tribal status action plan
Over 2.50 lakh voters of Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday asked the two national parties -- the BJP and the Congress -- to come out with a detailed action plan on granting them tribal status, a demand pending for five decades.
Several PDP leaders join BJP in Ladakh
Several PDP leaders, including party's district president Leh Tashi Gyalson, have joined the BJP, a spokesperson of the saffron party said here on Wednesday. Almost the entire Leh unit of the PDP led by Gyalson joined the BJP at the party headquarters on Tuesday evening, he said. Chairman and chief executive councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) and BJP's candidate for the Ladakh parliamentary constituency Jamyang Tsering Namgyal welcomed the new entrants into the party fold. Besides Gyalson, others who have joined the BJP include women wing president and nominated councillor Rinchen Lhamo, vice president Tsewang Dorjay Onpo, zonal president Nubra Capt Phunstog, general secretary Sangay Dorjay and executive members Tundup and Phuntsog, the spokesman said. Gyalson, who joined the PDP in 2008, said they were highly impressed by the BJP slogan 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' and decided to join the party. The spokesman said their joining will strengthen the party
Fatmi quits RJD, alleges Tejashwi was rough and rude to him
Senior RJD leader Mohd Ali Ashraf Fatmi on Wednesday resigned from the primary membership of the party alleging that he was hurt by the rough and rude manner in which Tejashwi Yadav reacted to his desire to contest elections from Madhubani Lok Sabha seat. Fatmi made the move a day after he resigned from all posts he held in the RJD, including in its parliamentary board, and said he would wait till April 18 for the partys decision on the seat from where the 'Mahagathbandhan's' fledgling outfit Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) has fielded its candidate. "Tejashwi spoke to me on Tuesday and told me that I was being suspended from the party for a period of six years. He was so rough and rude ... I was appalled. My political career began before he was born, Fatmi told PTI over phone. "I have, therefore, decided to quit the party and have vowed never to return. I will file my nomination papers from Madhubani on Thursday," the former Darbhanga MP, whose son is currently an RJD ...
Rahul Gandhi meets Ker tribal woman who cracked civil service
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Wednesday met Sreedhanya Suresh, the first tribal woman from Kerala to clear the All India civil services exams, and was all praise for her. He met her at the guest house at Sulthan Bathery at Wayanad and had lunch with her. Addressing an election rally here in Wayanad district, Gandhi said the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNAREGS), the congress's pet project, had helped the 22-year-old woman make it to the civil service as her parents, who are workers, had benefited from the scheme. Hailing from a poor background in Wayanad, Sreedhanya had bagged the 410th rank in the Civil Services Examination, 2018. "She is self confident and a woman who confronted adversities," Gandhi said. Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his criticism against the MNAREGS scheme, the AICC chief said it was the initiative launched by the UPA government that had helped Sreedhanya crack the top examination. "She said because her parents
Chennai South: Prestigious seat lacking basic facilities
Once represented by luminaries such as DMK founder C.N. Annadurai, Union Minister (and later President) R. Venkataraman and actor Vyjayanthimala Bali, Chennai South is among Tamil Nadu's most prestigious Lok Sabha constituency and appears set for another triangular contest like in the previous two elections.