Page 885 - Politics
LS Polls: Rajnath Singh files nomination from Lucknow
Flanked by several party leaders and scores of supporters, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday filed his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.Before filing the nominations, Singh offered prayers at the Hanuman Setu temple and addressed party workers at the BJP state headquarters situated at Hazrathang Chauraha.He also held a 6-kilometre-long road show in the region to the collector's office for filing nomination.This will be the second time that the 67-year-old leader will contest Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow. In 2014, he bagged the seat by defeating the then Congress candidate Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who is now in BJP and a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government.It is believed that Lucknow is a prestigious constituency for the BJP as it was once held by former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.Lok Sabha elections in Lucknow will be held on May 6 and the counting of the votes will take place on May 23.
NDA government lacks experience: Gehlot
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Tuesday slammed the Narendra Modi government for "highlighting" military actions like surgical strikes as its achievements and said this was due to lack of experience in the NDA dispensation. Gehlot said instead of being misled by Modi's tall promises, people should remember "India became a superpower under former prime ministers Jawahar Lal Nehru and Indira Gandhi". The NDA government lacks experience. They highlight surgical strikes. This never happened before. In the rule of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, Pakistan was divided into two (nations) but she never claimed it as her achievement and rather gave credit to the Army, Gehlot said at public rally in Bawdi area of Jodhpur's Bhopalgarh town. It was a historic event when thousands of Pakistani soldiers surrendered but Indira Gandhi never highlighted this as her achievement, he added. The chief minister alleged that Modi made false promises during the last Lok Sabha elections and did ...
Egypt's lawmakers vote to extend president's term limits
Egypt's parliament is holding the last debate on proposed amendments to the constitution that could see President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi remain in power until 2030. Tuesday's session comes ahead of a final vote by lawmakers on the changes to the 2014 charter, before the amendments are put on a national referendum, likely before early May when the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts. The proposals would only extend a president's term in office from four to six years. But they include a special article to extend el-Sissi's current, second term to six years and allow him to run for another six-year term in 2024. Critics of the move argue that Egypt is slipping back into authoritarianism, eight years after a pro-democracy uprising ended autocrat Hosni Mubarak's three-decade rule.
Shripad Naik all set to break free of Parrikar's shadow (Constituency Review)
Dwarfed more often than not by his peer, but more importantly Goa's tallest BJP leader late Manohar Parrikar, the April 23 Lok Sabha polls offers Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik the first opportunity to break free of the shadow of the four-time Chief Minister.
25 WTO members to participate in mini-ministerial meet on May 13-14
About 25 developing countries will be participating in a meeting to be held in the national capital from May 13-14 to discuss various issues related to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), an official said. The commerce ministry has already received approval from the Election Commission to hold this mini-ministerial meet. EC's nod is necessary since the model code of conduct is in place. The meeting assumes significance as several countries are raising questions over the relevance of the Geneva-based global trade body. Many countries are also taking protectionist measures, impacting global trade. Member countries could deliberate upon issues such as reforming the WTO, the official said. Recently, the WTO cautioned that the global trade will continue to face strong headwinds this year and in 2020 after growing slower-than-expected in 2018 due to rising trade tensions and increased economic uncertainty. India has time and again stressed the importance and relevance of the WTO for ...
LS poll: Modi will be ex-PM on May 23, claims Ahmed Patel
Narendra Modi will become ex-Prime Minister on May 23 when the Lok Sabha results are declared, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said here. He said the people were "harassed" by the ruling BJP with its policies and would be voted out in the April-May Lok Sabha polls. Patel, a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, expressed confidence that the Congress would win between "12-15" out of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress had drawn a blank in Gujarat. "The people are harassed by the ruling party's policies but the BJP is trying to paint a rosy picture. But people are not going to be mislead this time," Patel said Monday while attending a private function here. "Narendra Modi will become ex-PM on May 23 when the Lok Sabha results are declared," he said, adding that the opposition parties' "mahagathbandhan" will choose its prime ministerial face after winning the general polls. He also hit out at the BJP for its nationalism and terrorism ...
Gandhi slams Sangh Parivar, PM
Hitting out at the Sangh Parivar, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Tuesday said the country was "under attack" from the BJP and RSS, who want to suppress all voices other than their own. Addressing an election rally at the St Stephen college grounds here in Kollam district, Gandhi said India should be ruled by people of the country and not just one ideology or person. "Currently our country is under attack by the BJP and the RSS. They want to suppress all voices other than their own. They believe that only one idea should rule India while we believe that the people should rule India. We do not believe that India should be ruled by one person. They say if we do not believe in their ideas we will destroy you," the Congress President said. "Prime Minister said Congrees Mukt Bharat. That means they will erase the idea of Congress in India. But what we are saying is that we do not agree with you. We will fight you to convince you that you are wrong. We will beat you in the ...
SBSP to go alone in UP, announces list of 39 candidates
The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), an ally of the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Tuesday announced it will go alone in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in the state and released a list of 39 candidates. Party chief and state minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said his party has decided to field its candidates as the seat-sharing talks with the BJP remained unsuccessful. "The BJP asked me to contest the Ghosi seat on the BJP symbol but I declined," the Uttar Pradesh minister for backward class welfare and divyangjan empowerment said. He said his party will contest from Varanasi, Lucknow and Gorakhpur, the seats from where the BJP has fielded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath respectively. Rajbhar said he was ready to resign from the cabinet but his resignation was not being accepted. The SBSP had won four seats in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
Modi attacks Odisha's BJD government on corruption
Making an election campaign pitch to the farming community in Odisha to vote for the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday slammed the Biju Janata Dal (BJD)-led state government for large scale corruption.
Raje slams Cong, asks what their govts did for 55 years
Attacking Congress on its tagline 'Ab Hoga Nyay', former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Tuesday questioned what the party and its governments were doing for 55 years if they are now talking of 'Nyay'. The BJP leader also charged that the previous UPA government was involved in rampant corruption and coal scam and 2G scam took place in their rule. The Congress president is seen hugging an elderly woman in posters these days with the tagline 'Ab Hoga Nyay'. If they are talking of 'Nyay' with promise of 72,000 yearly, then what their government did in 55 years, Raje said at a rally in Sikar. The former chief minister also targeted the Congress government in the state, saying all developmental works have stopped and there is no progress in any sector. The work of Gaurav path construction has stopped, social security schemes and works have suffered a lot. People are disappointed with the Congress rule in the state, Raje said in the rally in support of party candidate from Sikar ..
Ex-Republican Governor announces presidential bid
Bill Weld, the former Governor of the US state of Massachusetts, has announced that he was officially entering the 2020 presidential race, becoming the first Republican to challenge President Donald Trump who he thinks "mocks the law".
China seizes nearly 2,750 elephant tusks in huge bust
Chinese authorities have seized 7.5 tonnes of ivory -- 2,748 elephant tusks -- in one of the biggest busts in recent years as the country cracks down on the sale of illegal wildlife products. The country banned ivory sales at the end of 2017 in an attempt to rein in what used to be the product's largest market in the world. Imports were banned in 2015. The smuggled tusks were confiscated last month in an operation by customs officers and police across six provinces, according to the General Administration of Customs. "This case represents the largest amount of elephant tusks seized in a single case investigated independently by the General Administration of Customs' anti-smuggling bureau in recent years," said Sun Zhijie, director of the administration's anti-smuggling bureau. The operation "destroyed an international criminal organisation that for a long time has specialised in smuggling ivory tusks," Sun said. Twenty suspects were detained, he added. The tusks were shipped by sea ...
US, Brazil, Colombia are planning military intervention in Venezuela, claims Maduro regime
The United States, Brazil and Colombia are preparing for a military intervention into Venezuela, claimed Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez on Monday.She also urged the international community to pay attention to a "criminal plan" by these countries."The international community and its institutions for protecting legitimacy around the world should know that a criminal plan is in the works to stage a military attack on Venezuela," TASS quoted Rodriguez as saying."US, Brazilian and Colombian officials intend to ignore the will of the Venezuelan people and launch a military intervention," she added.However, Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has denied such reports saying, "Brazil does not intend to interfere into Venezuela's internal affairs."He also warned that any kind of intervention Venezuela may lead to a guerilla war.This comes days after Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro ordered an expansion of the civilian militia by nearly one million by the end of December 2019.Venezuela .
Rajnath Singh holds roadshow in Lucknow
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday held a roadshow here in Uttar Pradesh before filing his nomination papers from this parliamentary seat.
EC ban on Mayawati: SC refuses relief
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a plea by BSP supremo Mayawati against the Election Commission's 48 hour ban on her from canvassing in the Lok Sabha elections for breaking the Model Code of Conduct.
BJP leaders cite services in poll campaign to highlight valour of forces: Ram Madhav
BJP general secretary Ram Madhav on Tuesday refuted charges of politicisation of services in the ongoing election campaign and instead claimed that party leaders cite the services to highlight the valour and commitment of the armed forces towards national security."We are just referring to recent examples of armed forces' valour and commitment towards national security. Many such incidents had taken place in the past as well. Surgical strike is another such example," Ram Madhav said at a press conference here.Defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, the party general secretary said that the leaders mentioned about the armed forces in their election rallies to express respect.He said, "We are not making it an electoral agenda, we look at it as a respect to the forces."He threw the ball in the Opposition's court and held it responsible for dragging the services into politics. "It is Opposition leaders who dragged the Balakot airstrike in politics," Madhav ...
Foiling Pakistan Army's BAT actions almost daily: Top Army sources
"If you look at the intelligence inputs, every day there are reports about attempts by Pakistan Army border action teams (BAT) to target our posts all along the LoC. We are taking all possible steps to thwart their actions," top Army sources told ANI.In an attempt to thwart the Pakistani actions, the Indian Army posts on the LoC are taking action against any movement from Pakistan's side towards the fence on the LoC, sources said.The Pakistanis are now encouraging terrorists and their BAT teams to carry out their actions in civilian attire and avoiding combat fatigues, sources mentioned.The BAT teams of the Pakistan Army include both regular Army personnel and terrorists from groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and are tasked to carry out surprise hits on Indian positions along the LoC.Sources said Pakistani forces have been trying to violate ceasefire in almost all sectors after the Balakot airstrikes by the Indian Air Force on February 26, but their ...
Opposition wants to get rid of me for crackdown on corruption: PM Modi
The Opposition wants to get me out of their way for launching a crackdown on their corrupt activities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday."It is with people's support that we were able to take strong decisions. Otherwise, in the past, we have seen weak and corrupt government in Delhi which has done many scams. As soon as money would come, some would start robbing it. After I attacked their (Opposition) corruption they are in so much pain that they want to remove me from their way," he said while addressing a rally here."In such hot weather, such a huge crowd, such enthusiasm; pictures of these rallies are giving sleepless nights to others. People are supporting us because they want a strong government," he added.Modi asserted that the country was never short of means and resources, but of intent."If there was a shortage it was of the right use of public money. Past governments never paid any attention towards ensuring that the funds being sent from Delhi are helping people ..
Anil Antony to handle Rahul's Wayanad Twitter account
Anil Antony, son of former Defence Minister A.K. Antony, on Tuesday said he will be managing the Wayanad-specific Twitter account of Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
Kanhaiya not the only JNU Students Union Prez to enter mainstream politics in Bihar
JNU students union presidents entering mainstream politics in Bihar is nothing new. For many who thought Kanhaiya Kumar, who shot to fame in 2016 after he was booked for sedition, was the only one to take the political plunge, there have been many more. Shakeel Ahmed Khan who is a Congress MLA from Kadwa in Bihar's Katihar district was the JNUSU President in 1992-93 and was also the union's Vice President in the preceding year. While Khan had contested student union polls as member of the left-affiliated Students Federation of India (SFI), he joined Congress as he moved out of the university politics. "JNU did shape my interest in politics which ultimately became my career for the rest of my life. I will not be dishonest to say that the move to join Congress was not opportunistic but it was almost two decades back, the political atmosphere of the country was different. "Making a political career with the grand old party was in my mind but I have stuck to the party I joined despite all