Page 891 - Politics
Papers filed amid fanfare in Jammu, tight security in Valley
The filing of nomination papers by candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections has brought about a clear division between Jammu region and the troubled Kashmir Valley.
BJP fields actor Ravi Kishan from Gorakhpur, drops MP caught in 'shoe' row
In a surprise move, the BJP Monday announced Bhojpuri film star Ravi Kishan as its Lok Sabha candidate from Gorakhpur, the bastion of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and dropped its Sant Kabir Nagar MP Sharad Tripathi, who had left his party red-faced by beating an MLA with shoes. In its list of seven more candidates, the BJP shifted sitting Gorakhpur MP Praveen Nishad, who had won as the joint SP-BSP candidate in bypoll in 2018 but joined the saffron party recently, to Sant Kabir Nagar and fielded Tripathi's father Ramapati Ram Tripathi from Deoria. Sharad Tripathi kicked-up a row last month after he beat BJP MLA Rakesh Baghel with shoes during an official meeting in the state. The decision to bring Ramapati Ram Tripathi, a former Uttar Pradesh BJP president, out of political hibernation into electoral field, underscores the party's thrust to keep its vote bank of Brahmins in good humour after it decided against renominating incumbent Deoria MP Kalraj Mishra, who is above 75 years
India, UK renew defence cooperation pact
Indias defence cooperation with the UK is set to receive a boost with the two countries renewing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) amid their keenness to identify mutual capability needs and collaborate in the areas of defence and security.
US terror label for Iran Revolutionary Guard takes effect
The US terrorism label for Iran's Revolutionary Guard has taken effect amid a battle between the Trump administration and some in Congress over waivers on other sanctions. The Guard's formal designation as a "foreign terrorist organisation" kicked in Monday with a notice published in the Federal Register. The unprecedented designation for a foreign government agency adds a layer of sanctions to the elite military unit and makes it a crime for anyone in US jurisdictions to provide it with "material support". President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had announced the move last week, opening a one-week consultation period with Congress. Lawmakers were broadly supportive of it but congressional Iran hawks are now expressing concern that the administration may extend waivers on oil and nuclear sanctions.
After Yogi, Mayawati, will EC act against Modi: Congress
Welcoming the Election Commission's (EC) curbs on BSP chief Mayawati and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's campaigning, the Congress on Monday asked if the poll panel would now act against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Centre has no sympathy towards Odisha farmers: Patnaik
Hitting out at the BJP, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday accused the Centre of having no sympathy towards the farmers of Odisha. "The central government has no time to deal with the the problems of Odisha farmers," Patnaik said, addressing a series of election meetings at Atabira, Padmapur and Bargarh, where polling is scheduled to take place on April 18. Noting that the BJP in its 2014 manifesto promised to double the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy, he said the state government waited for its implementation. "However, nothing has been done so far, even as five years have passed since then," the CM said. Patnaik said the Odisha assembly had formed a House Committee to take up the issue of MSP with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "But the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) did not allot even two minutes to listen to the Committee," he alleged. Targeting Union ministers Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan, Patnaik added, "Even more ...
Before EC ban, Yogi attacks BJD govt in Odisha
Hours before the Election Commission (EC) banned him from campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls for three days, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday accused the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government in Odisha of indulging in large-scale corruption.
Nomination filing process for Delhi to begin Tuesday
The process for filing of nominations for the seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi will begin from Tuesday, officials said. While the Aam Aadmi Party has declared its candidates for the seven seats, the Congress has almost finalised its candidates and is expected to declare the list soon. The BJP, however, is yet to declare its candidates. A senior party leader said, "It will be done at the right time." The last date of filing of nominations is April 23, with April 17 and 19 being closed owing to Good Friday and Sunday, respectively. The date of scrutiny of nominations is April 24, while the date for withdrawing of nominations is April 26. The candidates can file their nominations with their respective district returning officers and they will be handed a kit which will include details about the model code of conduct, they have to adhere to, election expenditure, etc, the officials said. The Lok Sabha polls, to be conducted in seven phases, began on April 11 and will continue ..
Congress-JD-S seek Karnataka top IT official's transfer
Karnataka's ruling Congress-Janata Dal-Secular alliance on Monday urged the Election Commission to transfer the state's Director General, Income Tax, B.R. Balakrishnan for "selectively" carrying tax raids on their leaders and contractors and traders close to them.
Plea in SC seeks SIT probe on plot allotted to Modi in Gujarat
A plea was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday seeking setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the alleged non-disclosure by Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the details of a plot allotted to him in Gandhi Nagar in his election affidavits. The petition filed by Maharashtra-based Saket Gokhale has alleged that in October 2002, when Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he was allotted land in Gandhi Nagar by the state as per government policy. It said the state government had formulated a policy for allotment of land to public servants including MPs, MLAs and government servants without auction on nominal price. The plea alleged that in 2007 Modi had mentioned the plot allotted to him in Gandhi Nagar in the list of assets in his election affidavit filed for the state Assembly polls. "The allotted lands under the said government resolution cannot be sold or transferred or gifted without the permission of the district collector and from 2012, without the permission
Stop hoodwinking people over administrative powers: AINRC
: AINRC leader N Rangasamy Monday asked the Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy to stop 'hoodwinking' the people by raising the issue of administrative powers in the union territory. Campaigning at Thattanchavady assembly seat byelection for which was to be held on April 18 along with Lok Sabha poll, Rangasamy said the AINRC nominees in both the polls would bring in developmental measures. He said one was left to wonder about the administrative powers in the wake of the chief minister's repeated allegations against Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi that she was impeding development. Rangasamy said Narayanasamy was fully aware that in a Union Territory it was the Lieutenant Governor who had more powers than an elected government. ''The same Narayanasamy had in the past while being a union minister in the previous UPA government taken the stand that in a union territory only the Lieutenant governor had full powers,'' the AINRC founder said. How is it that the Chief ...
'Nyay' money will go into accounts of 5 cr women: Rahul Gandhi
Money under the 'Nyay' minimum income guarantee scheme will go into accounts of five crore women, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said here Monday. The Congress, in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, has said Nyay assures up to Rs 72,000 a year or Rs 6,000 a month income to 20 per cent of India's poorest families. Addressing a poll rally, Gandhi also assured the crowd that farmers won't be jailed for failure to repay loans, if the Congress comes to power. "If the likes of Anil Ambani are not in jail for not repaying loans, why should farmers be in jail," he said. Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "failing to keep his promise of giving two crore jobs to India's youth", Gandhi said, "We will provide 22 lakh jobs a year after Congress comes to power". "Unemployment in India is now highest in the last 45 years," he said.
CM questions Modi, Badals over absence from Jallianwala event
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday questioned the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Badal family from the events to mark the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by British forces.
Why not permanent ban on gutka, pan masala, HC asks TN govt
The Madras High Court bench here Monday sought to know from the Tamil Nadu government as to why a total and permanent ban on 'gutka' and 'pan masala' cannot be imposed. Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice S S Sundar directed the state chief secretary and the health secretary to file a reply to a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the ban. ''Why not the government is going for permanent ban on the two products, why only a government order has been issued banning them (for a specific period) instead of a total ban,'' the judges asked. The bench posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks. The petition sought the ban saying the tobacco products could cause cancer. The state government had in 2013 imposed a ban on the items and has been extending it annually by way of an order.
Congress, AAP blame each other for delay in alliance
Bringing out the alliance talk in public domain, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday blamed each other for the delay in forging an alliance between them in the national capital.
UK's Theresa May seeks respite from Brexit walking in Wales
British Prime Minister Theresa May is getting a respite from Brexit with a walking holiday in Wales. The prime minister's Downing Street office says May and her husband, Philip, started a short vacation on Saturday. Parliament is on an Easter break until April 23. Division in the House of Commons over Brexit brought months of bruising battles that didn't stop lawmakers from rejecting May's European Union divorce deal three times. May enjoys hiking in the Welsh countryside. During a visit there in 2017, she infamously decided to call a snap election to strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations. Instead, she lost her parliamentary majority and has struggled ever since to push through her EU withdrawal plans. Asked Monday whether May is considering another election, spokesman James Slack said: "No.
After years of injustice, Congress promising 'Nyay': Raje
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Monday hit out at the Congress, alleging that it had done "injustice" to the people for decades but now during the elections, has started talking of "Nyay (justice)".
DCW urges EC to action against politicians who make offensive remarks against women
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has written to the Election Commission, urging it to take strict action against politicians who make "disparaging" comments against women, following SP leader Azam Khan's offensive remarks targeting BJP's Jaya Prada. In its letter to the poll panel, the DCW has suggested that the Model Code of Conduct should be revised to include a provision that no party or individual is allowed to pass gender-based comments or comments that outrage the modesty and integrity of a woman. In case a candidate or member of a political party is found to violate the poll code, he should be barred from contesting the current election, it said. The EC should ensure registration of an FIR and arrest of the individual concerned, if violation of the code is found, the DCW has suggested the poll body. Without naming anybody, Khan had told an election rally in Rampur, "... you got represented (by her) for 10 years." "People of Rampur, people of Uttar Pradesh and people of ...
Cong seeks Lokpal probe into Yeddyurappa 'diary', demands answers from PM
The Congress on Monday demanded a Lokpal probe into former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa's 'diary' and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to answer whether its contents were correct, else put the former CM behind the bars. Addressing a press conference, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal asked the Income Tax department to act on the "Yeddyurappa diary" which has been in its custody since 2012, soon after the BJP leader relinquished the charge of the chief minister of Karnataka. "The I-T and ED officials should question the ministers whose names are written in the diaries and the money trail of this black money should be found out," Sibal said. He alleged that if the contents of the diary is correct, all top BJP leadership is involved in allegedly accepting bribes to the tune of over Rs 1,800 crore, as written in the diary. Sibal also played a video of the "original diary" of Yeddyurappa showing the names of BJP leaders and others in the diary's contents written in Kannada. .
Poll code violation: 131 FIRs lodged, 3 lakh posters removed in Delhi
The Delhi Police has lodged 131 FIRs for defacement of public property even as over three lakh hoardings, banners and posters of political parties have been removed from various parts of the national capital, officials said Monday. An FIR and two non-cognisable reports were lodged after the flying squads of Chief Electoral Office, Delhi found posters of political parties being carried in cars without due permission, they said. Till date, 3,05,546 hoardings/banners/posters have been removed from all over Delhi. Out of which, 30,533 were removed from New Delhi Municipal Council, 43,075 from East Delhi Municipal Corporation, 2,411 from Delhi Cantonment Board, 1,26,566 from South Delhi Municipal Corporation and 1,02,961 from North Delhi Municipal Corporation, respectively, Chief Electoral Officer Ranbir Singh said. Under the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 131 FIRs were registered, including 26 against political parties. These include 13 FIRs against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP),