Page 894 - Politics
Nominations for 10 LS seats in Haryana from Tuesday
The nomination process for election to the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana will commence on Tuesday, April 16, a senior election department officer said on Monday.
IS bride appeals for financial aid to fight UK citizenship case
Runaway IS bride Shamima Begum will receive the UK taxpayer-funded legal aid to fight against the government's revocation of her British citizenship, according to UK media reports on Monday. The 19-year-old London schoolgirl of Bangladeshi descent, who fled the UK to join the Islamic State (IS) terrorist network in Syria over four years ago, was stripped of her British citizenship by UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid in February this year after she appealed for safe passage back to the country of her birth from a Syrian refugee camp. Her family had said it planned to challenge the decision. The UK's Legal Aid Agency decided to assist Begum in response to an application made on March 19, the reports said. According to Britain's legal aid system, financial assistance is provided by the taxpayers to those who are unable to afford legal representation themselves, regardless of their citizenship, whether they are accused of a crime or a victim who seeks the help of a lawyer through the court ..
SBSP -- BJP'S partner in UP -- to go it alone
Lucknow, April 15 (INS) The Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) said on Monday that it will go it alone in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.
NRIs organising flash mob dances, callathons to influence voters in India
A group of NRIs in Houston organised a flash mob dance while others are involved in callathons to galvanise support for various political parties as the crucial weeks-long general elections began in India. Donning 'Namo Again' T-Shirts, waving tricolour and dancing on the tunes of 'Namo Namo' song, the BJP supporters organised the flash mob dance in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the crowded Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston downtown Saturday evening. The saffron clad volunteers have been working tirelessly asking people to support Modi for a second term. These volunteers are hosting 'Chai Pe Charcha' meetings, making calls to voters in India and organising catchy Bollywood flash mobs to reach masses back home, organisers said. So far the overseas friends of BJP USA (OFBJP USA) has reached over 5,000 voters through direct phone calls, they said. "Receiving a call from a concerned NRI leaves a special impression on the voter and he/she gets encouraged to participate in the .
BJP contestant wants to use own lock on EVMs' strong rooms
A BJP candidate, who contested from the Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency in the April 11 polls, Monday requested election authorities to allow him to put his own lock on strong rooms where the EVMs used in the elections are kept. Talking to reporters, the candidate, D Arvind, said he had some apprehensions on the security of the Electronic Voting Machines in strongrooms. In a representation to District Collector and Returning officer Nizamabad, M Ram Mohan Rao, Arvind requested the official to allow him to put his own lock on the strong rooms in which EVMs and VVPATs used during the elections have been stored. "... allow me to put my lock also to the strong room in which EVMs and VVPATs used during General Elections to the House of the people (Lok Sabha) 2019 are stored," Arvind said. He marked a copy of the letter to the Chief Electoral officer Telangana, Rajat Kumar, and the Election Commission of India. A senior official involved in the recent polls said the strong ..
Cong will focus on development, says Shivakumar
Criticising the sitting Dakshina Kannada (DK) MP Nalin Kumar Kateel for his irresponsible attitude towards the Lok Sabha constituency, Congress leader and state Irrigation Minister D K Shivakumar Monday asked the people to vote for development and harmony in the district. Addressing a press meet here, Shivakumar, who is here to campaign for party candidate Mithun Rai, slammed the BJP for doing hardly anything for the constituency which had been represented by their MPs in the last 28 years. The minister hoped that the educated and intelligent people of DK will give Mithun Rai a chance to fulfil their dreams of development. "The present MP is not aware of the problems faced by the people in the coastal district. The youth are leaving Mangaluru to other cities seeking jobs. No major development work had been done for the port, airport or other facilities in the city during the last ten years," he alleged. The sitting MP could not also raise a finger against the merger of ..
Jallianwala Bagh issue: Day after PM targeted him, Amarinder asks why he was singled out
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Monday asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi singled him out and did not criticise Akali leaders, including Union minister Harsimrat Badal, for not attending an event of the central government to mark the centenary of Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Singh's remarks came a day after Modi flayed him at a rally in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir for giving the event a miss. "Neither Parkash Singh Badal nor Sukhbir Badal, not even Harsimrat Badal, who's a minister in the Modi government, deemed it fit to pay homage to Jallianwala Bagh martyrs," the Punjab chief minister said in a statement. Singh said he had been part of a series of events at the Jallianwala Bagh national memorial over the last two days. Yet Modi, "who himself chose to keep away from this occasion of national importance", criticized him. Instead of supporting the state government's commemorative programmes, the Centre organised a parallel event to mark the Jallianwala Bagh centenary, he said,
Irani questions silence of Cong, its allies on Azam Khan's remarks against Jaya Prada
Questioning the silence of the Congress and its allies on SP leader Azam Khan's alleged "underwear" jibe against his BJP rival from Rampur Lok Sabha seat Jaya Prada, Union minister Smriti Irani on Monday said it was a clear indication that those connected with the UPA were disrespectful towards women. "There is silence on the part of the Congress, its allies and other such political parties on the derogatory comments of Azam Khan...there has not been any opposition to it nor any condemnation...this proves that those in the UPA are disrespectful towards women," she told reporters here. Without naming Jaya Prada, Khan had told an election rally in Rampur, "You were represented (in the Lok Sabha by her) for 10 years. People of Rampur, people of Uttar Pradesh and people of India, it took you 17 years to understand her reality. But I could recognise it in 17 days that she wears a khaki underwear." Jaya Prada had represented Rampur twice in the Lok Sabha after winning the elections in 2004 .
Congress showed no concern for 55 years, now talking about 'Nyay': Raje
BJP national vice-president Vasundhara Raje Monday targeted the Congress over its proposed minimum income scheme 'Nyay', saying the party did not show concern for the poor for 55 years and is now talking about providing "justice" to them. "What was Congress doing for 55 years? They are now talking about justice," Raje said, addressing an election rally in support of BJP nominees Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore from Jaipur (Rural) and Ram Charan Bohra from Jaipur (Urban) parliamentary seats. "Congress slogan of 'Garibi Hatao' is still going on. They could not eliminate poverty while remaining in power for 55 years and are again in the election with the same slogan." Under its Nyay scheme, the Congress party has promised to deposit Rs 72,000 annually into the bank accounts of 20 per cent of the poorest people in the country if it comes to power. But Raje, a former Rajasthan chief minister, suggested Congress leaders are unable to understand the problems faced by the poor as they spend "time .
CPI(M) extends support to NC for Srinagar, Anantnag parliamentary seats
The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the CPI(M) Monday asked the people from Srinagar and Anantnag Lok Sabha constituencies to vote for National Conference candidates to defend the identity and special status of the state guaranteed under Articles 370 and 35A. CPI(M) state secretary Ghulam Nabi Malik, in a statement, asked the voters to contribute in the process of "evicting disastrous, authoritarian and communal government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi". "It is the foremost duty of all citizens of Jammu and Kashmir to vote to defeat the mischief monger BJP on the floor of the Parliament. For that people should come out and vote in favour of those who are trusted and capable of defending the interests of Jammu and Kashmir," Malik said. He said in today's circumstances, the CPI(M) believes that National Conference candidates from Srinagar and Anantnag Lok Sabha constituencies deserve to be supported. Malik said Jammu and Kashmir is under huge crisis as nothing except "death and ...
'Nyay' money to come from Choksi, Nirav, Mallya pockets: Rahul
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Monday said funds for his party's 'Nyay' minimum income guarantee scheme will come from the pockets of fugitives like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. 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 if the party is voted to power. The three businessmen mentioned by Gandhi, are wanted in India for fraud and money laundering. "I was inspired by Narendra Modi's false promise of giving Rs 15 lakh to every Indian," Gandhi said at a poll rally here, while speaking about the scheme, which the Congress has described as a "surgical strike" on poverty.
After SC, now BJP wants EC to act against Rahul
The BJP on Monday asked the Election Commission (EC) to take "serious cognisance" of Rahul Gandhi's "chowkidar chor hai" statement after the Supreme Court demanded an explanation from the Congress President for wrongly attributing the said comment in the context of Rafale fighter jets issue to the apex court.
EC poll-eve regulations to come into force from Tuesday in TN
As campaign for the April 18 Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu draws to a close Tuesday, the Election Commission Monday said a series of regulations will come into force ahead of the polling day. The regulations include no display to public of any election matter by means of cinematograph, television or other media like FM radio, WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter, state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Satyabrata Sahoo said. While polling will be held from 7 AM to 6 PM in the 38 of the total 39 Lok Sabha seats and 18 bypoll-bound assembly segments, in Madurai Parliamentary constituency, the duration will be extended upto 8 PM, he said in a release here. The EC had extended the time in Madurai in response to demands for postponing the polling there as it coincided with the popular two-week long Chithirai festival of the famous Goddess Meenakshi temple there, which runs from April 8 to April 22 with two key events slated for April 17 and 18. Lakhs of devotees throng the temple ...
BJP announces Ravi Kishan as its candidate from Gorakhpur, Praveen Nishad from Sant Kabir Nagar
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, instead of the widely-speculated candidature of sitting MP Praveen Nishad who recently joined the party. Nishad has been fielded from Sant Kabir Nagar, with the BJP dropping sitting MP Sharad Tripathi who had created a political storm by beating a local BJP MLA with shoes. However, Sharad Tripathi's father, Ramapati Ram Tripathi, has been given BJP ticket from neighbouring Deoria, as per the latest party list of seven candidates in Uttar Pradesh. Ramapati Ram Tripathi was the UP BJP chief during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Deoria was represented by former Union minister Kalraj Mishra. Last year, Nishad, a joint candidate of SP-BSP, had defeated BJP's Upendra Shukla in Gorakhpur in a surprise bypoll win, after Adityanath, who had represented the Lok Sabha seat five times since 1998, became the chief minister. However,
Air India to resume Delhi-Madrid flight from April 18
State-run Air India is set to resume its flight services to Madrid from New Delhi from April 18, the airline said Monday. The airline had temporarily suspended services to Madrid along with Birmingham from New Delhi last month following the closure of the Pakistani airspace for all West-bound flights to and from India. The national carrier operates three times-a-week flight services to the Spanish capital from New Delhi. "Air India is set to resume its thrice-a-week service on the Delhi-Madrid-Delhi sector from April 18, after a brief interlude to cater to the consistent heavy demand from passengers both in Spain and India," the airline said in a statement. The New Delhi-Madrid route is serviced by India's flagship aircraft Boeing 787-800. Air India has also announced return fares, starting from Euro 487, for travel on Madrid-Delhi-Madrid sector.
Cong stands for balkanisation of India, alleges BJP
The BJP Monday wanted to know why Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was silent over the remarks of National Conference leader Omar Abdullah that his party would strive to restore Jammu and Kashmir's autonomy that could include having a wazir-e-azam (prime minister). Omar Abdullah's statement means Jammu and Kashmir having a separate constitution, BJP national secretary P Muralidhar Rao said. "It means a separate flag. India having two Prime Ministers, India having two flags and India having two constitutions. Is it acceptable for India? This is a straight question and it would be raised in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and even in entire country," he told reporters here. "...Congress stands for dilution...it stands for balkanisation of India," he said. Rao sought to know why DMK president M K Stalin, an alliance partner of the Congress in Tamil Nadu, also remained silent on the matter. The BJP leader asserted his party was for one Nation, one Constitution. Omar Abdullah while addressing .
Govt signs ceasefire agreement with three Naga insurgent groups for 1 year
The Centre on Monday extended the ceasefire agreement by one year with two insurgent groups in Nagaland, while a fresh pact for suspension of operations was signed with another outfit, the Home Ministry said. A ceasefire is in operation between the Union government and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Neopao Konyak/Kitovi) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland/Reformation (NSCN/R). It was decided to extend the suspension of operation agreement with NSCN/NK and NSCN/R for a further period of one year with effect from April 28 this year till April 27, 2020, a Home Ministry statement said. This was signed on behalf of the central government by Satyendra Garg, Joint Secretary, in the Home Ministry, and Jack Jimomi, Supervisor, GPRN/NSCN, on behalf of NSCN/NK and by Amento Chishi, Supervisor, and Toshi Longkumer, Secretary, on behalf of NSCN/R. Meanwhile, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland/K-Khango has also entered into a fresh ceasefire agreement with the Union ...
Hardik, Thakor, Mewani feel the change from Assembly to LS
Three young Gujarat leaders who earned their stripes in the Assembly polls held late 2017 are now facing a vastly-changed scenario as the Congress and the BJP take on each other for the state's 26 Lok Sabha seats. Patidar quota spearhead Hardik Patel, young OBC MLA Alpesh Thakor and Dalit legislator Jignesh Mewani are not contesting the general elections and their respective roles in the campaign has also changed. They had managed to sway the masses with their anti-establishment and caste-based narrative in the Gujarat Assembly polls, helping the Congress rise from 54 to 77 seats, and pulling down the ruling BJP to a precarious majority of 99 seats in the 182-member House. Patel led a widely-patronised quota stir with his Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) while Thakor, as a reaction to the former's stir, emerged as an Other Backward Classes leader. Mewani, an Aam Aadmi Party worker, meanwhile, managed to funnel public anger over the assault on Dalit youths in Una for
BJP candidate says will be difficult to retain Moradabad; Congress, SP-BSP coalition hopeful
It is going to be difficult to retain Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency for BJP, which is in a direct contest with Congress due to consolidation of Muslim votes ahead of the April 23 election, saffron party candidate Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar has said. Kumar, a Thakur, is pitted against Congress's Imran Pratapgarhi, a poet who has often questioned the BJP government through his provocative compositions and fiery speeches. As the campaigning heats up, SP-BSP-RLD coalition's S T Hasan, a doctor by profession, is also trying to win over the Muslim votes, about 47 per cent of the total 19.41 lakh voters in the constituency. Only the community members have not yet disclosed who they will back this time. Political observers say Muslim voters often decide their support during last three days of campaigning. Though Kumar, a political strongman, is well-known in the area, he is unsure about his re-election. "The election is going to be difficult," Kumar told PTI on the phone as he is busy ...
If my family wanted to break India, there would have been no India: Farooq Abdullah hits back at PM
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Abdullahs and Muftis of trying to break the country, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah Monday retorted back, saying if his family wanted to break India, "there would have been no India". Addressing a poll rally in Kathua district on Sunday, the prime minister had slammed the Abdullahs and Muftis, saying the two families "ruined" three generations of Jammu and Kashmir and he will not allow them to "divide" India. The NC leader said it was Modi who was trying to break the country, but he will not succeed. "Our party fights for the rights of all the people be it Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians or Buddhists and we will continue to fight. Even if Modi tries his best, he will not be able to break India. I want to tell him from here today that you will break, but India will not. You accuse the Abdullahs of trying to break India, if we wanted to break India, there would have been no India then," he said. Addressing a ...