Page 895 - Politics
Himachal Congress to protest over 'slur' against Rahul
The opposition Congress in Himachal Pradesh on Monday announced to hold statewide protests on Tuesday over an "obscene slur" made by the BJP state chief against its President Rahul Gandhi during at an election rally.
Parties use 'Poila Baisakh' to connect with people
Before campaigning for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections ends on Tuesday, some candidates from Tripura East constituency used the 'Poila Baisakh' (Bengali New Year) on Monday to reach out to the electorate personally.
UPA's DMK, NCP will join regional parties to form Govt: TRS
UPA will not get majority and its partners DMK and NCP would leave the Congress-led alliance after the Lok Sabha elections and join hands with other regional parties to form a government at the Centre, claims the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). The party headed by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, KCR as he is referred to by many, believes neither the NDA nor the UPA would get the required numbers to form the government after the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. According to TRS spokesperson Abid Rasool Khan, parties not aligned with the BJP-led NDA and Congress-led UPA -- such as TRS, YSRCP, BJD, Trinamool, BSP and SP -- would get around 200 seats, as per his party's calculation. "Once we have this magic number (200), alliance partners of UPA like DMK and NCP will also move out of UPA and support this front of regional parties to form government", Khan told PTI. The NDA and UPA would not get more than 150 and 120 seats, respectively, he claimed. Khan said DMK and ...
Union minister Athawale invites Kumaraswamy to join hands with
Union Social Justice Minister and Republican Party of India(A) president Ramdas Athawale Monday said the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka will not last long and asked Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to join hands with BJP for the state's welfare. Terming the Congress as "casteist", the Dalit leader said that party president Rahul Gandhi should not dream about becoming Prime Minister. "...Kumaraswamy is upset, I request him-why are you behind Congress when the BJP-JD(S) coalition government can be formed?"Athawale told reporters here. Stating that there was such a proposal earlier, he said "Congress was clever, they supported Kumaraswamy and made him CM, but Kumaraswamy is crying, he is not happy with Congress people. So I feel that this government will not last long." "Kumaraswamy has to come back to the BJP and if Karnataka's development has to happen...Kumaraswamy has to leave Congress and come back. Staying with BJP will benefit as Modi ji government is
China hails Pakistan's action plan to implement UN resolutions to fight terrorism
China on Monday hailed its all-weather ally Pakistan for announcing new guidelines for implementing the UNSC sanctions targeting proscribed individuals and entities operating in the country and urged the international community to back Islamabad's "great efforts" in combatting terrorism. Amid intense global pressure to rein in terror outfits, Pakistan on Friday launched guidelines for implementing the UNSC sanctions targeting UN-proscribed individuals and entities in the country. The guidelines were prepared by the National Committee for overseeing implementation of sanctions against individuals and entities designated by the UN Security Council 1267 Al Qaida/Da'esh Sanctions regime and Security Council 1988 (Taliban Sanctions regime). "The newly released guidelines are Pakistan's latest measure to implement the National Action Plan. I think it shows Pakistan's position and resolve to fight terrorism and to firmly implement the relevant UN resolutions. "China highly applauds that. ...
BJP contestant wants to put his lock on EVM strong rooms
Making an unusual request, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Telangana's Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency on Monday sought the Election Commission (EC)'s permission to also put his lock on the strong room where EVMs and VVPATs used to conduct elections during the first phase are stored.
BJP-Congress-CPI-M in nexus to defeat Trinamool: Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused the BJP, Congress and the CPI-M of forming a nexus to defeat the Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha elections in the state.
Will create jobs in government and pvt sectors: Goa CM
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Monday said his government would create a large number of jobs for locals in the government as well as the private sector in the next three years. Addressing a rally in support of BJP's South Goa candidate Narendra Sawaikar, Sawant said 8,000 to 10,000 employment opportunities will be created in the government and 20,000 to 30,000 in the private sector. He also said the state-run Investment Promotion Board has been approving the projects that bring in investment and jobs for locals in Goa. Sawant also promised to resolve the issues faced by sugarcane growers in rural talukas. "Sugarcane cultivation is done in a big way in Sanguem and surrounding areas. I am well aware about the problems being faced by sugarcane farmers due to troubles at the state-run sugar factory in Usgaon," he said. Sawaikar, a sitting MP from South Goa, is squaring off against Congress' Francisco Sardinha and Elvis Gomes of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Shiv Sena has
HP BJP chief refuses to apologise for alleged derogatory remark against Rahul Gandhi
Himachal BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti Monday refused to apologise for allegedly making a derogatory comment against Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying he was merely reading a message shared widely on social media, asking party workers not to forward such texts. He said rather the Congress president should apologise for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a 'chor'. Himachal Congress chief spokesperson Naresh Chauhan had Sunday accused Satti of making a derogatory remark against Rahul Gandhi and sought his apology. Satti told PTI that he merely read out the contents of a message which was already viral on social media. "I have narrated an incident while addressing a public meeting in Nalagarh tehsil of Solan district whereby a derogatory remark was made against Rahul in retaliation of using 'chor' word for PM in a viral social media message," he said. "The person who used the derogatory word and made such a message viral can not be our worker. Even then I asked my workers to ...
Cong taking help from RSS : Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Monday accused Congress of taking help from RSS to win elections and urged to the people to defeat the "deadly" combine of the Congress, BJP and the Left. The Trinamool Congress supremo recalled former president Pranab Mukherjee's participation in an event of the RSS in its headquarters in Nagpur in 2018 and alleged that the organisation is campaigning for his son, Congress candidate Abhijit Mukherjee. "Don't force me to open the Pandora's box. The entire gameplan of the Congress will be exposed," she told an election rally at Beldanga in Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district. "Baharampore Congress candidate Adhir Chowdhury's tactics to win election with the help of the Left and BJP will not be successful this time ... People should not to vote for such a party with a dubious character," Banerjee. TMC candidate for Baharampore Apurba Sarkar (David), who is contesting against Chowdhury, had defected from the Congress and joined her party. "RSS
Azam Khan's remark on Jaya Prada insult to women power, SP-BSP must apologise: Amit Shah
BJP president Amit Shah on Monday demanded apology from Samajwadi Party (SP) and its ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) over Azam Khan's derogatory comments against actor and BJP candidate from Rampur constituency Jaya Prada, saying that Khan's remarks were an insult to 'women power'."The repugnant comments by Azam Khan against Jaya Prada ji are not an insult of just Jaya ji but of crores of India's mothers and daughters. The Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Azam Khan should immediately apologise to the crore of women of the country for insulting the matru shakti (women power)," Shah said at an election rally here.In UP's Rampur, SP leader Khan said on Sunday, "I brought her (Jaya Prada) to Rampur. You are a witness that I did not allow anyone to touch her body. It took you 17 years to identify her real face but I got to know in 17 days that she wears khaki underwear."The SP, BSP and Rashtriya Lok Dal have forged an alliance in Uttar Pradesh to contest the Lok Sabha elections in ..
Modi, Shah to address 5 more rallies in Bengal in April
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah are scheduled to address five more public rallies in West Bengal this month, a state BJP leader said on Monday.
SC irked over actions taken by EC so far against Mayawati, Adityanath for hate speeches
The Supreme Court Monday expressed displeasure over the EC action so far against BSP supremo Mayawati and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for their alleged hate speeches during campaigns and decided to examine the ambit of poll panel's power on the violation of model code of conduct. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi took note of the alleged hate speech of the two prominent leaders of Uttar Pradesh and asked the Election Commission about the action after its submission that it was "toothless". "Tell us what are you doing... Tell us what actions you have taken," said the bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna. The top court also summoned a representative of the EC at 10.30 AM on Tuesday and decided to examine the contention that the poll panel has limited legal powers to deal with hate speeches of politicians during electioneering. At one point during the hearing, it even threatened the EC counsel that it will force the Chief Election Commissioner ..
BJP fields actor Ravi Kishan from Gorakhpur, Praveen Nishad from Sant Kabir Nagar
Bhojpuri superstar Ravi Kishan will be contesting from Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency on a BJP ticket, the party announced on Monday.Ravi Kishan had contested and lost from Jaunpur Lok Sabha seat during 2014 General Elections on a Congress ticket. The actor joined BJP two years ago.The Gorakhpur seat was represented by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for five terms since 1998 until Praveen Kumar Nishad of Samajwadi Party won the seat in a by-poll last year. The seat was vacated by Yogi Adityanath when he became the CM.Eventually, Nishad Party leader and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha MP Praveen Nishad joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on April 4.The party has forged an alliance with the BJP and Nishad is set to contest from Sant Kabir Nagar on a BJP ticket. The sitting BJP MP Rakesh Tripathi has not given the ticket, with the party fielding Praveen Nishad from the constituency.Other candidates announced by the party on Monday are--Sangam Lal Gupta from Pratapgarh, Mukut Bihari from ...
Sudan protest leaders report attempt to disperse sit-in
Sudanese protest organisers Monday called on their supporters to mobilise outside the army headquarters, saying there was an attempt to "disperse the sit-in" where thousands have camped out for 10 days. The Sudanese Professionals Association did not say who was attempting to break up the crowd, but witnesses said several army vehicles had surrounded the area. "There is an attempt to disperse the sit-in from the army headquarters area, they are trying to remove the barricades," the SPA said in a statement to AFP. "We call on our people to come immediately to the sit-in area to protect our revolution." Witnesses said troops were seen removing the barricades that demonstrators had put up as a security measure. "Protesters are chanting 'army is our army'," an onlooker told AFP from the site of the sit-in. The SPA described the attempt to disperse the crowds as "an indication that the military council will not fulfil its commitment given to the people," in a separate statement on its ...
Political greenhorn to take on rank outsider in Theni
In a battle for prestige, a political greenhorn will take on rank outsider and fellow son of the soil in a triangular contest here that will gauge the voters' mood of the two year-old K Palaniswami government. An endorsement or rejection of the ruling party nominee P Raveendranath Kumar could assume significance as he is contesting from his father and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam's home turf of Theni. The next assembly elections in Tamil Nadu are scheduled in 2021. Congress has fielded former union Minister E V K S Elangovan and rival AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran's AMMK is banking on his earlier stint as then Periyakulam MP to spring a surprise against the other two. It has nominated Thanga Tamil Selvan, a key aide of Dhinakaran, and also one of the disqualified AIADMK MLAs who revolted against Palaniswami in 2017. Thanga Tamil Selvan had earlier represented Andipatti, an Assembly segment falling under Theni. Agriculture being the main vocation in the district,
Rahul, Priyanka, Scindia rally in Agra
Congress President Rahul Gandhi and party general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a road show in Agra.
DK: Modi factor may save Nalin, Hindutva test for Mithun
It is the Modi factor all the way in Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency that is widely expected to tilt the scales in favour of sitting BJP MP Nalin Kateel despite anti-incumbency. Discontent is simmering among even voters of the extreme right for Kateel's alleged non-performance during the last two terms. However, there is no palpable excitement either in the opposite Congress camp which has fielded a young candidate in Mithun Rai, belonging to the same Bunt community as Nalins and who toes a soft Hindutva line in his campaign. The reason is simple. The general mood across the coastal segment is that the Modi factor will come to Nalins rescue once again in the BJPs chosen Hindutva laboratory in the south. Exemplifying the voter mood was the unprecedented massive response to Modi during his campaign here Saturday that saw the entire 15-km stretch from the Mangaluru airport to the public meeting venue overflowing with delirious supporters. Taking note of people ...
Israeli president starts process of selecting next PM
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin began a series of meetings Monday with representatives of political parties voted into parliament in last week's elections ahead of choosing who will form the next government. Rivlin would appear to have little choice but to pick incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his party won the most seats in the April 9 vote leaving it best placed to form a coalition government. Netanyahu's Likud party which won 36 seats was the first to meet Rivlin on Monday morning. The consultations, broadcast live from Rivlin's residence, will take place over two days, during which members of each party will tell the president who they think should be tasked with forming the government. The president will assign the mission to the member of parliament who wins the support of at least 61 lawmakers, constituting a majority of the parliament's 120 members. "The process should reflect the people's will, as reflected in their vote," said Rivlin, a former Likud member ..
China says US treats Latin American like its 'backyard'
Beijing has fired back at the US after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticised China's role in Venezuela as prolonging the crisis there. China's foreign ministry said Monday that Pompeo's accusations were "unfounded" and "deliberately drove a wedge" between China and Latin America. Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang accused the U.S. of treating Latin America like "its own backyard to pressure, threaten and even subvert political power in other countries at every turn." Pompeo said last Friday that China's financing of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government helped "precipitate and prolong" the country's crisis. Hyperinflation, shortages of food and medicine and other hardships have forced more than 3 million Venezuelans about one-tenth of the population to flee the country in the last few years.