Page 910 - Politics
BSP releases fourth list for Lok Sabha polls
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Sunday released its fourth list of 16 candidates to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh.
Modi govt has major successes in social sector schemes: Panagariya
Former Niti Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya has said the Modi government has achieved 'major successes' in social sector programmes like Ayushman Bharat, PM-Kisan and rural electrification. Besides, this government has made an 'unprecedented progress' in tackling corruption, he added. On the reforms undertaken by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, he said the three major areas of initiatives were implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and direct benefit transfer (DBT). In an interview to PTI, the eminent economist said "...Ayushman Bharat, PM-Kisan, cooking gas, rural roads and rural electrification represent major successes of the Modi government. Unprecedented progress has also been made in combating corruption." Talking about infrastructure sector, he said the government has managed to greatly accelerate outcomes in sectors like roads, railways, waterways, civil aviation and digitisation. On questioning the credibility of ..
Once formidable Left Front in choppy waters again?
The CPI-M led Left Front (LF), which ruled West Bengal for 34 years at a stretch before suffering a crushing defeat in 2011, is now a divided house, with analysts foreseeing the coalition faring poorly in the coming Lok Sabha polls after the failure of the seat adjustment talks with the Congress.
Decision to give Tumakuru to JDS will not reduce Cong's hold in seat: Karnataka Dy CM
Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara has said the Congress' decision to cede the Tumakuru Lok Sabha seat to coalition partner JDS will not reduce the party's hold in the constituency and that their ultimate goal is to see Rahul Gandhi becoming prime minister. Former prime minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda will take on former parliamentarian G S Basavaraju in Tumakuru, which has changed hands between the Congress and the BJP in the past. "The decision to allot the Tumakuru constituency to Deve Gowda will not cut down the Congress' hold there. Our ultimate goal is to see Rahul Gandhi becoming the prime minister of India," Parameshwara told PTI in an interview on the sidelines of an election campaign event at Kolala village here. Even Deve Gowda has expressed his desire to see Gandhi as prime minister, he added. "There is a saying in English. It goes something like this - 'one has to accept defeat so that you don't break later' (sic). Therefore, I and my party decided not to field .
'Pak violated ceasefire along LoC over 500 times after Balakot strike'
As many as 513 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have taken place along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir after the Indian Air Force's air strike on terror launch pads in Pakistan, the Indian Army said on Saturday.The air strike by India came two weeks after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives.The Army said Pakistan also used heavy weaponry like mortars and artillery guns over 100 times during the said time period."513 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have taken place along the Line of Control, in the last one and a half month. Pakistan used heavy weaponry over 100 times during these violations," GOC16 Corps, Lieutenant General Paramjit Singh told media here."Whenever Pakistan carries out such violations, we also retaliate effectively. As per our sources, Pakistan Army has suffered five to six times more casualties than the casualties on the Indian side," Singh added.On February 26, IAF fighter jets targetted JeM's advance ...
Mayapuri violence is failure of Delhi govt, particularly of CM Kejriwal: Hardeep Singh Puri
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday called the Mayapuri sealing drive violence a "failure" of the Delhi government, "particularly of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal"."This is a failure of the Delhi government and particularly of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. He bears complete responsibility of this, including of the violence that took place during the sealing drive," Puri told ANI."The issue is very straight forward, the matter is between the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Delhi government. In 2015, the NGT instructed the Delhi government to relocate the scrap industry in Mayapuri. For four years, the Kejriwal government didn't do anything about it," he said.Puri added that the pollution plan by the NGT has to be implemented by the Delhi government's concerned department; the Centre and MCD have no role to play in this.The statements from the Union Minister come after clashes broke out on Saturday between locals and police personnel in the Mayapuri area after MCD ...
How serious a challenge can Prakash Ambedkar-Owaisi combine pose to BJP-Sena in Maharashtra?
How much challenge will the alliance between Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkars Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and Assaddudin Owaisis All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) pose to the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena combine in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra?
'Hard' deadline set to release Trump tax returns
House Democrats have issued Donald Trump's administration a "hard" deadline of April 23 to turn over the President's tax returns, pushing back against Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's scepticism over their request for the private records.
Ex-royal & remote sensing expert, student, ex-official in Tripura poll battle
An eclectic range of individuals, ranging from an ex-royal who is a remote sensing specialist, a teacher, a law student, a former bureaucrat, one who is unlettered and even a novice in politics are trying their electoral luck in the Lok Sabha polls in Tripura.
AAP govt has no interest in development: Puri
Had the ruling Aam Aadmi Party worked diligently in Delhi, it would not have been so much willing to firm up an alliance with the Congress, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said. The Union minister also rejected the AAP government's claims of good work in the education sector, saying it has not opened any school since it came to power. In an interview to PTI, Puri, who is the Housing and Urban Affairs Minister in the Modi government, sought to know the track record of the Arvind Kejriwal government in the national capital. They (AAP) do not have any interest in development. They have different approach... Had they worked in Delhi diligently, they would not have been so much willing to firm up an alliance with the Congress," Puri said. On Friday, AAP leader Gopal Rai said the Aam Aadmi Party is capable of defeating both the BJP and the Congress in Delhi and an alliance is possible with the Congress only when it will be done on 33 Lok Sabha seats. The Congress announced that it ...
MP Lokayukta refuses to share details on IT searches against corrupt public servants
The Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta has refused to share details on search operations conducted by the Income Tax department against corrupt public servants of the state government citing an exemption clause under the RTI Act. RTI activist Ajay Dubey had sought details related to search operations conducted by the Income Tax department from the Lokayukta. He had also sought details of corruption cases registered by it since July 2017 among other information. In its reply, the Lokayukta said the information sought is in question-answer format. Therefore, it cannot be given. It also cited Section 2 (F) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act and said the desired details do not constitute information mentioned in the transparency law. The information thus cannot be constructed and cannot be given, the Lokayukta said. The section describes information" as any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, ...
The flawed narrative on Kashmir (Column: Spy's Eye)
The debate on Kashmir has produced a crop of 'experts' whose analysis is in many cases tinted by their political alignment. In the run-up to the 2019 General Election, the issue of handling of Kashmir by the Centre and the connected question of India's Pakistan policy figure prominently in the opposition's attack on the government. In essence, the stand of the Modi regime was that the prime challenge in Kashmir was to counter the cross-border terrorism instigated by Pakistani agencies from across the LOC and prevent the latter from converting some vulnerable young minds in the Valley to the path of the gun in support of the infiltrated terrorists - all in the name of faith. The narrative on Kashmir whipped up by the opposition is silent on three important aspects of the issue - these have to be explained so that the distortion these gaps produced in the Kashmir story is understood.
Infighting may affect Trinamool marginally in ongoing polls
Infighting over spoils of office, control of the lucrative construction material businesses and factional feuds between the old guard and new members may adversely hit the chances of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, though to a very limited extent, party insiders and analysts say.
China-US trade talks nearing final round: Mnuchin
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he believed Washington and Beijing were nearing the final stage of trade negotiations, moving closer to what he said would be the biggest change in the economic relationship between the countries in 40 years.
Kejriwal hits out at PM Modi for inviting Pak officials to probe 2016 Pathankot attack
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday attacked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for inviting a Pakistani team to probe the 2016 Pathankot attack."They call themselves strong leaders and strong government. There have been many weak governments in the last 70 years but no government has done what Modi ji has done. Pakistani terrorists blew the Pathankot Air Force base. He wrote to Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and called for an investigation," Kejriwal said at a public rally here.A five-member team of Pakistani investigators, including officers from the Pakistan military and ISI, had visited Pathankot airbase after the attack in which seven security personnel had died."Can Pakistan get a better Prime Minister of India than Narendra Modi," the Aam Aadmi Party chief asked the gathering.Kejriwal questioned Pakistan PM Imran Khan's recent statement in which he pitched for a second term for PM Modi.He said, "There was a warlike situation between India and ...
Venezuela's national militia to receive constitutional validation
Venezuela is expected to make an amendment in its Constitution to integrate its national militia into the country's army - National Bolivarian Armed Forces - announced Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday."The militia will receive a constitutional rank as a full-fledged part of the country's armed forces," Sputnik quoted Maduro as saying.This comes a day after Maduro ordered an expansion of the civilian militia by nearly one million by the end of December 2019.Venezuela is currently facing a political and economic crisis, which has been worsened by blackouts and an acute shortage of water and medicines.National Assembly leader Juan Guaido had proclaimed himself interim President of Venezuela in January, as protests calling for President Nicolas Maduro's ouster shook the Latin American nation. The US immediately supported Guaido, asking other nations to back the self-proclaimed President.Several countries called for Maduro to step down or hold fresh elections, as they largely .
Modi to hold rallies in Aligarh, Moradabad
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to hold public rallies in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh and Moradabad cities on Sunday, according to a state BJP official.
Finns, tired of austerity, go to the polls
Finland votes Sunday in a general election in which the centre-right government looks set to be toppled after four years of cuts, while the far-right is predicted to make large gains. The far-right Finns Party, led by hardline MEP Jussi Halla-aho, have seen a surge in support in recent months during their anti-immigration dominated campaign, urging people to "Vote for some borders". The Social Democratic Party challenger, headed by Antti Rinne, leads both of Finland's main opinion polls at around 19 percent. It campaigned against the austerity implemented by the Centre Party Prime Minister Juha Sipila and his Finance Minister Petteri Orpo, leader of the conservative National Coalition Party. However, polls suggest the Social Democrats' lead has narrowed in recent weeks to as little as two points ahead of both the National Coalition and Finns, which are neck-and-neck in second place. At a rally on Saturday in Myyrmaki, a disadvantaged suburb of the capital, a crowd of people young and .
Sudan's transitional military council announces 10-member list
Sudan's Transitional Military Council chief has issued a constitutional decree to confirm the list of 10 army generals in the council, the official Sudan TV reported.
Mayawati will break alliance with Akhilesh after LS poll results: Naresh Agarwal
Taking a swipe at SP-BSP alliance, BJP leader Naresh Agarwal on Saturday said that Akhilesh Yadav will be seen running on the road after Mayawati will break alliance with the Samajwadi party the very next day results for Lok Sabha elections are declared."Counting will be held on May 23 and on May 24 Mayawati will say that she is breaking that alliance since Muslims and Aheer had deceived her and then Akhilesh will be seen running on roads," Agarwal said while campaigning for a BJP candidate here."Like the last emperor of Mughal was Jafar Shah Rangeela, the last emperor of Yadav family is Akhilesh Yadav," he said.SP has stitched an alliance with BSP and RLD in Uttar Pradesh. Out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, SP will contest on 37 seats, BSP on 38 and RLD on 3 seats.Agarwal criticised Akhilesh for not declaring him as SP's candidate for Rajya Sabha in 2018."Why did they not give the ticket to me? Because he (Akhilesh) likes an actress. They had denied me a ticket at this age," he