Page 914 - Politics
Narendra Modi a better Indian PM for Pakistan: Kejriwal
Latching onto a statement attributed to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal Saturday said Pakistan cannot get a better Indian PM than Narendra Modi who had allowed the ISI to visit the Pathankot air base, and is "implementing" Pakistan's agenda. Kejriwal also questionned the timing of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, which he said was executed "ahead of the elections". Referring to Khan's statement that he sees a better chance of peace talks with India if the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins the Lok Sabha elections, the Delhi chief minister went on to question the timing of the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. "Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan says that Narendra Modi should become the PM of India once again. His statement came against the backdrop of a war like situation that existed between both the countries a few days back. And (despite that) Imran Khan wants Modi to be the PM of India again," Kejriwal .
Punish Cong and its allies in such a way they lose deposits,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday said the Congress was dreaming about coming to power at the Centre and asked voters to punish it and its allies in such a way they would not be able to save even their deposits. At a massive rally here, Modi hit out at the Congress on the Jammu and Kashmir and national security issues, taking it on its election promise to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). "...punish Congress and its allies in such a way so that they will not be able to even save their deposits," he said. Modi said while his government had promoted "ease of doing business" in 60 months of its rule, the Congress had encouraged "ease of loot" in its 60 years of administration. The prime minister also took exception to the political row created by the ruling Congress-JDS alliance over the recent Income Tax raids on several JDS men across the state. Modi asked the crowd, "should the law be followed or not whether it is PM or CM or ministers? Why get ...
Humbled to pay my homage to Jallianwala Bagh martyrs, says Vice President
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said that he was humbled by paying homage to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh, "who sacrificed their lives fighting the evil hegemony of oppressive British rule."Vice President Naidu on Saturday visited the Jallianwala Bagh memorial here on the commemoration of the massacre's 100 years. He also released a commemorative coin of Rs 100 and a postage stamp on the occasion.The Vice President in the visitor's book at the memorial wrote: "I feel extremely humbled as I pay my homage to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives fighting the evil hegemony of the oppressive British rule. I salute the martyrs who sacrificed their lives on this very spot 100 years ago.""This place and the centenary commemoration ceremony evoke in me a deep sense of sadness at the tragic loss of human lives and also a profound sense of legitimate pride at the lasting legacy of conviction and courage that these brave soldiers of India's freedom movement have bequeathed to ...
Ashok Chavan bringing MNS leaders, people to his rallies on rent: Devendra Fadnavis
Former chief minister Ashok Chavan is bringing MNS leaders and people to Congress rallies on rent, said BJP leader and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here on Saturday."In Nanded, the mood in favour of BJP-Shiv Sena alliance is such that Ashok Chavan of Congress party is paying rent to bring people to rallies," said Chief Minister Fadnavis while addressing a public rally here.He also targeted the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackeray, saying that there is "no contestant" from the party and its leaders are being hired on rent by Chavan for his rallies."We bring stage and chairs on rent, but Ashok Chavan in Friday's rally brought leaders on rent. The credit of bringing leaders on rent goes to Chavan. They are bringing leaders from MNS," he said."MNS was earlier 'Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.' Then MNS became 'Matdar Nasleli Sena' (Matdata Nahi Sena/No Voter Sena). It is now UNS -- Ummidwar Nasleli Sena (Ummidwar Nahi Sena/No Contestant Sena)," said Chief ...
Digvijay will be committing 'suicide' if he files nomination from Bhopal: Kailash Vijayvargiya
BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Saturday said that it will be "deliberate suicide" on the part of Digvijay Singh if the latter files his nomination from the Bhopal parliamentary constituency."If he files his nomination from Bhopal, he would be committing suicide deliberately," Vijayvargiya said, alleging that Chief Minister Kamal Nath has "trapped" Digvijay into filing the nomination.Previously, Vijayvargiya had expressed his desire to contest from Bhopal. "I am all ready to contest against Digvijaya if my party allows me. It will be fun to fight against him on the Bhopal seat. Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia have trapped Digvijaya by selecting him for the Bhopal seat," he told media personnel.Exuding confidence of a BJP win, Vijayvargiya said: "BJP will win the elections in Madhya Pradesh irrespective of who is contesting against them in the state."He also confirmed claims that the eight-time Member of Parliament (MP) from Indore, Sumitra Mahajan was denied the ...
BJP wants to implement Hitler model: Kejriwal
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is following the Adolf Hitler model and Narendra Modi wants to be the Prime Minister for life, just like the German leader remained Chancellor till his death in the second World War, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday.
Guj LS poll: Shah to hold roadshow in Gandhinagar on Sun
BJP resident Amit Shah will hold a roadshow in Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, from where he is contesting, on Sunday. This would the BJP chief's third roadshow in the constituency, the earlier ones being held on March 30, when Shah filed his nomination papers, and April 6 to mark the party's foundation day. BJP leaders here said Shah will begin his roadshow at Kalol in Gandhinagar district by garlanding the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar to mark the birth anniversary of the architect of the Indian Constitution. Shah, who replaced party patriarch LK Advani from the seat, is pitted against the Congress' CJ Chavda. Elections to all 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will be held on April 23.
RJD leader threatens to contest against party candidate in Madhubani
Former Union Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Mohammad Ali Ashraf Fatmi on Saturday threatened to contest against party candidate from Madhubani constituency in case he is not given a ticket.A former Member of Parliament, Fatmi told media personnel, "I was working with RJD for the last 30 years but they broke my trust." Fatmi threatened that he will file nomination against the party on April 18 if he is overlooked.He, however, stated that he will not file his nomination if he is made to stand against the former Union Minister and Congress leader Shakeel Ahmad in the constituency.On April 12, Shakeel had told ANI that he might contest from Madhubani parliamentary constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.Fatmi's son Faraz is presently the RJD MLA from Madhubani constituency.On March 27, Fatmi had expressed disappointment over speculation that he may not be getting the ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls from the seat.He had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 ...
At Bihar rally, Asaduddin Owaisi tears into the Congress
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday tore into the Congress, charging it with seeking votes of Muslims by showing them the fear of BJP even though atrocities like Bhagalpur riots and unlocking of the Babri mosque premises had taken place during its rule. Addressing a rally in this muslim-dominated constituency where his party has put up its own candidate, the firebrand Hyderabad MP said I had warned you people during the 2015 assembly polls not to be fooled by the promises of the so-called Mahagathbandhan. You did not pay heed and ended up voting for Nitish Kumar who is now sitting in the BJPs lap. You must not repeat the same mistake again when haath (Congress poll symbol) wallahs are again seeking your votes with nothing more to offer other than the fear of BJP. You must not forget this party was in power in Bihar as well as at the Centre when the Bhagalpur riots took place and when the premises of the Babri Masjid were unlocked, Owaisi said. You must also ask the .
Opp gets fresh ammo on Rafale, alleges Anil Ambani got French tax concession due to 'middleman' Modi
With a French daily claiming that Anil Ambani's company benefited from a French tax waiver in 2015 when India was negotiating the Rafale deal, opposition parties on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was acting as a "middleman" for his "crony businessman" and that layers of corruption were now being unravelled. The Congress alleged that the tax concession for Ambani was due to Modi 'kripa' (blessings) while the Left parties said the Prime Minister's Office "must own up to this". The parties, which have been accusing Modi of helping Ambani get an offset contract in the Rafale deal, were reacting to a news report in a leading French newspaper Le Monde which claimed that France waived taxes worth 143.7 million euros to a French-registered telecom subsidiary of Reliance Communications in 2015, months after India's announcement of buying 36 Rafale jets However, the Defence Ministry termed as mischievous and inaccurate any attempt to draw a connection between the tax issue ..
MP LS poll: Digvijaya's gesture on Bhopal Ram temple riles BJP
Senior Congress leader and the party's Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate Digvijaya Singh Saturday prayed at a Ram temple here and told its trustees that land on which the structure stands will be handed over to them. The land on which the temple stands, in the city's Guru- Baksh-Kev- Taliya area, was embroiled in a legal dispute. While BJP leaders claimed the temple land was grabbed by the District Congress Committee (DCC), a court here had ordered that the land belonged to the DCC, a local Congress leader said. Congress corporator Yogendra Chauhan, also known as Guddu, who accompanied Singh when he prayed at the temple, said the former MP CM's gesture should be welcomed by all, especially the BJP. "When Digvijaya Singh was state CM (between 1993-2003) he had allotted the land to the DCC. There was a dispute between the temple trust and the DCC over the land. A court, however, ordered that the land belongs to the DCC," Chauhan claimed. Singh's move has, however, caused ...
Palghar party's whistle symbol 'blown' at last minute
In a last minute decision, the Palghar returning officer on Saturday cancelled the whistle symbol of the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi - a constituent of the United Progressive Alliance - and allotted it the autorickshaw.
LS polls historic, will restore respect for poor: Akhilesh
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Saturday said the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are "historic" as they will take the nation in a new direction and restore respect for the poor. "The BJP wants to create a gulf of hatred," he said at a joint rally of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in favour of Samajwadi Party candidate Dharmendra Yadav here. The BJP wants to divide the society for gaining power in the manner in which the British divided us," he said. "These elections are historic," Yadav said. "They are not just for winning the Lok Sabha, but to take the nation in the new direction, to bring change and restore respect of the poor who have been humiliated." Taking potshots at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the SP chief said, "Mayawatiji had said that our 'baba mukhyamantri' (chief minister)) has talked about the caste of God. He referred to claims last year over the community to which Lord Hanuman belonged, and blamed BJP leaders for it. This time, the gods are not happy ...
Irani accuses Rahul Gandhi of disgracing Amethi
Union Minister Smriti Irani Saturday accused Congress chief Rahul Gandhi of "disgracing" his Lok Sabha constituency and "crushing the dreams" of its people over the past 15 years . Irani, who is the BJP's candidate for the Amethi parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh, is making a second attempt to wrest the seat from Rahul Gandhi. In the 2014 polls, Gandhi had defeated Irani by a margin of one lakh votes. This time, besides his stronghold of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress chief is fighting the Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad, in Kerala. Addressing an election meeting here, Irani said, "Rahul Gandhi has humiliated and disgraced Amethi... if the intention of a leader is good, it ensures speedy development of the area." Calling the Gandhi family "dynasts", she said, "The 'naamdar' have been crushing the dreams of the people of Amethi for the last 15 years and still consider the people of the constituency as their slaves." Rahul Gandhi was elected to the Lok Sabha from ...
SAD announces Mahesh Inder Singh as party nominee from Ludhiana
Senior Akali leader and former cabinet minister Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal will contest from the Ludhiana constituency in the Lok Sabha polls, a party functionary said Saturday. Harcharan Bains, advisor to SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, said the names of the remaining candidates would be announced shortly. Grewal, a senior and traditional Akali stalwart with a strong Panthic image, enjoys a wide secular base. With this, the SAD has announced eight of its 10 candidates from Punjab. Its alliance partner the BJP is contesting from the other three seats -- Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur.
Ex-RJD MP Fatmi turns rebellious;announces his candidature
Miffed over denial of ticket by the RJD from Madhubani, former union minister Mohammad Ali Ashraf Fatmi Saturday virtually rebelled against the party and announced to contest election from Madhubani Lok Sabha seat against the Grand Alliance candidate. Fatmi also gave an ultimatum to the party stating that he would wait for its decision about him till April 18, when he would file nomination papers from Madhubani seat. I have taken a decision to contest election from Madhubani Lok Sabha seat and will file nomination papers on April 18. The party has time till April 18 to decide as what it can do for me, otherwise I will be compelled to file papers, Fatmi told reporters here. He also made it clear that he would not contest polls if Congress gives ticket to former union minister Dr Shakeel Ahmad from Madhubani. But he would contest if Shakeel Ahmad decides to contest as an independent candidate from Madhubani, the seat which he had represented in the past. It may be noted ...
No political interference in tax settlement with Reliance firm: France
In the wake of reports that it granted huge tax waiver to Anil Ambani's French firm, France Saturday said a global settlement was reached between the French tax authorities and the Reliance subsidiary and that it was not subject to any political interference. Leading French newspaper Le Monde reported that France waived taxes worth 143.7 million euros to a French-registered telecom subsidiary of Ambani's Reliance Communications in 2015, months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of India buying 36 Rafale jets. "A global settlement was reached between the French tax authorities and Reliance Flag, a telecom company, in a tax dispute pertaining to the period 2008-2012," the French embassy said in a statement. It further said, "This settlement was conducted in full adherence with the legislative and regulatory framework governing this common practice of the tax administration," the embassy said. It said the settlement was not subject to any political interference ...
Cong releases names of 18 more candidates for Haryana, UP, Madhya Pradesh
The Congress on Saturday released a list of 18 more Lok Sabha poll candidates, which include six from Haryana, nine from Uttar Pradesh and three from Madhya Pradesh. With this, the party has released names of 404 candidates for the parliamentary elections. In Haryana, the Congress fielded ex-Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Kumari Selja from Ambala, its state unit chief Ashok Tanwar from Sirsa while sitting MP Deepender Singh Hooda has been renominated from Rohtak. The party also fielded Shruti Chaudhary from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh, Ajay Singh Yadav from Gurgaon and Lalit Nagar from Faridabad. In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress replaced its candidate, Ramashankar Bhargava, from Mohanlalganj and fielded R K Chaudhary instead.
Scindia blames Modi for fall in rupee's value, says sent Indian currency to 'shamshan'
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia has blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the drop in the value of the Indian currency, saying he has sent the rupee from the ICU to the cremation ground. Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district on Friday evening, Scindia also criticised Modi over demonetisation and the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST). The Congress general secretary in charge of western Uttar Pradesh countered the claim of Modi that he had done in five years what the Congress could not do in 70 years. Scindia blamed Modi for the falling rupee's value from about Rs 60 to a US dollar during the UPA regime to about Rs 70 now. "'Modi ne rupaye ko ICU se shamshan pahuncha diya' (Modi has sent the rupee from the ICU to the cremation ground)," Scindia said in Ral village while campaigning for party candidate Mahesh Pathak for the Mathura Lok Sabha seat. The Congress leader cited demonetisation, the condition of traders after the implementation of the ...
BJP importing candidates from other parties: Ashok Chavan
Pitted against his former colleague Pratap Patil Chikhlikar, who is contesting on BJP ticket from Nanded Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra, senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan Saturday attacked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the ruling party, saying voters won't tolerate "liars". Patil Chikhlikar, a former Youth Congress leader from Nanded in Marathwada region of the state, is taking on Chavan on the latter's home turf, which has always remained the citadel of the Congress party. "Those who have to import candidates from other parties should not give advise to the people of Nanded. Tell us what happened to the promises like depositing Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts of the people, the increased MSP (Minimum Support Price), and giving two crore jobs. People of Nanded do not tolerate liars," Chavan, who heads the Congress in Maharashtra, said in a statement. He said the BJP had to "import" candidate from other parties, as the ruling party has failed to find a strong ...