Page 943 - Politics
Modi govt does not value farmers' hard work: Pawar
NCP chief Sharad Pawar alleged Thursday that the BJP-led Union government does not value the hard work put in by farmers of the country. Pawar addressed a rally for NCP candidate from Nashik Lok Sabha seat, Sameer Bhujbal, here. "This government does not value the hard work put in by farmers. It does not think about the future of farmers' children. "The BJP government did not give opportunity to farmers to lead a respectable life. Enough of this government now," Pawar said. The former Union agriculture minister said the Manmohan Singh government gave priority to farmers' welfare, unlike the Modi dispensation. Pawar also hit out at Modi for 'claiming credit' for the air strike on terror camps at Balakot in Pakistan. "This government has been unable to ensure the release of Kulbhushan Jadhav. Where has the 56-inch chest gone?" asked Pawar. Jadhav, a former Navy officer who hails from Maharashtra, has been on death row in Pakistan for alleged espionage. Ahead of the 2014 ...
Sudan army removes Bashir: Defence minister
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been removed from power and detained by the army, Defence Minister Awad Ibnouf announced on state television on Thursday. "I announce as minister of defence the toppling of the regime and detaining its chief in a secure place," Ibnouf said. Bashir, who ruled with an iron fist since he took power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989, has been removed after deadly force failed to end four months of nationwide protests for his ouster.
Smriti Irani's Man Friday in Amethi joins Congress party
Union Minister Smriti Irani's 'Man Friday' Ravi Dutt Mishra, at whose house she used to stay whenever she visited her constituency, joined the Congress party on Thursday.It is said that Mishra had brought BJP leader Smriti Irani to Amethi. "Irani used to stay at Mishra's house whenever she visited Amethi," said a Congress leader. Mishra was also a minister in the earlier state government of Samajwadi Party (SP).Mishra's joining Congress party comes at a time when its president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary and in-charge for the party's east UP affairs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are on tour of Amethi.Congress president Rahul is contesting from two seats - Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, and Wayanad in Kerala.Amethi is considered to be a stronghold of the Congress party. Rahul had retained this seat in the 2014 General Elections defeating BJP candidate Smriti Irani, whom the saffron party has repeated this time too.Rahul and Smriti have filed their nominations from the seat. Amethi will .
Israeli poll panel puts off results announcement
The Central Election Committee of Isreal on Thursday put off announcement of results of the closely-fought general elections to allow more checking.
News channels partial, say 93% urban Indians
Nine out of 10 urban citizens, mostly millennials, feel news channels are partial and favour one political party or the other, a poll by news app Inshorts said on Thursday.
Andhra outcome may impact relations with Telangana (News Analysis)
With the polling in the bitterly fought elections in Andhra Pradesh over, the question on every mind is whether Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao's gameplan to see Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in power will succeed and if not what would be its impact on the relations between the two Telugu states.
Himachal voters seek forest Act implementation
Up the ante against the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh, near 600 voters from the Mandi parliamentary constituency on Thursday staged a protest here, demanding implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006.
Modi assures amendments to Citizenship Bill
Reiterating his government's commitment to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that Centre will make some amendments to ensure that its implementation does not affect anyone.
KTKA CM tells minorities, BCs and Dalites not to vote for Modi
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Thursday appealed to Dalits, members of backward castes and minorities not to vote for the BJP, alleging that elections would not be held if Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he dubbed "second Hitler", returns to power. Addressing a public meeting in favour of the Congress-JD(S) alliance candidate Prajwal Revanna at Kaduru in Chikkamagaluru, Siddaramaiah said, "Not a single vote of Dalits, backward castes and Muslims should go to the BJP." He warned people that autocracy will replace democracy if Modi comes back. "I beg you with folded hand that this time you have to defeat the BJP. If Narendra Modi comes back again, elections will not take place. There will be autocracy. Democracy will not survive. Downtrodden communities, backward communities and minorities will be ruined," he said. Siddaramaiah said when people ask Modi for job, he tells them to sell Pakoda. "He (Narendra Modi) will be the second Hitler. You should be ...
7 Congress leaders axed for not backing JD-S nominee
The Karnataka unit of Congress has suspended seven block leaders in the Mandya district for anti-party activities and not campaigning for Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, contesting from the Mandya Lok Sabha seat, a party official said, here on Thursday.
No alliance for AAP in Punjab
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will not have an alliance with any political party in Punjab, a senior leader said on Thursday.
At last village on Indo-Pak border, residents keep date with democracy, vote for peace, security
They have lost their homes and belongings in cross-border firing and shelling, but not their faith in parliamentary democracy and hope for a peaceful and better future. For the 400-odd voters of Jorafarm, the last village on the Indian side of the International Border with Pakistan, the party of choice may vary but their expectations from the new government are same -- lasting peace and development. The village, just 400 metres from the border fence, is part of the Jammu parliamentary constituency where polling was held in the first of the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls on Thursday. It was a special day for the villagers, young and old alike, as it rekindled their hope. Early in the morning, most residents set out in horse-carts to reach the polling booth, set up in nearby Jajwal village, about one-and-a-half km away. "We voted for peace and development...Peace is imperative because every time Pakistan targets forward posts and villages, we bear the brunt," 35-year-old Mohammad Shafi ...
Russia calls for calm in Sudan
Russia on Thursday called for calm in Sudan and expressed hope that close bilateral ties would not be threatened, irrespective of who was in power. Huge crowds of Sudanese demanding the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir massed in the centre of Khartoum as the army promised an "important announcement" after months of protests. "We are monitoring this situation very carefully," Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "And we are hoping that first and foremost there won't be an escalation that could claim human lives," he said, calling the protests an "internal affair". "We expect that whatever the outcome, Russian-Sudanese relations" will be a priority for Khartoum, Peskov said. Russia has been trying to expand its footprint in Africa and said in January that it had sent "instructors" to Sudan, following reports of sightings of Russian-speaking soldiers in Khartoum. Putin met Bashir last July in Moscow where the Sudanese leader said Russia was playing
BJP committed to passing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said the BJP is committed to passing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill once the NDA returns to power after the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. The bill will be amended after proper consultation with all sections of the society and ensuring safety of the Assamese community, Modi told a poll rally here, his second of the day in Assam. Protection to Assamese language, culture and identity will be ensured while considering the Bill again, he assured. The Bill had been passed by the Lok Sabha by the Modi government on January 8 but was not introduced in the Rajya Sabha. The Bill is now set to lapse on June 3. Slamming the Congress, he said it did not think about the minorities in Pakistan while dividing the country during Independence. "The fundamentalists tortured our brothers and sisters in Pakistan. Is Congress not a culprit for this? People going to mandirs and gurudwaras in Bangladesh and Pakistan had to come to India. Congress sins made ...
Amid allegations of EMV malfunction, J&K records over 46% turnout till 3 pm
Jammu and Kashmir Thursday recorded 46.17 per cent turnout till 3 pm in Jammu and Baramulla constituencies, where voting is underway in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, even as there were protests over defective EVMs in some areas, officials said. The two constituencies house over 33 lakh electorate. The National Conference and the PDP alleged that uniformed personnel "coerced" people to vote for the BJP and that EVMs malfunctioned in some places with the Congress button not working in Jammu's Poonch area. The Jammu Lok Sabha constituency recorded 59.40 percent voter turnout, with Samba district registering the highest of 66.6 percent polling till 3 pm, the officials said. The Baramula Lok Sabha constituency registered 27.93 percent polling, with the highest turnout of 38.70 per cent recorded in Kupwara till 3 pm, they said. Amid tight security, polling began at 7 am in the Jammu constituency and has been peaceful so far with voters in Samba, Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch turning ..
Congress alerts MHA on laser beam pointed at Rahul
A major security lapse had put the life of Congress President Rahul Gandhi in danger at Amethi where he filed his nomination on Wednesday, the Congress party has informed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in a letter marked 'confidential'.
70% polling in Bengal till 3 p.m. amid stray violence (3rd Lead)
Amid sporadic incidents of violence, EVM glitches and allegations and counter-allegations of electoral malpractices, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar constituencies in West Bengal reported nearly 70 per cent polling till afternoon on Thursday as the Lok Sabha polls kicked off.
AG on electoral bonds: Don't let transparency kill the scheme
The Attorney General on Thursday told the Supreme Court that historically only black money was used in Indian elections and anonymity associated with electoral bonds is vital as voters need not know the source of funds for political parties.
Irani files nomination, targets Rahul over I-T raids
Union minister Smriti Irani Thursday filed nomination papers from Amethi, pitting herself against Congress president Rahul Gandhi who has won thrice from the Lok Sabha constituency regarded as Gandhi family pocket borough. Irani filed the nomination after a road show, which followed a similar route taken by the one organised by the Congress when Rahul Gandhi submitted his own papers here on Wednesday. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accompanied her in a show of strength in the constituency, which has been nursed by the Union textiles minister even after she was defeated by Gandhi last time. She lost the 2014 election by over a lakh votes, but the shrunken margin of victory for Gandhi boosted the Bharatiya Janata Party's hopes. The Congress president is also contesting from a second constituency, Wayanad in Kerala, this time, prompting the BJP to claim that he is "scared" to take on Irani. Irani, who has been lashing out at Gandhi for missing from Amethi and for its lack .
Sudan's army to make statement amid protests
The Sudanese army has said it will make an "important statement" on Thursday, amid mounting evidence that it was orchestrating the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir after 30 years in power.