Page 965 - Politics
'No Show': EC stalls Modi biopic till LS polls
The Election Commission on Wednesday stopped the release of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's biopic till the Lok Sabha elections conclude, saying that any material which disturbs a level playing field should not be displayed.
BJP MP quits party in Jharkhand, to fight Independent
Rebel BJP Lok Sabha MP Ramthal Chaudhary on Wednesday quit the membership of the party here and announced to fight the poll as an Independent.
HC judge recuses self from hearing plea to bar Farooq, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba from LS polls
A Delhi High Court judge Wednesday recused himself from hearing a plea seeking a direction to the Election Commission to bar Jammu and Kashmir politicians Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti from participating in the Lok Sabha election as they have allegedly made "seditious" statements. Justice A J Bhambhani, who was part of the division bench headed by Chief Justice Rajendra Menon, recused himself from hearing the matter. "List it before a bench in which one of us, that is, Justice Bhambhani, is not a member," the chief justice said. The matter would come up for hearing before another bench on April 12. The petition filed by a lawyer alleged that the "seditious and communal statements" given by the three leaders were against the Constitution, adding that the court or the EC should bar or impose conditions on their entry into the Lok Sabha. All the three leaders are former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir. The petition has arrayed the EC, the Union of India, the ...
After sons, the fathers:Cong and NCP stalwarts set to join BJP
After their sons joined the BJP in the run-up to Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and NCP's Vijaysinh Mohite Patil are set to follow the suit, sources close to them said Wednesday. Both the leaders are expected to join the BJP during the scheduled rallies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the state in the coming days. Vikhe Patil would join the BJP on April 12 in Ahmednagar and Mohite Patil at Akluj in Solapur district on April 17, the sources said. Vikhe Patil is currently the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Vikhe Patil's son Sujay joined the BJP last month after the Congress' ally NCP refused to vacate Ahmednagar seat for his electoral debut. He was subsequently given a ticket by the saffron party. Mohite Patil, who is the sitting MP of the NCP from Madha constituency in Solapur district, was reportedly sulking over being sidelined in the Sharad Pawar-led party. He was earlier denied a ...
Over 900 artists urge people to vote for BJP
More than 900 artists, including Pandit Jasraj, Vivek Oberoi and Rita Ganguli, Wednesday issued a statement asking people to vote for the BJP and said the country needs a "Majboot Sarkar" not a "Majboor Sarkar". The artists appealed to the people to cast their vote without any pressure and prejudice. "It is our firm conviction that the continuance of government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the need of the hour. Besides, when challenges like terrorism are before all of us, we need a 'Majboot Sarkar' not a 'Majboor Sarkar' and hence we need the present government to continue," it said. Among those who have issued the joint statement are Shankar Mahadevan, Triloki Nath Mishra, Koena Mitra, Anuradha Paudwal and Hans Raj Hans. The joint statement said that during the last five years, India has seen a government which delivered "corruption-free good governance and development oriented administration". The joint statement comes a week after more than 600 theatre personalities, ...
Modi targets Cong for sedition law repeal promise
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday slammed the Congress over its manifesto promise to repeal sedition law and reduce forces from Kashmir. The opposition party is trying to fulfil the demands of Pakistan, Modi said, adding the only "business of Pakistan is to export terror. Are people who want to break the country into tukde- tukde (pieces) not anti-nationals?... Congress is now saying that they will repeal the sedition law. Can we expect this from a 125 year-old party?, Modi said at a rally here. The BJP began using the phrase "tukde tukde gang" to refer to students accused of raising anti-India slogans in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 2016 and has generalised the phrase to attack those it accuses of sympathising with Maoists and separatists. The Congress manifesto is totally opposite to the thinking of Sardar Patel. If he was alive, he would have rejected this manifesto. They are abusing our armed forces. They want to reduce the strength of our forces in ...
The great election bazaar is here - what party are you wearing?
You can wear your party loyalty on your sleeve, on your chest or even drape it around you. As India hurtles towards elections, balloons, buttons, banners and brightly hued saris and T-shirts are the order of campaigning days. Elections 2019 kick off on Thursday and parties across the political board are pulling out all the stops to brand their message on supporters and prospective voters. BJP's 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' T-shirts are flying off the shelves, the Aam Aadmi Party is doffing its hat to voters with customised caps and Narendra Modi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra saris are selling fast too. The great Indian sale of election paraphernalia is taking place outside party offices, on online platforms like Amazon and Snapdeal and, of course, in Delhi's buzzing wholesale market Sadar Bazar. With the varied goodies jostling for space online and on shop shelves the poll marketplace resembles the electoral battle place itself. We are witnessing a lot of enthusiasm from supporters across ...
Jolt to Mayawati as Bhim Army supports Congress
In an unexpected move, the Bhim Army has announced its support to the Congress that is bound to upset the Bahujan Samaj Party's apple cart in western Uttar Pradesh where eight constituencies go to polls on Thursday in the first phase.
PM targets Congress, points to cash seizure in MP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said Congress has been involved in various scams and a new scam 'Tughlak Road Chunavi Ghotala' (Tughlak Road election scam) has surfaced now.
Australian election rivals clash over links to Chinese billionaire
A Chinese billionaire barred from Australia on suspicion of mounting a years-long influence campaign was thrust to the centre of the country's increasingly bitter election campaign Wednesday, with major parties trading accusations of improper contacts. The conservative government -- facing revelations the home affairs minister had lunch with prolific political donor Huang Xiangmo to discuss his residency at a lobbyists request -- fired back with accusations of its own. In an unusual press conference, Attorney General Christian Porter released photographs of opposition Labor leader Bill Shorten attending Huang's daughter's wedding. Shorten's attendance at the event has been publicly known since 2017, but the photos are believed to be new. "To know you are attending the bloke's daughter's wedding at the same time you are criticising a business lunch seems to be extraordinary," Porter said. Porter brushed aside the fact government's then trade minister was also at the wedding and ...
Complaint lodged against Farooq, Mehbooba at Bihar court
A case has been lodged at a court here against former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti over their remarks that abrogating Article 370 and 35A, that grant special status to the state, will lead to its freedom from the country. Advocate Rajesh Chandra Sharma filed the complaint Tuesday before the court of Muzaffarpur Chief Judicial Magistrate seeking trial of the chiefs of the National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party under Sections 124A (sedition) and 34 (common intent for a criminal act) of the Indian Penal Code. The petitioner has alleged that he felt "hurt" by the statements of Abdullah and Mufti, that appeared in a Hindi daily on April 9. He alleged their remarks could "fan unrest and mutiny" in the country. Their fierce political rivalry notwithstanding, Abdullah who heads the NC, and Mufti, who leads the PDP, had come out in unison against the BJP's manifesto promise of scrapping Article 370 annul 35A of the Constitution. The two ...
Minister performs "Nagin dance" to woo voters
In a bid to woo voters, Karnataka Housing minister M T B Nagaraj danced to a popular tune from the Hindi movie 'Nagin' much to the amusement of people at Hoskote, near here, and the video has gone viral. Nagaraj, whose name means King Cobra, had gone with his supporters to Katigenahalli village in Hoskote Tuesday evening seeking votes for Congress candidate and former union minister Veerappa Moily who is contesting from the Chikkaballapura Lok Sabha constituency. A music band that followed the minister's convoy started playing the famous 'Nagin' tune to captivate a cobra from the 1954 Hindi movie. The tune was part of thesong 'Man Dole Mera Tan Dole' and it charmed Nagaraj too and the 67-year-old congress leader started to gyrate. Soon his supporters too began dancing with him and the performance went on for about 10 minutes. The dance video has gone viral. Those accompanying Nagaraj finally asked him to slow down in view of his age. This is not the first time that the ...
Modi is need of the hour, say over 900 artistes
Over 900 artistes and people from the field of literature on Wednesday came out openly in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying the country needs a "Majboot Sarkar" and not a "Mazboor Sarkar".
Amethi was my father's 'karmabhoomi', it is sacred land for us: Priyanka
On a day her brother Congress president Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said the constituency was her father's "karmabhoomi" and its land was sacred for her family. Gandhi filed his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections from this constituency with his entire family looking on. His mother Sonia Gandhi, sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and brother-in-law Robert Vadra were with him in the Collectorate when he filed his papers. "Some relationships are from the heart. Today, the whole family was present for my brother's nomination. This was my father's 'karmabhoomi', it is sacred land for us," Priyanka Gandhi, who is Congress' general secretary in-charge Uttar Pradesh East, tweeted. Rahul Gandhi, a three-term MP, will take on Union minister and BJP candidate Smriti Irani in what is seen as a direct contest with the SP-BSP-RLD alliance taking the decision to not field any candidate from the constituency, seen as a ..
Erdogan wants Istanbul vote annulled over alleged irregularities
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for authorities to cancel last week's Istanbul mayoral election over alleged irregularities, local media reported Wednesday. Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was dealt an upset on March 31 when the party lost the capital Ankara to the opposition as well as Istanbul, the country's largest city. The AKP's candidate, Erdogan loyalist and former premier Binali Yildirim, lost by nearly 30,000 votes to the main opposition CHP's Ekrem Imamoglu, according to early counts. The gap narrowed after the AKP had nulled votes counted again. The party on Tuesday said it would ask election authorities for a re-run of the Istanbul race. Pointing to irregularities involving ballot box chiefs, Erdogan said if officials "had a sincere attitude, this would lead to cancellation", Hurriyet daily reported. He told Turkish journalists that there were individuals from different professions including the military rather than civil servants serving
Erdogan says Russian S-400s delivery could be earlier
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the delivery of Turkey's disputed Russian S-400 missile defence systems could be earlier than initially planned, Hurriyet daily reported on Wednesday. Ankara's purchase of the S-400s risks US sanctions and has further strained already tense relations with Washington. US officials are concerned over the incompatibility of the S-400s with NATO military hardware as well as Ankara's increasingly close relationship with Russia. "The S-400 missile defence system was to be delivered in July, maybe we will bring this forward," Erdogan told Turkish journalists on board his plane after a Russia visit, the newspaper said. Erdogan was in Moscow on Monday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the S-400 purchase and joint coordination in Syria on the agenda. "This step that we have taken for our country's security neither targets a third country nor does it give our sovereign rights over to a third country," Erdogan said. In a bid to stop Turkey ..
Barr to testify before Senate as Mueller report looms
Attorney General William Barr is returning to Capitol Hill for a second time this week as lawmakers, the White House and the American public anxiously await his release of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report. Barr will speak to a Senate appropriations subcommittee Wednesday, the second of two days of hearings about his department's budget. Like members of the House on Tuesday, senators are expected to be more interested in the nearly 400-page document than the budget details. Barr told the House lawmakers that he expects to release a redacted version "within a week." Justice Department officials are scouring the report to remove grand jury information and details relating to pending investigations, among other materials. Democrats have escalated criticism over Barr's handling of the document and say they will not accept any redactions. The House Judiciary Committee has approved - but not yet sent - subpoenas for the report, and top Democrats have said they are willing to ...
In first for France, MPs move to trigger referendum on privatisations
French opposition MPs and senators claimed a victory for democracy Wednesday after using a little-known constitutional article to try to trigger a referendum on the government's controversial plans to privatise Paris' airports. In a rare display of non-partisanship, lawmakers straddling the spectrum from the far left to the right banded together Tuesday to propose a "referendum d'initiative populaire" (RIP) on the privatisation of Aeroports de Paris, operator of Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Le Bourget airports. This is the first time ever that opposition lawmakers have come together to try force a referendum on an issue, using a measure introduced by former president Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008 to boost participatory democracy. Socialist Party spokesman Boris Vallaud told France 2 broadcaster on Wednesday that MPs were determined to block a "major strategic error, because Aeroports de Paris is not just a regular company". Referendums are rare in France, with the last one dating to 2005 ...
Half a million children at risk in Libya: Unicef
Nearly half a million children are at "direct risk" in Libya as rogue general Khalifa Haftar's forces advance on the UN-recognized government in the capital of Tripoli, according to Unicef.
Separatists call for strike against first phase of polling
Separatists have called for a strike on Thursday to protest against the polling for first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Kashmir and the "NIA aggression" against Hurriyat Conference leaders and their kin. Jammu and Baramulla Lok Sabha constituencies are going to polls in the first phase on Thursday. "The complete shutdown (Hartal) is against the so-called Indian parliamentary elections that are going to start from tomorrow from Baramulla parliamentary constituency, against NIA aggression including shifting of JKLF chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik, rigourous questioning of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and repeated summoning of sons of Syed Ali Shah Geelani to Delhi," the separatists said in a statement on Wednesday. They said the strike is also to protest against the closure of Kashmir's main highway for civilians for two days in a week and recent attack by the police and the security forces on inmates at Central Jail in Srinagar. Appealing to the people to stay away from voting, the separatists .