Page 966 - Politics
AAP launches phase II campaign for Lok Sabha poll
Gearing up for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday launched the second phase of its campaign with focus on one-to-one communications.
Clear who Pak wants as India's next PM: Left parties attack Modi
The Left parties Wednesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over comments made by his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan in support of the BJP and said with this statement the neighbouring country has made it clear who it wants as India's next PM. CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said that Khan's statement raised concerns over foreign governments "influencing" the outcome of the general elections in India. In an interview to foreign journalists, Khan has said he believed there was a better chance of peace talks with India and settling the Kashmir issue if the BJP wins the general elections. "Pakistan has been the only issue of Modi's election campaign, where he has scurrilously tried to link it to opposition. Now, we know who Pakistan actually wants as PM, the only Indian PM to have invited ISI to a military base, and the only one who went to Pakistan uninvited," Yechury tweeted. "We have serious concerns about foreign governments influencing our democratic election ...
Rahul Gandhi files nomination for Amethi
With UPA president Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra by his side, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday filed his nomination papers for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat at the Collectorate here. Rahul was also accompanied by Priyanka's husband Robert Vadra and their two children to send a message that the entire family gives much importance to the Congress bastion, party leaders said. The Congress chief and his family were greeted by party workers, who gathered in the city, despite hot weather conditions, to get a glimpse of their leaders. The three-time MP from Amethi will take on Union Minister and BJP nominee Smriti Irani in the Lok Sabha election in virtually a direct contest as the SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh has decided not to field a candidate from the seat. This time, the Congress president is contesting a second seat, Wayanad, in Kerala where he had filed his papers on April 4. Before filing his documents at the Collectorate at Gauriganj, Rahul embarked on a
China says Dalai Lama's successor should have its approval
China on Wednesday asserted that any successor to the Dalai Lama should have its approval as the 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader was admitted to a hospital in India with a chest infection. According to the hospital in New Delhi, his condition was stable. Asked whether China has any plans to appoint his successor, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing here that the Chinese central government has to approve the Dalai Lama's successor chosen through the reincarnation system. "I am not aware of the physical condition of the 14th (the present) Dalai Lama," he said. As far as the reincarnation issue is concerned, it is clear that the reincarnation is a particular inheritance system of the Tibetan Buddhism. It has fixed rituals, he said. "We have relevant regulations to respect and protect this heritage. The 14th Dalai Lama himself was recognised according to the fixed religious rituals and was approved by the then central government. "So the reincarnations including .
UP: Stage set for first phase polling in 8 LS constituencies
The stage is set for polling in eight Lok Sabha seats of western Uttar Pradesh on Thursday amidst tight security in the first leg of the seven-phased general elections. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is making all-out efforts to retain all the eight Lok Sabha seats while the fledgling Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance too is going whole hog to upset the saffron party's apple cart. In the 2014 parliamentary elections, the BJP had won all the eight seats-- Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar that figure in the first phase of the staggered elections. The communally sensitive seat of Muzaffarnagar will see a clash of titans with RLD chief Ajit Singh locking horns with sitting BJP lawmaker Sanjeev Balyan. For the saffron party, the Kairana parliamentary constituency holds immense significance as it had tasted defeat in the Lok Sabha bye-election last year. The fate of three Union ministers-- V K
LS election will drive BJP out of power, Modi will never be PM
Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday said the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will drive the BJP out of power and ensure that Narendra Modi will never again be the prime minister of the country again. The Trinamool Congress will help form the next government at the Centre, she claimed and urged the people to vote for it. "This time it is a very important election. This election is to defeat the BJP. It is to drive out the BJP from power ... This election is to make sure that Narendra Modi can never be the prime minister of the country again. We must ensure that they (BJP) never come back," Banerjee said at an election rally at Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur. "The TMC will form the next government. We will drive out the BJP from the country," she said urging people to vote for Trinamool Congress. Taking a jibe at Modi, Banerjee said that for the past four-and-half years the prime minister was busy touring foreign countries. "Suddenly
Action against corruption not vendetta: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday hit out at the Congress and other opposition parties for calling income tax raids in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka a political vendetta.
A vote for Modi is a vote for Pakistan: Cong on Imran's remarks
The Congress and other opposition parties said on Wednesday that a vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a vote for Pakistan as they seized on Imran Khan's remarks that there may be a better chance of Indo-Pak peace talks and settling of the Kashmir issue if the BJP is voted back to power. In a scathing attack, the Congress also said Pakistani premier Khan's remarks reflect that Pakistan has "officially allied" with Modi. During an interaction with a small group of foreign journalists in Islamabad, Khan had said he believes there may be a better chance of peace talks with India and settling the Kashmir issue if Modi's party BJP wins the general elections. Khan said other parties would be afraid of right-wing backlash in case of a settlement on the Kashmir issue. Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala launched a blistering attack on Modi over Khan's comments. "Pak has officially allied with Modi! A vote for Modi is a vote for Pakistan!" Surjewala tweeted. "Modi ji, first ...
Rafale deal: Mayawati seeks apology from PM after SC order
BSP supremo Mayawati Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misleading the country on the Rafale deal and demanded an apology from him. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister's remarks came after the Supreme Court allowed leaked documents to be relied upon by petitioners seeking review of its Rafale judgement and dismissed the government's preliminary objections claiming "privilege" over them. In a tweet, Mayawati said, "Modi government's attempts were unsuccessful in hiding discrepancies/corruption in Rafale deal in the name of national security.The BJP government is trapped in the SC". "PM Modi should apologise for repeatedly lying inside and outside Parliament and misleading the country and the defence minister should resign," she said in the tweet.
Cong betrayed us by fielding nominees against AIUDF: Ajmal
Disappointed at Congress's "betrayal" by fielding candidates against his party nominees, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal has claimed that the Muslim leadership in the Assam unit of the grand old party has thwarted a possible alliance with the AIUDF. With the Congress now contesting from Karimganj, Barpeta and Dhubri Lok Sabha constituencies, there is a "strong possibility" of a division of anti-BJP votes in these seats, Ajmal told PTI in an interview. On the reason behind the Congress action, he said, the Muslim leaders of the party's state unit thought their future would "be finished" if an understanding was reached. The AIUDF will contest from Dhubri, Barpeta and Karimganj, from where it has three sitting MPs, sharply lower from the 10 candidates it had put up in the 14 Lok Sabha seats in 2014. The Congress is fighting from all the constituencies this time. Ajmal, a two-time Lok Sabha MP from Dhubri and a perfume baron, alleged that the "only intention" of the Assam ...
Rafale deal: SC order on leaked documents setback for NDA govt, says CPI
Senior CPI leader D Raja Wednesday welcomed the Supreme Court order allowing leaked documents to be relied upon by petitioners seeking review of its Rafale judgment, saying the order was a "setback" for the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. The CPI national secretary said the "truth has to be found out now". Earlier Wednesday, the apex court allowed leaked documents to be relied upon by petitioners seeking review of its Rafale judgment and dismissed the government's preliminary objections claiming "privilege" over them. "It is a setback and a slap in the face for the government. The court has rejected the government's argument. And now what is the answer from Mr (Narendra) Modi and Mr Arun Jaitley who were referring to Supreme Court all the time on the clean chit," he told PTI. "The truth has to be found out," he added. The Centre had submitted that privileged documents were procured by petitioners in an illegal way and used to support their review petitions against the December ..
HC to hear plea against Mehbooba, Omar on Friday
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a ban on Kashmiri leaders Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah from participating in the Lok Sabha elections will be heard on Friday (April 12).
2 senior RJD leaders quit party day before LS polls
A day before the Lok Sabha elections are set to begin, two senior RJD leaders in Bihar quit the party on Wednesday after they were denied tickets.
TMC accuses EC of bias, submits memorandum against transfer of top cops in WB
The Trinamool Congress Wednesday accused the Election Commission of bias and submitted a memorandum to the poll body against transfers of top police officers in West Bengal just before the first phase of voting in the Lok Sabha elections. Party leaders Derek O'Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Chandan Mitra lodged a nine-point memorandum protesting what they called was "EC bias". "People are saying Nirvachan Commission has become Nikamma Commission. Enough is enough. Transfers of good, honest senior police officers of Bengal are being decided by a traitor who now works out of the BJP Central office in Kolkata," said Derek, indicating the hand of former TMC MP Mukul Roy, who is now in the BJP, in the removal of the Cooch Behar Superintendent of Police Abhishek Gupta by the poll body on April 9. In the memorandum, the TMC has also said the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma along with those of Bidhan Nagar Police Commissioner Gyanwant Singh, Birbhum SP Shyam Singh, Diamond .
178 farmers up the ante on TRS, security arrangments in place
: The 178 farmers, who filed nomination papers here for the parliamentary elections scheduled Thursday, would continue their stir against the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) for failing to fix minimum support price for their produce. Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress State president Anwesh Reddy, one of the leaders coordinating the protest, told this to PTI Wednesday. Nizamabad hit headlines after the farmers demanded the MSP for turmeric and red jowar (sorghum) and also set up a turmeric board here. With a large number of farmers contesting the polls, the the vote-bank of ruling party candidate was bound to be dented, Reddy said. "The fight will continue until the demands are met. Many farmers will file nominations and contest in MPTC (Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency) and ZPTC (Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency) elections also," Reddy said. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Raos daughter and sitting MP Kavitha is seeking re-election from the ...
Mehbooba asks people to defy highway ban in J&K
Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday asked people to defy ban on highway in Jammu and Kashmir and also warned India of a Palestine-like situation in Kashmir.
Israeli PM Netanyahu set for record 5th term
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was poised to secure a record fifth term in office on Wednesday despite running neck and neck with his rival Benny Gantz in the general election, the media reported.
Omar seeks response from PM Modi over Imran Khan's 'endorsement' for next term
National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah Wednesday said Narendra Modi will have to answer for Pakistani premier Imran Khan's "endorsement" for his second term as prime minister. Khan told a small group of foreign journalists in an interview that he believes there may be a better chance of peace talks with India and settle the Kashmir issue if the BJP wins the general elections. Opposition parties latched onto the remarks to attack Modi. "Modi will have to answer that because it was Modi only who, till now, was saying that Pakistan and militants want the BJP to lose, but it has become clear today that it is the Pakistan which wants Modi to win again," Abdullah told reporters here. In the interview, Khan said other parties would be afraid of right-wing backlash in case of settlement on the Kashmir issue. "Perhaps if the BJP wins, some kind of settlement in Kashmir could be reached," he said. Earlier, in a tweet, Abdullah -- a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir -- ...
Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla, son Vijay Bainsla join BJP
Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla and his son Vijay Bainsla on Wednesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Union Minister Prakash Javadekar."I have been actively involved in the Gujjar movement for the past 14 years in Rajasthan. I have seen working of both the Congress and the BJP and was very close to chief ministers as well. I have seen a rare quality in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As a party worker, my objective will be to help backward people in getting their rights," Bainsla said.Bainsla also met party president Amit Shah before he formally joined BJP.Welcoming Bainsla to BJP, Javadekar said: "Kirori Singh Bainsla is a leader of Gujjar movement and has been promoting education of girl children. We welcome him and all his followers to the party. BJP will get strengthened in Rajasthan and will register victory in all 25 parliamentary seats in the state."In February, Bainsla-led Gujjar community had called off 'rasta-roko' dharna on railway tracks across
Brexit: May to meet EU leaders in Brussels
British Prime Minister Theresa May is set to attend an emergency European Council summit on Wednesday evening urging its members to provide a short extension to the long-pending process of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union.The heads of the 28 EU member states in Wednesday's meeting will discuss, on May's request, an extension to the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement until June 30, Al Jazeera reported.But a longer extension with a clause to end the UK's membership earlier if a deal is passed - a so-called "flextension" - emerged as a more likely outcome on Tuesday.In addition, the agreement also includes the provision whereby Britain would not interfere with the EU's objectives while it remains a member of the union.The UK was initially scheduled to leave the block on March 29, but during the last European Council meeting, the UK was provided with a two-tier deadline of May 27, should the withdrawal agreement be passed in the House of Commons, or April 12 if it did ...