Page 979 - Politics
Campaigning for Apr 11 polls to LS, assly in AP ends
: The acerbic campaigning for the high stakes simultaneous April 11 elections to the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly ended in Andhra Pradesh Tuesday. The fortnight-long electioneering had been anything but decent, with top leaders of the main contesting parties TDP and YSR Congress often hurling the choicest expletives at each other. Elections for all 25 Lok Sabha and 175 Assembly seats will be held simultaneously in one go from 7 AM to 6 PM on April 11. Telugu Desam Party president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's campaign theme centered around bashing the "evil trio" of (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, (Telangana Chief Minister) K Chandrasekhar Rao and (YSR Congress president) Y S Jaganmohan Reddy. He called them names and went to the extent of branding Jagan a "hardcore criminal." The Chief Minister warned people that they would be writing their "death declaration" if they voted for the YSRC. "Only I am your savior. If you dont elect me (again), the state will
Arrested Advani against Centre's advice: Lalu Prasad
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Rath Yatra was stopped and its leader Lal Krishna Advani arrested in Bihar in October 1990 though then Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had advised against it, said Lalu Prasad, who was the Chief Minister of the state then.
Macron tries to de-escalate violence in Libya
French President Emmanuel Macron had phone conversations "over the last two days" with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and rogue military commander Gen. Khalifa Haftar in a bid to ease tensions in the North African country, the French presidency has said.
Dalai Lama admitted to Delhi hospital for check-up
Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was admitted to a private hospital in New Delhi on Tuesday for an examination, an official said.
Algeria lawmakers elect first new president in 20 years
Lawmakers named the speaker of the upper house as Algeria's first new president in two decades Tuesday, after the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika following mass protests. The election of Abdelkader Bensalah as interim president follows constitutional rules but goes against the demands of demonstrators, who have pushed for him and other top politicians to stand down. "I want to work towards fulfilling the interests of the people," Bensalah told parliament on taking up the 90-day interim presidency. "It's a great responsibility that the constitution demands of me," the 77-year-old added. Opposition parties refused to back Bensalah's election and boycotted the session, as hundreds of students protested against him in Algiers. "Resign Bensalah!" they chanted outside the main post office, which has become the focal point of weeks of mass protests in the capital. Ahead of the parliamentary session, an editorial in pro-government daily El Moudjahid on Tuesday suggested Bensalah should ...
I favour having Ram temple at same spot in Ayodhya: Virbhadra Singh
In what may embarrass the Congress party, its veteran leader and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh Tuesday said he favours the construction of a Ram temple at the same spot where the Babri mosque stood in Ayodhya. Talking to PTI at his residence Holly Lodge here, the veteran Congress leader also said, "Islam came to India later. The mosque was built after demolishing the temple in Ayodhya." "Ayodhya was the capital of Bhagwan Ram. When you have taken this step (of demolishing the Babri Masjid), build the temple. (Agar ye kadam uthaya to phir mandir bana do)," he added. The former Himachal chief minister also accused the BJP of lacking the courage to build the temple. "If they had the courage, they would have built the temple. The way should be paved for constructing the Ram Mandir there," he said. Sitting by his side, the Congress Legislative Party leader, Mukesh Agnihotri said, "The BJP lacks the willpower for building the temple." Singh, however, made it clear ..
Rahul didn't contest from Karnataka fearing "revenge" from
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday said Congress president Rahul Gandhi did not contest Lok Sabha polls from Karnataka fearing revenge by coalition partner JDS' supremo H D Deve Gowda for being 'backstabbed' by Sonia Gandhi when he was removed as prime minister. Addressing a rally here, he said the only vision and agenda of the Congress was "Modi Hatao" (remove Modi), which was also shared by the partners of "Mahamilavat", a derisive reference to the "grand alliance" of opposition parties. Modi said Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has become a "punching bag" for the Congress. He said though the Congress was sharing power with JDS in the state, Gandhi preferred Kerala for his second seat besides the traditional stronghold of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh rather than Karnataka. Modi claimed this was because the Congress feared that Gowda might take revenge over former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi "backstabbing" him when he was removed as prime minister heading the United Front ..
Mahabubnagar set for three-cornered fight among TRS, Cong & BJP
A former Congress citadel, wrested by TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao a decade ago, the Mahabubnagar Lok Sabha seat is set for a tripartite contest with the BJP emerging as a strong contender after managing to engineer key defections. Named after the sixth Nizam, Mahabubnagar has a voter base of over 15.87 lakh. In 2014, A P Jithender Reddy of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) defeated former Union minister and Congress leader S Jaipal Reddy with a slender margin of 2,590 votes. Jithender Reddy, however, switched over to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after he was denied a ticket by the TRS. Notably, the incumbent MP, who was a floor leader of the TRS in the Lok Sabha, had won the Mahabubnagar seat on a BJP ticket in 1999. The BJP has already fielded D K Aruna, former Congress minister and a key political figure who embraced the saffron party only last month. Aruna hails from one of the strong political families of Mahabubnagar district. With the two leaders on board, the BJP
'Chowkidar' a coward who runs away from debate: Rahul
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "thief and a coward" who runs away from a direct debate with the leader of the main opposition party. Launching a tirade against Modi, the Congress leader alleged that the prime minister's schemes had benefited only rich businessmen like Anil Ambani, Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi. "The chowkidar (watchman) is not only chor (thief) but also a coward. As he talks about corruption, I told the chowkidar to debate with me. He does not have the guts and fled away. "He fled away because then Rafale...Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani will also be discussed. I had asked him why an aircraft worth Rs 526 crore was bought for Rs 1,600 crore... and he ran away," he told a public rally here. Reaching the venue almost two hours late by road instead of a helicopter from Silchar airport as planned due to heavy rain, Gandhi cited media reports to claim that the Modi government gave money only to rich people like ...
BJD to back government that supports Odisha's rights
Keeping its options open, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday said in its manifesto that it would back a Central government that "supports the legitimate rights of Odisha".
Saudi 'welcomes' US blacklisting of Iran's Guards
Saudi Arabia welcomed on Tuesday the US decision to blacklist the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "terrorist group", state media reported.
E-greeting cards with appeal to vote for BJP seized in Mumbai
City police Tuesday seized a huge cache of electronic greeting cards containing a recorded audio message to vote for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections beginning April 11, an official said. The Congress said printing and distribution of such cards with the "Army theme" and with an appeal to vote for the ruling party is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The raid was conducted at Madhu Park in suburban Khar on the basis of a specific information in the presence of the flying squad of the Election Commission and local Congress leaders. During the search, police found thousands of electronic greeting cards, the police official said, adding that each card contains an audio message in the voice purportedly of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The surgical strike is also mentioned in these e-cards, he said. The e-cards didn't bear names of publishers, the official said, adding that their exact quantity is being estimated. Further action will be taken with the permission of
Badal regime left Punjab devastated: Amarinder
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Tuesday accused Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal of plunging the state into "utter ruin and devastation" during the 10 years of "misrule" of the previous SAD-BJP regime. Amarinder Singh hit out at the former deputy chief minister over his "baseless" allegation that the incumbent Congress government was being indifferent to the problems of the people of the state. In a statement here, Amarinder Singh derided the SAD chief for having the "gall" to accuse him of being indifferent to the problems of the people after plunging the state into "utter ruin and devastation during the 10 years of misrule" of the SAD-BJP alliance. Notably, Sukhbir Badal in his election rallies, has been calling Amarinder Singh the "worst" chief minister, charging him with stalling all development projects. "The only thing I am indifferent to is the opinion of Sukhbir, who is just a publicity-seeking politician looking for photo-ops to remain in the public eye," Amarinder ..
BJP seeks action against Karna CM for claims on IT raids
A BJP delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar Tuesday submitted a memorandum to Governor Vajubhai Vala seeking action against Chief Minister H DKumaraswamy for claiming to have prior information about I-T raids and 'military operations.' Kumaraswamy stoked a controversy recently, claiming a retired military officer had told him in 2017 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would create a 'story of a conflict between India and Pakistan' and 'mislead' the people to seek votes. Coming down heavily on Kumaraswamy's remarks, BJP spokesperson Go Madhusudan had said the chief minister has committed 'treason' by not disclosing the Pulwama ploy despite having knowledge beforehand. Chandrasekhar, BJP's Karnataka election management co-convenor, said either Kumaraswamy or the military officer should clarify on the prior information about 'surgical strikes' before Lok Sabha elections. Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister should have reported it to President Pranab Mukherjee, ...
Campaigning ends for phase 1 of Lok Sabha polls
The hustle and bustle of campaigning came to an end on Tuesday in 91 Lok Sabha constituencies spread over 20 states and Union Territories which will go to the polls on Thursday marking the start of the mega seven-phase electoral exercise.
Omar met BJP leaders after 2014 J-K polls, claims Lone
People's Conference chairman Sajad Lone Tuesday claimed that National Conference leader Omar Abdullah had met BJP president Amit Shah after the 2014 assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir with an aim to form government in the state. "Omar Abdullah met BJP president and he was accompanied by two other persons. They were with him (Shah) for two-and-a-half hours. He asked for support for government formation saying I will be chief minister for three years and for three years, there will be a BJP chief minister," Lone, who himself has been an ally of the BJP, claimed while addressing an election rally at his hometown Handwara in north Kashmir Kupwara district. There were murmurs about such a meeting in 2014 but all the speculation were put to rest by BJP general secretary Ram Madhav then who had tweeted on December 24, 2014 that no such meeting had taken place. "News about BJP leaders meeting NC leadership in Delhi baseless," Madhav had tweeted in 2014. The separatist-turned-mainstream ..
Vote for BJP is vote for me, says Modi in Karnataka
Sounding the poll bugle in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, here on Tuesday, said every vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) lotus would be a vote for him to serve the people again over the next five years.
Shah slams Congress over Balakot air strike, "Hindu terror"
BJP president Amit Shah Tuesday targeted the Congress, saying when the whole country was rejoicing over the air strike on a terror camp in Balakot, there was mourning only in Pakistan and the Rahul Gandhi-led party. He took a jibe at Congress president Rahul Gandhi's public rallies in Wayanad, the second Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, after Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, from where he is contesting. Shah said Gandhi's rallies in Wayanad appeared as they were being organised in Pakistan. Addressing a poll rally here, Shah said the Modi government's biggest success was that it had made India secure which was not the case when the Congress-led UPA was in power. "During the UPA rule, there would be no response to terror attacks. After the Pulwama terror attack, there was anger and despondency all over. "But, the present government is not that of 'mauni baba' (silent PM) Manmohan Singh. On the 13th day of the Pulwama attack, the IAF (Indian Air Force) went deep inside Pakistan and ...
BJP formed govt with separatists: NCP on PM's J-K swipe at
The NCP Tuesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he targeted its chief Sharad Pawar for "standing with" the National Conference which recently advocated a separate 'Wazir-e-Azam' (Prime Minister) for Jammu and Kashmir. NCP national spokesperson Nawab Malik said National Conference has never talked about contesting polls with separatists and has fought elections as per the Constitution. On the other hand, Malik claimed, it was the BJP that had formed a government with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) "which supported separatists". National Conference leader Omar Abdullah had last week said his party will strive hard for restoring the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir and that could include having a 'Sadar-e- Riyasat' (President) and 'Wazir-e-Azam' (Prime Minister) for the northern state. "Modi ji accused Pawar saheb of standing with separatists. There is no separatist party in the UPA. The National Conference never talks about contesting polls with ...
Rajnath rejects charge of political vendetta in I-T, ED raids
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday rejected allegations of political vendetta behind recent Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate raids on opposition leaders and said that the agencies which are autonomous, were acting on their own inputs.In a wide-ranging interview to ANI, he scoffed at Congress President Rahul Gandhi for calling the BJP's manifesto the 'voice of an isolated man' and claimed that India in its history had never seen such a participation in framing of a poll document.With days to go for the start of the Lok Sabha polls, the home minister took questions on a range of issues including politics, Jammu and Kashmir and Balakot air strikes.Asked about I-T and ED raids, Singh said, "The agencies which are conducting raids, are autonomous bodies. The Model Code of Conduct does not apply to them. They are acting on their inputs. How can we stop them? It is unfair to hold the government responsible for the raids. This is an ongoing process. Agencies act on their .