Page 997 - Politics
Cong demands ban on two TV channels for promoting BJP schemes
The Congress Monday approached the Election Commission demanding a ban on two private television channels for allegedly violating the model code of conduct by airing content that praises Central government schemes and ruling party leaders. The Maharashtra Congress said the EC should file cases against the makers and actors of the two serials as well as the BJP. Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant, who led a party delegation to the EC, said it was "shocking" that television serials were being used to "promote" schemes and leaders of the ruling party. "We approached the Election Commission seeking ban on the two channels for airing content that exalts the schemes and ruling party leaders. It violates the model code of conduct and betrays viewers," Sawant said in a statement. "Case should be filed against makers and actors of the two serials and the BJP for violating the code of conduct," he added. Sawant said the Congress has submitted video clips from ...
UPA govt will probe demonetisation: Gehlot
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday said the United Progressive Alliance government at Centre, if voted to power, will launch a probe into the Narendra Modi government's demonetisation in 2016. "The UPA government at the Centre will get demonetisation probed when it will be in power. The secret will be out about the profit and loss to the country due to demonetisation. Corruption will also be exposed," Gehlot told reporters here. The Rajasthan chief minister said Narendra Modi became prime minister of the country by talking about Gujarat's development model, but today the entire country was against him. "These people do not lack resources. They are misusing social media by forming teams. Now, they have learnt marketing strategies very well," he said. Modi had said the back of terrorism would be broken and Naxalism wold be eliminated but no work was done in this direction, Gehlot claimed. Be it developing smart cities, model villages or terrorism-free India, the Modi ...
Abe scores booster win in local polls
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has scored a major win in local polls, largely considered a barometer of electoral popularity ahead of the July election for Parliaments upper house, the media reported on Monday.
BJP promises Rs 25 lakh cr investment in rural areas
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said here on Monday Rs 25 lakh crore would be invested to improve productivity in the farm sector and rural areas, if it re-voted to power.
Mirwaiz finally before NIA, but 'not cooperating' (2nd Lead)
Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq on Monday appeared before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) here in connection with its probe into the terror funding case but is not cooperating with the investigators, official sources said.
Chamling urges people to repose faith in him to usher in
Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) president and chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling Monday urged the electorate to repose their faith in him to usher in development in the state. Chamling, who is seeking a sixth consecutive term as chief minister, said if his party is elected to power, he will empower the urban local bodies to serve the people in better way. "The urban local bodies will be given more power to administer the people in a smooth and transparent manner with human touch," he said while campaigning for SDF candidates in the state capital and adjoining areas. Chamling also pledged his commitment to fulfil the demand for income tax exemption demand for the old settlers of Sikkim and also spoke on the various new schemes like free medical and free education to the kin of the business community in the state. The Chief Minister said that Sikkim was a truly secular state in which people of all communities live in peace and harmony. "It has been my government's ...
We shot down F-16 jet of Pak during Feb 27 aerial combat: IAF asserts
The Indian Air Force on Monday reiterated that it shot down an F-16 jet of Pakistan Air Force during the February 27 aerial combat and showed radar images of the engagement to assert that it has "irrefutable evidence" of downing the enemy jet. The IAF held a media briefing at the Defence Ministry where several slides of graphic captures from airborne warning and control system (AWACS) were shown to the media. "The IAF has irrefutable evidence of not only the fact that F-16 was used by Pakistan Air Force on February 27, but also that an IAF Mig 21 Bison shot down a Pakistan Air Force F-16," Air Vice Marshal R G Kapoor said in a statement. He, however, did not take any question on the issue. On Friday, the IAF had asserted that it shot down an F-16 fighter jet of Pakistan during the dogfight, following a report in a leading US news magazine which contradicted India's contention. "There is no doubt that two aircraft went down in the aerial engagement on February 27, one of which was a ...
New Palestinian government to be formed in days: officials
Palestinian prime minister-designate Mohammad Shtayyeh will announce the make-up of his new government in the coming days, Palestinian officials said Monday. Shtayyeh has until April 14 to form a new government which is expected to exclude all supporters of Hamas, longtime rival to the Fatah movement of both Shtayyeh and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. Analysts say real decision-making power remains with 84-year-old Abbas, in power since 2005. Abbas on March 10 charged Shtayyeh with forming the new government, replacing Rami Hamdallah's technocratic administration which had the nominal backing of Hamas. The Islamist movement controls the Gaza Strip, while the Palestinian Authority Abbas heads is based in the West Bank, where Israel also maintains a military occupation. Five smaller factions will also join Fatah in the new government, officials said. Others, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, refused to take part. Deputy president Mahmoud Aloul told AFP a .
BJP ropes in magicians to woo voters in Gujarat
The BJP in Gujarat aims to cast a "magic spell" on voters as it mounts a mega campaign to repeat its 2014 performance of winning all the 26 Lok Sabha seats in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The ruling party has roped in 52 magicians to woo voters as part of its campaign for the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat, which will vote in a single phase on April 23. They will be part of the BJP's campaign team in the state. As many as 52 LED vans carrying the party's slogan, 'Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar' (Modi government once again),' will also go around Gujarat with video clips showcasing the achievements of the BJP-led ruling coalition at the Centre. Magicians from Gujarat and neighbouring states have been asked to perform tricks to regale voters, especially in rural areas, and also canvass for party candidates, state BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said. These illusionists will tour rural areas across all the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies and enchant voters with tricks
Raj's 4 Lok Sabha seats defy state's poll trend of favouring BJP and Cong alternatively
Rajasthan may have a general trend of favouring the BJP and the Congress alternatively in various elections, but the state's four Lok Sabha seats have defied it, letting the 'lotus' bloom unhindered there for the last 15 years. The four parliamentary seats of Bikaner, Churu, Jhalwar and Jalore have been returning BJP candidates without a break since 2004 general elections. Bikaner parliamentary constituency has remained a BJP stronghold since 2004 when veteran Bollywood actor Dharmendra won it. And subsequently in 2009 and 2014, it was bagged by senior BJP leader Arjun Ram Meghwal. Union minister Meghwal has been renominated by the party from Bikaner this time too. Pitted against his cousin and former IPS officer Madan Gopal Meghwal, fighting from Bikaner on a Congress ticket, the two time BJP MP is seeking a poll hat-trick from there. Dominated by Jat community, Churu parliamentary seat too has turned into a BJP citadel with Kaswan family bagging it successively since the 2004 ...
BJP to play Babul's song till EC's clarification
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukul Roy on Monday said that the party will play the song composed by Babul Supriyo till it gets a clarification from the Election Commission (EC) on removal of words like "pishi" (aunt) and "didi" (sister).
RSP writes to Yechury to come clean on masala bond
Former Left ally Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) in Kerala on Monday wrote to CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury pointing out the present controversy on the listing of the masala bond in the London Stock Exchange (LSE) as a stark diversion from the Communist ideology.
BJP election manifesto 'Jhansa Patra', 'bubble of lies': Congress
The Congress on Monday dubbed the BJP's election manifesto a "Jhansa Patra" (deception document) and a "bubble of lies" and said it would have been better had they issued a "maafinama" instead. Highlighting the Congress's thrust on promising justice to people if voted to power, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said the BJP document was "lies versus justice". The Congress also released a list of 125 questions of "broken promises" made by the BJP in its 2014 manifesto, including key issues of jobs, 50 per cent rise in farmers' income, checking price rise and corruption and bringing back black money. Patel said the Congress's manifesto had a picture of people, but the BJP document had only Prime Minister Narendra Modi on it's cover. "On one hand is the public on the cover of Congress manifesto, while the BJP document has only Modi's picture depicting 'me and only me'. I feel this BJP manifesto is 'lies versus justice'. I feel it is lies and only lies. It would have been better, if they
Plea in Delhi HC to ban Farooq, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba in LS polls for 'seditious' statements
A plea was filed in the Delhi High Court on Monday seeking a direction to the Election Commission (EC) to ban Jammu and Kashmir politicians Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti from participating in the upcoming Lok Sabha election as their statements were allegedly "seditious". 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. The plea is yet to come up for hearing. All the three leaders are former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir. The petition has arrayed the EC, the Union of India, the Delhi Police, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti as parties to the petition. The plea moved by advocate Sanjjiiv Kkumaar has also sought a direction to book them under various charges, including ...
Right-wing party workers in Nepal demand govt to declare country Hindu state, clash with police
Activists of a Right-wing party in Nepal clashed with police on Monday when they were holding a protest rally here, demanding that the country be declared a Hindu state. Nepal police fired tear gas shells and baton charged Rastriya Prajatantra Party leaders and activists near Singhdurbar, the government administrative complex, injuring more than a dozen of them. The rally started from Ratnapark and converged into a corner meeting near Singhdurbar. The clash between the RPP cadres and the police occurred as soon as the party's leaders starting addressing the corner meeting. The RRP has been campaigning for reinstatement of Nepal as a Hindu State after the country was converted into a secular nation through a parliament declaration in 2008, when monarchy was abolished with the success of the multi-party People's Movement. Party president Kamal Thapa has vowed to convert Nepal into a Hindu state through launching a struggle. Nepal Police Spokesperson, Senior Superintendent (SSP) Uttam ..
BJP Dhule MLA quits, to challenge Bhamre
In a pre-poll shock, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Dhule Anil Anna Gote quit the party and as MLA here on Monday.
May to meet Merkel, Macron ahead of crucial Brexit summit
British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet with German and French leaders Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron as she scrambles to find a Brexit breakthrough ahead of Wednesday's crucial EU summit. May will meet the two leaders on Tuesday, their offices announced on Monday, the day before the summit where she is expected to ask the bloc for another delay to Brexit. Britain will fall out of the European Union without a deal on Friday if no delay agreement is reached. "The chancellor and the British prime minister will have an exchange of views on Britain's exit from the EU as well as on Wednesday's special summit of the European Council," said Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert. May was on Monday to press ahead with her bid to find a "compromise" with the opposition Labour Party despite a backlash from her own Conservatives. "Our intention is to engage further with the opposition today ... and we hope that will lead to formal face-to-face discussions" later Monday, a Downing Street ...
BJP wants to hoodwink voters over Article 370: Tarigami, Cong says special status to J-K 'permanent'
CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami Monday said BJP's inclusion of abrogating Articles 370 and 35A in its manifesto was another exercise by the saffron party to hoodwink the voters ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress also hit out at the BJP over the issue, saying the special status granted to the state under the Constitution was "permanent and irrevocable" and cannot be diluted. Tarigami said an examination of the BJP's 2014 manifesto reveals that all the promises, including providing two crore jobs per year, doubling the income of farmers and other promises, have proved a "hoax". "The promise of abrogation of Article 370 and annulling Article 35A in its election manifesto is another exercise by the BJP to hoodwink the voters ahead of the general election," Tarigami said while reacting to the release of the BJP manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls in which the party reiterated its commitment to scrap Article 370, which grants special status to .
French PM calls for quick tax cuts to appease protesters
France's prime minister has called for quick tax cuts to respond to the anger expressed through the yellow vests protests across the country. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Monday unveiled the results of a three-month "grand debate" launched by President Emmanuel Macron in response to the protests so ordinary people could express their views on France's economy and democracy. Philippe says "the debate clearly indicates the direction: we must cut taxes and cut them more quickly." At the same time, however, he said the government must cut public spending. Macron is expected to unveil a series of economic measures next week. The yellow vest movement, prompted by a fuel tax hike in November, has expanded into a broader revolt against Macron's policies, which protesters see as favouring the rich and big businesses.
RLSP MP floats own faction, claims Kushwaha sold tickets
The Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, a constituent of opposition "Mahagathbandhan" in Bihar, suffered yet another setback Monday with its sitting MP Ram Kumar Sharma floating his own faction and lambasting the party's founder Upendra Kushwaha for allegedly ignoring committed workers while distributing tickets. The Sitamarhi MP, who has been the party's "chief whip" in the Lok Sabha and the chairman of the parliamentary board, made the announcement at a news conference here, saying, "I am going to write to the Election Commission to recognize RLSP (Ram Kumar Sharma) as a separate group". "Like a feudal oligarch, Kushwaha decided on the candidates for all five seats he was allotted in Mahagathbandhan, without consulting me. Jittery over his prospects in his sitting seat of Karakat, he is contesting from Ujiyarpur as well," Sharma alleged. The disgruntled leader, the only sitting MP in the RLSP other than Kushwaha, also said that the party's founder had falsely accused Chief ...