Politics

Arun Jaitley: The first satyagrahi against Emergency

NEW DELHI : ON JUNE 26, 1975, the morning after the Emergency was proclaimed, Arun Jaitley gathered a group of people and burnt an effigy of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, making him, in his own words, the ‘first satyagrahi’ against the Emergency. He was later arrested under preventive detention and was in custody for a period of 19 months from 1975 to 1977. “When the Emergency was proclaimed at midnight on 25 June 1975, they came to arrest me. I managed to escape ..

Govt ready to release Omar, Mehbooba on ‘certain conditions’

By Zaffar Iqbal SRINAGAR : THE Government has opened up channels of communication with former Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, who were arrested ahead of the scrapping of Article 370 earlier this month. Highly placed official sources said a team comprising members of different Central agencies met with two leaders in Srinagar to allow their release on ‘certain conditions’. The Government wants to release the mainstream ..

How is Kashmir internal issue?-Cong shocker

NEW DELHI: CONGRESS leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday stoked a controversy as he sought to know from the Government whether Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter or a bilateral issue, saying the United Nations was monitoring the situation there since 1948. Chowdhury’s remarks drew sharp reactions from the Treasury benches, with Home Minister Amit Shah asking whether this was the official stand of the Congress. “I have a doubt because you say it is ..

Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba, Cong react angrily to Govt’s decision on J&K

NEW DELHI: FORMER Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti on Monday reacted angrily to the Centre scrapping Article 370 of the Constitution providing special status to the State and bifurcating it, saying the “disastrous” move may lead to “catastrophic consequences”. Senior BJP leaders Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Ram Madhav and several other BJP leaders, however, welcomed the Union government’s decision calling it a “bold ..

Kamal Nath’s nephew Ratul received money from chopper scam, ED to court

NEW DELHI: RATUL Puri, nephew of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, received money generated from the VVIP chopper deal scam, the Enforcement Directorate told a Delhi court on Monday. ED made the allegations during the hearing of anticipatory bail application filed by Puri before special judge Arvind Kumar, who extended his interim protection from arrest by a day after the arguments on the application remained inconclusive. Puri, Chairman of Hindustan Power Projects Pvt Ltd, ..

‘No one can give stable govt in present circumstances’

BENGALURUKARNATAKA caretaker Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Thursday that no one can give a stable Government in the State in the present political scene after the fall of his Ministry two days ago. Kumaraswamy said the resignations by the rebel MLAs of the Congress-JD(S) coalition had pushed the State towards by-elections.“Whether you focus on the developmental activities or the by-elections at 20 to 25 places, an atmosphere created by theBJP? We cannot assume that the Government will ..

Ahead of Mah polls, Mumbai NCP chief Ahir joins Sena

MUMBAIIN A jolt to the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, its Mumbai unit chief Sachin Ahir joined the ruling Shiv Sena on Thursday. Elections are due in the State in September-October. Soon after joining the Sena, Ahir announced that he would contest the election from Byculla in South Mumbai. Sachin Ahir The NCP said that Ahir deserted the party because he was not confident of winning election on his own, and his exit will ..

Awaiting instructions from Centre for forming Govt, says Yeddyurappa

BENGALURU: KARNATAKA BJP President B S Yeddyurappa on Wednesday said that he was awaiting instructions from his party central leadership on staking claim to form an alternative Government in the State. The 14-month old Congress-JD(S) coalition Government headed by H D Kumaraswamy collapsed on Tuesday night after losing vote of confidence in the Assembly in a climax to three-week long intense power struggle. “I’m awaiting instructions from Delhi. I can call legislature ..

K’taka Assembly adjourned till today without voting on confidence motion

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy speaks during the Assembly session at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Monday. (PTI) BENGALURU: IN AN unending battle of nerves, the Karnataka Assembly was adjourned till Tuesday without voting on the confidence motion moved by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy even after three days of debate, amid ruckus by Congress and JD(S), which insisted voting can await the Supreme Court ruling. As the House debated the motion with frequent scenes of ..

Fate of Kumaraswamy Govt likely to be decided today

BENGALURU: THE fate of the fragile H D Kumaraswamy led Congress-JDS coalition Government in Karnataka is likely to be decided on the floor of the Assembly on Monday after it defied on July 19 the two deadlines set by Governor Vajubhai Vala to prove majority after the Ministry was wracked by a raft of resignations by rebel MLAs. Amid reports that the Government was still trying to prolong the discussion on the confidence motion moved by the Chief Minister on Thursday, hoping for some kind ..

Punjab CM accepts Sidhu’s resignation

CHANDIGARH: DAYS after Navjot Singh Sidhu resigned from the State Cabinet, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday accepted his ‘one-line’ resignation. Within hours of the resignation letter being forwarded to him by Amarinder Singh, Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore conveyed his acceptance of the same, an official spokesperson said. For the time being, the power portfolio will remain with the Chief Minister, the spokesperson said. Amarinder Singh was indisposed since ..

‘Efforts on to develop drought and flood tolerant seeds’

ENVIRONMENT Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday said in the Rajya Sabha that there is variable impact of climate change on crop production and efforts are being made to develop drought and flood tolerant seed varieties...

Farmers’ suicides have declined in last five years: Rajnath in LS

NEW DELHI: FARMERS’ suicides have declined in the last five years, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday, blaming successive Congress Governments for the present plight of farmers in the country. Singh said this in the Lok Sabha while responding to allegations of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who blamed the Centre for the “terrible plight” of farmers. “As far as farmers’ condition is concerned, it did not happen in only four-five years. People ..

Government will survive, ready to face no-confidence motion: K’taka Cabinet

BENGALURU: AS the Government in Karnataka faces an existential crisis with the resignation of 16 legislators of the ruling coalition, the State Cabinet that met on Thursday resolved to face the situation “bravely” and “withstand” it unitedly. Expressing confidence that the Government would survive, the Cabinet that met under the leadership of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said it was ready to face a no-confidence motion, if moved by the Opposition BJP. “..

U’khand BJP MLA dances with guns in hands, party issues show cause notice

DEHRADUN: SUSPENDED Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Uttarkhand Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion landed in trouble once again on Wednesday as a video showing him dancing with guns in his hands during a get-together went viral prompting an embarrassed party to issue a show cause notice to him. In the video, the Khanpur MLA is purportedly seen dancing to a popular Bollywood number with two revolvers in his hands and a carbine hanging from his shoulder. He is seen sipping his drink ..

WB Cong chief resigns; takes responsibility for Lok Sabha poll debacle

KOLKATA: WEST Bengal Congress President Somen Mitra submitted a letter of resignation from the post taking responsibility for the party’s poor show in the Lok Sabha election, according to a press statement released on Tuesday. However, Gaurav Gogoi, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of party affairs in the State, refused to accept Mitra’s resignation and requested him to continue in the post, party sources said. The Congress won two of the 42 Lok Sabha seats ..

‘Gen Next Cong chief’ demand grows

By Asim Kamal: NEW DELHI Rajasthan Deputy CM Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia could be front-runners for the top job in Cong THE view that a young leader should succeed Rahul Gandhi as Congress President is fast gaining traction with the party’s youth cadre batting for a Gen Next chief over the old guard. The young brigade’s preference for youth over experience got a boost when Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday asserted that a young person ..

Senior Congress leader, several party activists join BJP in J&K

JAMMU: SENIOR Congress leader Mohammad Iqbal Malik, along with a dozen of party activists, joined the BJP on Monday, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ has infused a sense of security among the minorities. Malik, hailing from Darhal constituency in Rajouri, resigned from the basic membership of the Congress on Saturday after remaining affiliated with the party for over a decade. He unsuccessfully contested State elections twice ..

BJP’s Jaishankar, Jugal Thakor win RS polls

Alpesh Thakor and Dhavalsinh Zala of Congress cast their votes to BJP candidates instead of Congress nominees and resigned as MLAs immediately after casting their ballots GANDHINAGAREXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and another BJP candidate, Jugal Thakor, were elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat on Friday in by-elections, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani declared here. (L-R) Rajya Sabha candidate Jugalji Thakor, State BJP President Jitu Vaghani and Union Foreign Minister S Jaishankar ..

Mayawati appoints brother, nephew to key party posts

(left) Anand Kumar (right) Akash Anand LUCKNOW: BAHUJAN Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday appointed her brother Anand Kumar as the party’s national Vice President and her nephew Akash Anand as its national coordinator, a senior leader said. She also appointed BSP leader Ramji Gautam as the party’s national coordinator. The decision was taken at a meeting here which was attended by top functionaries of the party. Amroha MP Danish Ali has been made the leader ..

Over 56K people get Rs 553 crore medical help from Mah CM fund

MUMBAI; THE Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund has disbursed Rs 553.92 crore to 56,318 needy people for medical requirements since 2014, when the Devendra Fadnavis Government took over. The figure for the last 10 months alone is Rs 106 crore disbursed to 10,582 people, a senior official said. In a statement issued on Saturday, Fadnavis said, “The State Government offers financial help to patients through Ayushman Bharat and Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana. But ..

Kerala CPI(M) leader’s son booked in rape case

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: IN AN embarrassment to the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, the Mumbai police has registered a case of rape and cheating against the son of the party’s State Secretary, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. The case was filed on the basis of a complaint from a 33-year-old woman from Bihar who has alleged that Binoy Vinodini Balakrishnan sexually assaulted her and that she has an eight-year-old son from him. Admitting that he knew the woman, Binoy, however, said the allegation ..

Mah Govt presents Rs 20,292 cr revenue deficit Budget

MUMBAI:“ Budget proposes Rs 12,000 crore for irrigation sector, Rs 350 crore for micro-irrigation, Rs 1,000 cr for development of Dhangar community, Rs 200 cr for OBC Corporations, Rs 600 crore for research by four agricultural universities and Rs 100 crore for construction of houses for Divyang ” MAHARASHTRA Government on Tuesday presented an additional Budget for 2019-20 with a revenue deficit of Rs 20,292.94 crore, higher than last year’s deficit of ..

Oppn slams Mah Govt for Budget ‘leak’ on Mungantiwar’s Twitter handle

MUMBAI: OPPOSITION on Tuesday staged walk- out in both Houses of Maharashtra legislature, alleging that the State’s Budget for 2019-20 was “leaked” on the Twitter handle of Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar before he presented it in the Assembly. This was an “insult” of legislators, the Opposition members said and demanded an apology from Mungantiwar and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over it. “We were in power for 15 years, but the Budget never got ..

Birla is NDA’s nominee for LS Speaker’s post

NEW DELHI TWO-TIME BJP MP Om Birla was named NDA’s nominee for Lok Sabha Speaker’s post on Tuesday. Once nominated, Birla, who won from Kota-Bundi Parliamentary seat in Rajasthan, will easily become the Speaker as the National Democratic Alliance has a clear majority in the lower house. A notice has been given to the Lok Sabha Secretariat by the BJP proposing Birla for the post and bringing a motion for his election. The motion has been backed by all NDA allies, including ..

TMC MLA Singh, 12 councillors join BJP

NEW DELHI: TRINAMOOL Congress MLA Sunil Singh along with 12 TMC councillors on Monday joined BJP in presence of The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya and Mukul Roy here. “TMC party members are joining BJP in large numbers. Mamata Banerjee has ruined West Bengal’s peaceful ambience by propagating violence...That’s why her party members are now leaving her side and joining our party,” Vijayvargiya said. West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh ..

Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka visit

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi thanked Raebareli voters for re-electing her in the recently held Lok Sabha elections on her one-day visit to the constituency on Wednesday. Her daughter and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accompanied her, holding discussions with party workers. After the meeting, Congress leader Sanjay Sinh said the workers were of the view that there should be no alliance for the upcoming Assembly by-elections in Uttar Pradesh. The mother-daughter ..

Farooq Abdullah wins Srinagar seat for 4th time

SRINAGAR: FORMER Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday won the election to the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency by trouncing his nearest rival by over 70,000 votes, entering the lower house of Parliament for the fourth time. Abdullah polled 1,06,750 votes, while his nearest rival PDP candidate Aga Syed Mohsin polled 36,700 votes, an election official said. He said that the NC leader secured a total of 57.14 per cent of the total ..

41,000 paramilitary personnel to be deployed in WB for LS polls

NEW DELHI: A MASSIVE contingent of 41,000 paramilitary personnel will be deployed in politically crucial West Bengal during the remaining six phases of Lok Sabha polls in the State which has often seen violence during elections, officials said. This is the maximum number of central security forces ever deployed in the State for the general elections, they said. Officials in the central security establishment said a “massive mobilisation” of the Central Armed Police ..

SP-BSP-RLD alliance afraid of good work done by PM Modi: Hema Malini

MATHURA (Uttar Pradesh): ACTOR-POLITICIAN and sitting BJP MP from Mathura, Hema Malini on Thursday said SP, BSP, and RLD allied because they are afraid of the good work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking to ANI at a polling booth here, Malini said, “Despite being enemies, SP, BSP and RLD stitched an alliance because they are afraid of good work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” “SP-BSP are only engaged in fighting with each other. There is a huge ..

Modi covers 22,000 km during Navratri fasts for campaigning

NEW DELHI: WITH temperature soaring- both literally and figuratively with the daily war of words between politicians, leaders had a difficult time to maintain the usual schedule during Navratri fasts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a non-stop schedule at all times, even as he crisscrossed the country, holding Lok Sabha election rallies during the nine-day festival. The Prime Minister, while fasting, travelled 22,000 kilometers across 13 States, holding 23 rallies during ..

Congress trying to fulfill Pakistan’s demands: PM

SONGADH/ JUNAGADH (Gujarat): PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday slammed the Congress over its manifesto promise to repeal sedition law and reduce forces from Kashmir. The Opposition party is trying to fulfill 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 ..

Cong smeared Hindu community for political benefits: Jaitley

NEW DELHITHE Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday cited the Samjhauta train blast case judgment to assert that the probe focussed on establishing the Congress’s “political theory of Hindu terror”, as it accused the Opposition party of “smearing” Hindus on the basis of “forged” evidence for political benefits. Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Arun Jaitley also took a swipe Congress leaders, including its President Rahul Gandhi and General ..

Smriti to take on Rahul from Amethi again

NEW DELHI, (PTI), SEVERAL parliamentary constituencies are set to witness high-profile contest this election with the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) announcing its first list of candidates and fielding Union Minister Smriti Irani aga..

Will not seek Cong leaders’ support for son’s candidature: K’taka CM

BENGALURU, (PTI), KARNATAKA Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Thursday he will not plead for support with those Congress leaders who are against his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s candidature as coalition candidate from Mandya in the Lo..

Amit Shah replaces BJP patriarch LKAdvani as candidate in Gandhinagar

AHMEDABAD, (PTI) FOR Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) patriarch LKAdvani, it appears to be the end of road in electoral politics as his name did not figure in the first list of party candidates for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP chose to fiel..

Cong, NCP to announce Mah seat-sharing today

MUMBAI, (PTI), THE Congress and the NCP will announce their seat-sharing pact and alliances with smaller like-minded parties for the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra on Saturday. An office-bearer of the Congress on Friday said,..

We want Modi as next PM: Uddhav Thackeray

MUMBAI (Mah), QUESTIONING the grand alliance for not declaring their prime ministerial candidate, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said that his party wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be reinstated as the PM. Speaking at a public rally, he said: “We want Modi as PM again. Why this ‘mahagathbandhan’ has not yet disclosed their PM candidate? Is Rahul Gandhi their PM candidate?” Launching a scathing attack on Pakistan, he ..

Parrikar - BJP’s crisis resolving man in Goa

PANAJI, MANOHAR Parrikar, who rose from a Pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to become the country’s Defence Minister and also Chief Minister of Goa, enjoyed a man-next-door image in the politically-volatile coastal State. Parrikar, 63, served the State four times as Chief Minister and had a three-year-long stint as Defence Minister in the Narendra Modi-led Cabinet. He was a leader who enjoyed acceptance from all sections of the BJP and ..

Modi launches BJP’s LS poll campaign ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ on Twitter

NEW DELHI, PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the BJP’s ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ poll campaign. Kick-starting the campaign, Prime Minister Modi tweeted a video showing how all Indians are chowkidars. “Your Chowkidar is standing firm & serving the nation. But, I am not alone. Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar. Today, every Indian ..

Bhim Army chief to fight against Modi in Varanasi

NEW DELHI, (PTI), BHIM Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Friday addressed a rally with BSP founder Kanshi Ram’s sister and announced that he will contest the Lok Sabha elections against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Varanasi ..

AAP workers protest outside EC over ‘illegal raids’

NEW DELHI, (PTI), AAM Aadmi Party (AAP) workers led by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, sat on a protest outside the Election Commission on Friday, alleging “politically motivated and illegal” raids were being conducte..

Nikhil to contest LS polls from Mandya: Deve Gowda

BENGALURU, (PTI), FORMER Prime Minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda on Thursday announced the candidature of Nikhil, son of Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, from the party bastion of Mandya Lok Sabha constituency. ..

Ex-BJD MLA Damodar Rout joins BJP

NEW DELHI, (PTI) DAMODAR Rout, an MLA in the Odisha Assembly and former Minister in the BJD Government, on Thursday joined the BJP in presence of senior party leaders. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had recently removed him from his Cab..

SC to hear plea of 21 Oppn parties on EVMs today

NEW DELHI, Opposition parties seek audit of at least 50 per cent of EVMs with corresponding Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) before the Lok Sabha results are declared THE Supreme Court will on Friday will hear the plea of 21 Opposition parties seeking audit of at least 50 per cent of EVMs with corresponding Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) before the Lok Sabha results are declared. The application has been filed by Andhra ..

Land purchased by Rahul funded by arms dealer Bhandari: BJP

NEW DELHI, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also involved in the land scam being investigated by probe agencies in Haryana and Rajasthan, alleges Smriti TJE Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday linked Congress President Rahul Gandhi with arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and accused him of working in the interest of his own family. Addressing media, Union Minister Smriti Irani also alleged that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also involved in the ..

BJP takes early lead over rivals in battle of alliances

By Kumar Rakesh,NEW DELHI, While the BJP had uneasy relations at times with some of its allies, the party President Amit Shah walked an extra mile to ensure that they remain in NDA by offering a generous seat-sharing deal HAVING firmed up alliances in several key States for the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has taken an early lead over its rivals, including the Congress, for an election where every single percentage point of votes brought in by small partners can ..