Page 3 - National Politics

Why PM Narendra Modi should loosen purse strings for his new allies

However deferential Modi's newly vital allies might appear, the fact is that they have plans, projects and constituencies of their own to cultivate

Political controversy: CISF questioning of DMK MP MM Abdulla sparks debate

CISF asks DMK MP to 'explain his purpose of visit' inside Parliament. MP writes to the Vice President. TMC Rajya Sabha MP questions if govt aims to obstruct INDIA MPs from carrying out their duties

Rahul in Raebareli, Priyanka in Wayanad: What it means for the Congress

On Monday, Rahul Gandhi announced that he would represent the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat in Parliament, vacating the Wayanad seat in Kerala, where Priyanka Gandhi would now fight the bye-election

After Maha CM meets Dy CMs, BJP leaders leave for review meet in Delhi

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde held a late night meeting with Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar after which some state BJP leaders left for Delhi for a review meet, sources said on Tuesday. Details of the meeting were not available. It was convened in the backdrop of the ruling Mahayuti's below par performance in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections. "CM Shinde held a meeting with Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar at his official residence 'Varsha'. After Pawar left, Shinde and Fadnavis continued the meeting for some time," a source in the BJP said on Tuesday. BJP's central leadership has called a review meeting with state leaders in connection with the party's performance in the Lok Sabha polls. "It is a routine exercise in the BJP to hold such review meetings with state leaders. (BJP leader) Fadnavis offered to resign some days back after the results were out. He had stated that he wished to work for the party full-time till the state assembly elections. This will

Cong demands abolition of Agnipath, seeks regular recruitment in army

The Congress on Monday demanded the abolition of the Agnipath scheme and urged the government to start permanent recruitment in the armed forces as before. Addressing a press conference here, party leader Deepender Hooda said for the past few days, there have been reports that a lot of flaws related to the Agnipath scheme are being mentioned in the Army's internal survey and various suggestions have come out. He said different newspapers have published how shortcomings can be rectified in the recruitment scheme. Some things that have come out include extending the duration of Agnipath by four years and instead of retaining 25 per cent in Agnipath, 60-70 per cent Agniveers should be retained besides increasing the training period of Agniveers, added Hooda. "We have always been saying that the Agnipath scheme is not in the interest of the youth as well as the country. Therefore, our demand is that this scheme should be abolished and permanent recruitment should be started in the army,

Akhilesh Yadav targets Modi govt over irregularities in competitive exams

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday lashed out at the Modi government over irregularities in competitive exams and said the ruling dispensation should at least keep matters of the youth free from its "all-round corruption". The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also termed the leaking of question papers of various examinations as a "mental tragedy". "Leaking of papers of various exams, rigging from exam centres to solvers, the work of the exam conducting agency coming under suspicion, manipulation of grace marks in results, getting desired centres, multiple candidates getting selected from the same centre and getting 100 per cent marks are not just problems of exam management. Above all, it is a mental tragedy that is affecting not only the youth appearing for the exam but also their parents," Yadav said in a post on 'X' in Hindi. "If other examinations like police recruitment, ARO, NEET, which have been rigged are cancelled and held again, then who will guarantee that

Categorically refused to be Minister of State again, says BJP MP Kulaste

MP Faggan Singh Kulaste, who did not find a place in Modi 3.0 council of ministers, has said that he had categorically refused to be a junior minister for the fourth time. I was a Minister of State (MoS) three times. It is not good to become MoS for the fourth time. So, I flatly refused. I said it would be fine if I became a cabinet minister. I have nothing to harbour, said the BJP tribal leader who has won from the Mandla Lok Sabha seat in Madhya Pradesh seven times. The 65-year-old MP was on Saturday replying to a query about his exclusion from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's council of ministers in the third term of the NDA government. He was at the Niwas area of Mandla where he had gone to thank voters. Kulaste was the MoS for Rural Development in the previous government. He was the MoS for Health and Family Welfare during the first of Modi as PM. Kulaste had served as MoS for Tribal and Parliamentary Affairs when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the PM between 1999 and 2004. He had ...

NC, PDP oppose prosecution sanction against Arundhati Roy under UAPA

The National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party have expressed their disapproval of the prosecution sanction against author Arundhati Roy and a former professor in Kashmir under the stringent UAPA for allegedly making provocative speeches at an event in Delhi in 2010. According to officials, the FIR against Roy and former Central University of Kashmir professor Sheikh Showkat Hussain was registered following the orders of the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate, New Delhi. Expressing disapproval of the move, the National Conference (NC) stressed the need to uphold the fundamental right of every citizen to free speech as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Constitution. "The NC expresses its strong disapproval of the prosecution of author Arundhati Roy and Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act). The use of anti-terror laws to suppress dissent and criminalize speech is deeply concerning," it said in a post on 'X'. "It is also imperative to note

Ajit Pawar-led NCP, BJP engage in verbal war over Organiser's article

The BJP and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP on Thursday indulged in a verbal duel over an article in Organiser, a weekly known to be close to the RSS. The article had criticised the BJP for forming an alliance with the NCP. Speaking to reporters, NCP leader and state minister Chhagan Bhujbal said, "To some extent, it (article) may be true. Some have also criticised the BJP for including leaders from the Congress, such as former chief minister Ashok Chavan. Even former Congress leader Milind Deora was inducted by CM Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and made an RS member." "But who will talk about the result in Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP's seats decreased? What about other states where they lost some seats?" he asked. Later, NCP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel said, "An article in a weekly does not reflect the BJP's stance. It should not be interpreted in that manner." However, NCP youth wing leader Sooraj Chavan lashed out saying the when the BJP performs well, credit is given to the hard

Modi 3.0: BJP likely to push for informal NDA coordination committee

Sources said the preferred format would be for the top BJP leadership in the government to reach out to the alliance leaders on a case-to-case basis

INDIA's joy may be short lived as 7 UP MPs risk losing parliamentary seats

Six elected MP's from the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh have serious criminal charges pending, which, if convicted, will result in their poll victories standing cancelled

Almost 99% of ministers in third Modi govt are crorepatis: Report

28 of the 71 ministers have criminal cases against them, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms

'Will haunt him forever': Sharad Pawar's dig at Modi's 'bhatakti atma' jibe

"By Modi's own words, 'atma' endures forever. So, this 'atma' will keep haunting him," Pawar remarked at a rally on Monday, celebrating the NCP's 25th Foundation Day in Ahmednagar

Govt's tax devolution to states for June 'third-rate PR', says Congress

The Congress slammed the Centre on Monday after it authorised the release of tax devolution to states for June and said this is "third-rate PR" trying to pass off what is legitimately due to states as some "prasad" being distributed. The Centre on Monday authorised the release of tax devolution of Rs 1,39,750 crore to states for June. It was decided that apart from the regular release of the devolution amount for the month of June 2024, one additional instalment will be released, the finance ministry said in a statement. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "The finance ministry has just announced what is being billed as a major tax devolution to states. Undoubtedly this has been done at the behest of the 'one-third' PM." "Tax devolutions to states are no special favours being done by men of non-biological origin. They are Constitutional entitlements determined by the finance commission," Ramesh said in a post on X. "This is third-rate PR trying to pass off what is ...

Tharoor responds to Chandrasekhar's post about ending his public life

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor faced a tough contest from BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar. However, Tharoor has responded to Chandrasekhar's announcement on Sunday about stepping down from public life after 18 years. Chandrasekhar, who was a Minister of State in the previous Narendra Modi-led government, had initially posted on X about ending his public life but later clarified that he meant his tenure as a Member of Parliament and Minister of State had concluded. He promptly deleted his initial post--"Today curtains down on my 18-year stint in public service, of which three years I had the privilege to serve with PM @narendramodi ji's TeamModi2.0. I certainly didn't intend to end my 18 years of public service as a candidate who lost an election, but that's how it's turned out." Shortly thereafter, Chandrasekhar deleted the post and issued a new one saying that the earlier one was by an intern and it "created some confusion among a section of people ab

Modi 3.0 signals political, economic stability amid uncertainty: USIBC

The swearing-in of Narendra Modi as the prime minister for a historic third consecutive term sends a strong message of political and economic stability amidst rising geostrategic uncertainty, USIBC President Atul Keshap has said. Modi was sworn in as prime minister on Sunday for a record-equalling third term, heading a 72-member Union Council of Ministers in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Prime Minister Modi's historic third term sends a strong message of political and economic stability and continuity by the voters of India amidst rising geostrategic uncertainty, US India Business Council President Keshap told PTI in an interview on Sunday. The Indian electorate endorsed the continuation of pro-growth policies that are making India an important anchor of democracy, prosperity, and technological innovation, and a vital partner of the United States," Keshap said after Modi was sworn in as the prime minister for a historic third consecuti

TDP, Janasena likely to get significant roles in PM Modi's new govt

Rewarding the BJP's coalition partners in the southern states, Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi is set to induct several MPs from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana into his Council of Ministers, sources said on Sunday. Modi will on Sunday take oath for a third consecutive term as prime minister, along with members of his council. Two MPs each from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the BJP in Andhra Pradesh, where the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 21 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats, will take oath alongside Modi, the sources said. Three-time MP Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu is likely to get a Cabinet berth while first-timer Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani may be made a Minister of State. Industrialist and TDP leader Jayadev Galla congratulated the two leaders on their likely induction. From the BJP's quota in Andhra Pradesh, where it bagged three seats, state unit chief Daggubati Purandeshwari and Narsapuram MP Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma are tipped for ministerial berths. The Janase

PM Modi to take oath today for third consecutive term post election setback

Key questions still hang over the new government, including who will be named to major posts in the cabinet

Opposition in new Lok Sabha will be stronger, says Farooq Abdullah

The days of "dictatorship" are over and the opposition in the new Lok Sabha would be stronger, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said here on Friday. The former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir said people have given their verdict and the Constitution has been saved. "This time there will be a strong opposition. When I was in Parliament, we were weak. Nobody used to listen to us and there was dictatorship, but thank God, dictatorship is over now," Abdullah told reporters here. He was responding to a question about whether the opposition in the new Lok Sabha would be stronger than the last one given their strength has increased. Asked about the NDA forming the government for the third consecutive time, the NC president, who represented Srinagar in the previous Lok Sabha, said, "Let them form the government, then we will see". To a question whether the new NDA government will succeed, the former Union minister said, "Let us wait and see what ..

NPP to extend support to Pema Khandu government in Arunachal Pradesh

The National People's Party (NPP) will extend support to the Pema Khandu government in Arunachal Pradesh, a senior party leader said here on Friday. NPP Arunachal Pradesh unit president Thangwang Wangham said the party has accepted the people's mandate in the recently held state Assembly elections. The NPP, led by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, which is an ally of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), will extend support to the Khandu government, Wangham said. "We accept the mandate given by the people," he said while assuring his party's commitment to keep the aspirations of the people alive in the state. Wangham, who won the Longding-Pumao assembly seat, said the party has a clear vision for the state, region and the country. "We have regional aspirations with a national outlook and will always work for the welfare of the people and development of the state," he said. The NPP which contested in 20 seats in the April 19 state assembly elections won five seats. Wan