Page 19 - Politics

Kharge to launch Uttarakhand's Congress poll campaign from Dehradun

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will arrive here on Sunday to address a public meeting and launch the party's campaign in the state for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "He is going all over the country. We are grateful that he has chosen Uttarakhand to give his call for a change," senior party leader and former chief minister Harish Rawat said. "Justice is what Rahul Gandhi's Nyay Yatra is all about. The party president's programme is a part of it," he said. "All sections of society are asking for justice, be it women, unemployed youths or farmers." Kharge's meeting will be held in the Bannu School ground in the Race Course area. The party had sought the district administration's permission to hold the public meeting on the Parade ground but it was not allowed as the venue has been renovated as part of the Dehradun Smart City project and no major public programmes are being held to protect it. The Congress alleged that it was the BJP government's conspiracy to sabotage the party's

Happy that work underway on 'one nation, one legislative' platform: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said he was happy that Parliament and state legislatures were working towards realisation of the goal of 'one nation, one legislative platform'. Addressing the 84th All India Presiding Officers' Conference (AIPOC) here virtually, he also rued that some political parties defend their members even if they violate the rules of the House, and warned that it did not augur well for Parliament and state legislatures. "In 2021, during discussions with you, I spoke about 'one nation, one legislative platform.' I am happy that our Parliament and state legislatures are now working towards this goal through E-Vidhan and Digital Sansad platforms," the prime minister said. Notably, the 'one nation, one legislative platform' project aims at making available the proceedings of all legislatures on a single digital platform. The image of a legislature depends on the conduct of its members, the prime minister stressed. "There was a time when, if any member in

Lok Sabha polls seat-sharing talks on between Gehlot, Akhilesh: Congress

The Congress on Saturday said constructive seat-sharing talks are on between senior party leader Ashok Gehlot and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and it will inform when a formula is finalised. The Congress' assertion came soon after Yadav said his party's alliance with the Congress is "off to a good start" with 11 "strong" Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The state sends 80 members to the Lower House of Parliament and elections are due in April-May. Asked about Yadav's remarks at a press conference, Ramesh said Gehlot is in direct contact with the SP chief and talks are going on in a positive and constructive manner. "When a seat-sharing formula is finalised we will inform you. But today Akhilesh ji has spoken on this that talks are on and he is happy with the talks. I would say from my party's side, talks are on between Ashok Gehlot and Akhilesh Yadav ji and they will meet soon," Ramesh said. The seat-sharing pact that will happen will be beneficial for the Congress, the

CM Jagan sounds poll bugle, says target 100% Assembly, LS seats in state

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday sounded the poll bugle for the YSR Congress party for the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha polls saying it is a 'Kurukshetra war' comparing himself with the Pandavas while the opposition TDP with the Kauravas (from the epic Mahabharatha). Addressing a rally of his party workers titled "Siddham" (Ready) at Bhimili near here, Jagan said the YSRCP Government has fulfilled 99 per cent of the poll promises unlike the TDP which has allegedly "dumped its manifesto in the dustbin." Seeking votes for the YSRCP in the coming elections, the CM said his government has disbursed Rs 2.53 lakh crore through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) without giving any scope for corruption and as many as 2.13 lakh government jobs were given in the past 56 months of his rule. "This a Kurukshetra war. This side Pandavas. That (opposition) side Kauravas. I am not Abhimanyu who was entangled in the Padmavyuham. I am Arjuna who was supported by you people

Congress' 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' will resume in West Bengal on Sunday

The Congress's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' is set to resume on Sunday following a two-day hiatus, with Rahul Gandhi rejoining the programme in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, a senior party leader said. The Yatra, spearheaded by Gandhi, commenced on January 14 from Manipur and traversed into the Coochbehar district of West Bengal from Assam on Thursday morning. After holding a roadshow in Coochbehar on January 25, Gandhi departed for New Delhi as the Yatra underwent a two-day recess. During this interval, the Yatra advanced to Falakata in Alipurduar for a temporary halt. "Rahul Gandhi Ji will arrive at Bagdogra airport at 11:30 am. Subsequently, he will proceed to Jalpaiguri, where the Yatra will recommence. This time, the Yatra will proceed both by bus and on foot, with a night stopover planned near Siliguri on Sunday night," Suvankar Sarkar, a state Congress leader told PTI. On January 29, the Yatra is slated to head towards Islampur in Uttar Dinajpur district before transitioni

People may not consider it appropriate: Cong on Nitish's imminent switch

With Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's return to the BJP-led NDA imminent, Congress' Bihar in-charge Mohan Prakash on Saturday said this time the people of the state may not consider this an appropriate step and will give their verdict in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. He also exuded confidence that the Congress MLAs would not switch and stay united, asserting that "no one will be able to take even a twig away from the Congress". Bihar is witnessing a political storm with the JD(U) president appearing to be inching towards his second political volte face in less than three years that will also impact the opposition INDIA bloc and its fight against the BJP in the general elections. Asked about the Bihar political developments, Prakash said, "There's no 'shunyata' (vacuum) in politics. The people of Bihar are more politically aware than in other states and they will decide on this matter in the polls." On Kumar's imminent switch from the 'Mahagathbandhan' camp to that of the BJP, he

Railways land-for-job case: Court summons Rabri Devi, daughter Misa Bharti

A Delhi Court on Saturday summoned former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and her daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav along with others after taking cognisance of an Enforcement Directorate charge sheet against them in the railways land-for-jobs linked money laundering case. Special Judge Vishal directed the accused to appear before the court on February 9, saying there were sufficient grounds to proceed in the matter. The judge also issued a production warrant against businessman Amit Katyal, who is presently in judicial custody in the case. An alleged "close associate" of the Yadav family Katyal (49), railway employee and alleged beneficiary Hridayanand Chaudhary, two firms A K Infosystems Pvt. Ltd. and A B Exports Pvt. Ltd., through their common director Shariqul Bari, have also been named in the charge sheet. Katyal was arrested in this case by the ED in November last year while former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav was summoned by the agency but is yet to ...

Political parties defending those who break rules of House is not good: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said political parties backing members who break the rules of the House and defending their conduct does not augur well for Parliament and state legislatures. In an online address to the 84th All India Presiding Officers' Conference (AIPOC) here, Modi said young elected representatives should be given more opportunity in legislative committees, so that they can participate more in policy-making. "There was a time when, if any member in the House broke the rules and action was taken against that member, senior members of the House would talk to him so that in future he did not repeat the mistake and break the rules of the House. "But these days some political parties stand in support of such members and defend their mistakes. The situation is not good for Parliament or state legislature," Modi said. He also said that work was underway on 'One Nation, One Legislative Platform' through the E-Vidhan and Digital Sansad initiative. In the last te

BJP meeting underway in Bihar as political uncertainty in state continues

Leaders of the BJP in Bihar gathered here on Saturday to discuss the political situation in the state, amid indications that former ally, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, was planning yet another volte face. We have come here to deliberate on the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The current situation in Bihar will also be taken up for discussion, state BJP president Samrat Choudhary told reporters ahead of the party meeting at its Veerchand Patel Marg office. The meeting is also being attended by the party's MPs. The BJP has the largest number of 17 MPs in Bihar, where the total number of Lok Sabha members is 40. The JD(U), headed by Kumar, has 16 while another NDA ally LJP, now split up between the uncle-nephew duo of Pashupati Kumar Paras and Chirag Paswan, has six. Earlier, the party's state in-charge Vinod Tawde had slammed the Congress for driving Kumar, the JD(U) president, towards a break up with the INDIA coalition of which he was widely regarded as the architect. Party leaders have s

Will make all efforts to keep INDIA bloc united, says Congress prez Kharge

Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said his party expects that those who have the desire to protect the country's Constitution and democracy, will definitely not take any hasty steps, amid indications that JD(U) was planning to revert to the BJP-led NDA. He said the Congress will make all efforts to keep the INDIA bloc united, while maintaining that he has no clarity as to what is in the JD(U) leadership's mind. Responding to a question on the possibility of JD(U) going out of the INDIA alliance, Kharge said, "Are they (JD(U)) going out? I have not got any information about it so far. I have written a letter to them (JD(U) leadership) and have tried to talk to them. I don't know clearly what is in their minds." There are strong indications that JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was planning to quit the ruling 'Mahagathbandhan' in the state and revert to the BJP-led NDA. Some JD(U) leaders like K C Tyagi have claimed that the INDIA bloc is on the ver

Lok Sabha polls: BJP appoints election in-charges for 23 states, UTs

The BJP on Saturday appointed election in-charges and co-in-charges for 23 states and Union territories in view of the Lok Sabha polls this year. BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde has been made the election in-charge for Bihar, while BJP Rajya Sabha member and former Jharkhand unit chief Deepak Prakash will be the co-in-charge, according to a party statement. Tawde is the BJP's in-charge for political affairs in Bihar. The BJP has appointed vice president Baijayant Jay Panda as the election in-charge for Uttar Pradesh and national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam as that of Uttarakhand. BJP national vice president and Rajya Sabha member Laxmikant Bajpai will be the election in-charge for Jharkhand, the statement said. The appointments have been made by BJP president J P Nadda in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, it said. BJP Rajya Sabha member and former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb has been made the election in-charge for Haryana. BJP leader ..

China officials cut costs as Xi says 'belt-tightening rules here to stay'

The term xiguan is "foreseeing that the financial situation is unlikely to fundamentally improve for a considerable period in the future," said Lu Xi

Will he, won't he? Buzz on Nitish Kumar's BJP return amid INDIA rift

Union Home Minister Amit Shah himself sounded more open to such a possibility in a recent interview

Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur worked to create a more inclusive society

Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur ji's life revolved around the twin pillars of simplicity and social justice. Till his last breath, his simple lifestyle and humble nature resonated deeply with the people

Left trying to control INDIA bloc's agenda, will not accept it: CM Mamata

Amid the internal discord within the INDIA bloc in the state over seat-sharing, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee asserted on Monday that the Left is striving to control the opposition bloc's agenda, underscoring that no one confronts the BJP as directly as she does. Addressing an all-faith rally in the city, the TMC leader expressed her unwillingness to accept the Left Front led by CPI(M) controlling the agenda of the INDIA bloc meeting. "I suggested the name INDIA during the opposition bloc meeting. But whenever I attend the meeting, I find the Left trying to control it. This is not acceptable. I cannot agree with those with whom I had fought for 34 years," she said. Banerjee remarked, "Despite such insults, I have adjusted and attended the INDIA bloc meetings." In an apparent reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi being stopped in Assam from visiting the birthplace of Vaishnav saint Srimant Sankardeva, Banerjee remarked, "Just going to the temple isn't enough." She highlighted her

Who's who from business, cinema, politics, sports attend Ram temple event

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, business tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Lakshmi N Mittal, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar were among India's crme de la crme who attended the grand consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya on Monday. While the list of invitees included about 8,000 names, the select list featured 506 A-listers, including prominent politicians, leading industrialists, top film stars, sportspersons, diplomats, judges and high priests. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani and his family, steel tycoon Lakshmi N Mittal, telecom czar Sunil Bharti Mittal, Reliance Group head Anil Ambani, and Aditya Birla group chairperson Kumar Mangalam Birla and his daughter Ananya Birla were among some of India Inc.'s prominent faces that attended the ceremony. Bachchan flew into Ayodhya in a private chartered plane for the consecration of the 51-inch Ram Lalla idol. He was accompanied by his actor son Abhishek Bachchan. Actor Kangana Ranaut, who reached Ayodhya on Saturday, hailed the

Sena Vs Sena: SC seeks response of Maha CM Shinde on Thackeray group's plea

The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other lawmakers of his group on a plea of the Uddhav Thackeray faction challenging Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar's order declaring the Shiv Sena bloc led by Shinde as the "real political party" after its split in June 2022. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Thackeray faction, and sought response of the chief minister and other MLAs within two weeks. At the outset, the top court said the plea can be heard by the Bombay High Court as well. The senior lawyers for the Thackeray faction, however, opposed the idea and said the top court is more equipped to handle the case. Your Lordships have to decide it. If we go to the high court, then it will be delayed further, Sibal said, adding the speaker's decision had come in ...

'Nyay Yatra' to enter Bihar on Jan 29, Nitish may share stage with Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' will enter Bihar on January 29 and cover four districts in three days during which top INDIA bloc leaders may join him for public meetings, the party announced here on Monday. Addressing a press conference at the historical Sadaqat Ashram, the Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters, senior leader and MLC Prem Chandra Mishra said that Gandhi will reach Kishanganj district from Siliguri in West Bengal, and after interacting with the public and a night halts, leave for Purnea a day later. "In Purnea, a big rally has been planned. Invites have been sent to our alliance partners like Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has agreed to come. In the event of his getting caught up elsewhere, the JD(U) president has assured that a senior leader will be sent to represent his party," said Mishra. An invitation has been extended to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, a staunch ally of the Congress, "who may attend the rally in Purnea, or at Katihar

CM Nitish Kumar reshuffles portfolios of 3 RJD ministers in Bihar govt

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar reshuffled his cabinet on Saturday night, in which portfolios of three ministers of his ally RJD were changed. Education Minister Chandra Shekhar, who has been hitting the headlines for different reasons, was made the Sugarcane Industries Miniter. Alok Mehta, who held the Sugarcane Industries and Revenue and Land Resources portfolio, was made the new Education Minister of the state, according to a notification. The Revenue and Land Resources Department was assigned to Lalit Kumar Yadav, who will continue with his existing responsibility of the Public Health and Engineering Department. Besides making controversial statements on different issues, Chandra Shekhar was reportedly involved in a tiff with the Education Department's Additional Chief Secretary KK Pathak.

Relatives of people killed in Cong rule opposing Nyay Yatra in Assam: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday claimed that those people in Assam whose relatives were killed during Congress tenure are opposing the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', led by Rahul Gandhi, in the state. Addressing the passing out parade of the first batch of the five newly constituted Assam Police Commando battalions in Guwahati, Shah slammed the Congress alleging that people had to pay bribes to get jobs during its government. "Rahul Gandhi has recently started Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. I asked a few reporters here what happened in Assam. "They told me that at different places -- where injustices happened during their (Congress') tenure, thousands of Assam's youths were killed and Assam went into the grip of extremism -- the family members of those killed opposed this Nyay Yatra," Shah said. The Assam leg of the march began on January 18 and will continue till January 25. It will travel 833 km in 17 districts of the state. Shah said that there has been a huge change in t