Page 3 - Politics

Udaipur bans religious flags on public properties, angers state BJP chief

"If the saffron flag won't be unfurled in Udaipur then where it will be in Afghanistan where Taliban is in power?" Joshi said

Rich get richer, poor get poorer: Sibal on PM's social justice remarks

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Friday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on the BJP's commitment to social justice, claiming that under this government the "rich get richer and the poor get poorer". Addressing BJP members at the party's 44th foundation day, Modi on Thursday cited the free ration scheme, health insurance and other welfare measures, to assert that social justice was an article of faith for the BJP while other parties used the plank to advance the interest of particular families without helping society. While the BJP thought and dreamt big and then set out to dedicate itself to achieving these goals, opposition parties could set small goals and patted each other for achieving even smaller targets, the prime minister had said. In a tweet, Sibal said, "PM: 'BJP lives for social justice and follows it in letter and spirit'. Facts: 1) 40 per cent of the wealth created from 2012-2021 went to only 1 per cent of the population 2) In 2022 Adani's weal

Cheated his father and Congress: KPCC chief on Anil Antony joining BJP

"Anil Antony doesn't have the tradition of fighting for Congress," he added

Could provoke people: BJP teams not allowed to visit Sasaram, Bihar Sharif

When the BJP leaders reached the Bikramganj border, they were told that law and order could get disturbed if they would visit the riot-affected areas

Cong accuses Adani Group of having links with Chinese firm; Rijiju responds

The Congress on Thursday accused the Adani Group of having business links with a Chinese company in all its infrastructure projects in roads, railways, ports and airport sectors, saying it posed a threat to national security. The remarks prompted Law Minister Kiren Rijiju to hit back at the opposition party. Responding to a tweet by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, Rijiju said, "Do not comment on sensitive matters. The Congress has no moral right to speak about Arunachal Pradesh." Ramesh had alleged that business tycoon Gautam Adani has business links with Chinese citizens. He wondered whether it was compromising national security. The law minister also shared a video in which the then defence minister A K Antony is purportedly telling Lok Sabha that for long India had a policy not to develop borders as an undeveloped border was safer than a developed border. "First respond to this reality," Rijiju, who represents Arunachal Pradesh in the Lok Sabha, said. Addressing a press confere

Cong veteran A K Antony's son Anil joins BJP in presence of Piyush Goyal

Anil K Antony, the son of veteran Congress leader A K Antony, on Thursday joined the BJP in the presence of Union ministers Piyush Goyal and V Muraleedharan here. Antony, who headed the Digital Media cell of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, slammed the Congress leadership for working for a "single family" instead of working for the country. He had quit the Congress after criticising the party's stand on the controversial documentary film of the BBC on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Welcoming Antony in the BJP, Goyal described him as a "very grounded political worker", who was convinced that the BJP cares for the country and shared the prime minister's vision of sustainable growth. "This is not about personalities, this is about difference of opinion and ideas. I strongly believe that I have taken the right step. My respect for my father will remain the same," Antony said when asked whether he had consulted his father before joining the BJP.

Suspended YSRCP MLA placed under house arrest in Nellore to foil protest

Suspended YSRCP legislator Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy was placed under house arrest in Nellore on Thursday to foil his protest demanding construction of a bridge in his constituency

Shiv Sena (UBT) hits out at Fadnavis, calls him 'failed' home minister

The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday called Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis a "failed" home minister while claiming the law and order situation in the state was bad and farmers were committing suicide. An editorial in the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana' also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not even giving a warning to China after it changed the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh. Pakistan is being issued hollow threats, but what about China which has made "incursion" in the Indian territory, it said. Earlier this week, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray dubbed Fadnavis a worthless home minister after a woman worker from the Thackeray-led faction was allegedly attacked by activists of rival Shiv Sena in Thane. Fadnavis had then hit back saying he was a "bullet" (kartoos), while Thackeray was a weak chief minister who had sacrificed his ideology for the sake of power and need not be given importance. Notably, the Supreme Court recently made strong

Modi govt talks lot about democracy but does not walk the talk: Cong chief

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused the Narendra Modi government of not walking the talk on democratic principles and causing disruptions in Parliament to divert attention from the Opposition's demand for a JPC probe into the Adani issue. Addressing a joint press conference of opposition leaders at the Constitution Club after a "Tiranga March" from Parliament House to Vijay Chowk, he said the government's intention was to get the Budget Session washed out. He said the government talks a lot about democracy, but it does not follow what it says, and asserted that the Opposition was unitedly fighting for democracy and the Constitution. "The budget of Rs 50-lakh crore was passed in just 12 minutes, but they (BJP) always allege that the opposition parties have no interest and they keep disturbing the House," Kharge said. "The disturbance was created by the ruling party. Whenever we made a demand, we were not allowed to speak. This has happened for the first time in

Congress releases second list of 41 candidates for Karnataka polls

The Congress on Thursday released its second list of 41 candidates, including three defectors, who had recently quit as legislators and joined the party, for the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka. There is no mention of Kolar, the second seat from where senior party leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, wants to contest, in addition to Varuna, where his name is already cleared. Baburao Chinchansur and N Y Gopalakrishna, who had quit as BJP MLC and MLA recently and joined Congress have been fielded Gurmitkal and Molakalmuru, respectively. While S R Srinivas (Vasu), who had quit as JD(S) MLA has been fielded as a candidate from Gubbi. Gopalakrishna was BJP's MLA from Kudligi in Vijayanagara district in the current Assembly. Congress has left the Melukote seat in Mandya district for Darshan Puttannaiah of Sarvodaya Karnataka Party. His father late Puttannaiah was a prominent farmer leader and had earlier represented the constituency. Former Minister Vinay Kulkarni, who w

BJP committed to taking stringent steps to rid India of graft, nepotism: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the BJP was committed to taking tough steps to rid India of corruption, nepotism and law and order challenges as he slammed people with a "baadshahi" mindset for insulting the poor and backwards since the party stormed to power in 2014. Addressing the BJP's 44th Foundation Day celebrations, Modi cautioned against complacency among the party's workers as he noted that it is being already said that no one can defeat it in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "Despite being the world's biggest political party, we don't have to be complacent. People have already started saying that no one can defeat the BJP in 2024. This is true but as BJP workers we have to win the heart of every citizen of the country," he said. Modi slammed the Congress and other political parties which, he claimed, carried the culture of the main opposition party and accused them of being tied to nepotism, dynasty, casteism and regionalism. The BJP represents a new culture of taki

'RS chairman allowed subversion of standing committee's basic function'

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar over the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, being sent to a joint committee, alleging that this was an "open and shut case" of his allowing the government to deliberately circumvent the standing committee concerned. Ramesh alleged that Dhankhar had allowed the "subversion of the Standing Committee's basic function". His letter to Dhankhar over the issue, the second in just over a week, came in response to a letter dated April 5 from Ranjit Punhani, Secretary in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, asking him to "state the exact premise" for his objection to the reference of the Bill to the joint committee. Ramesh heads the Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change. "This is an extraordinary request given, I have met you personally and also written to you on my objections. I have already informed you that the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bil

Opposition parties to take out 'Tricolour March' from Parliament House

Several Opposition parties, including the Congress, will take out a 'Tricolour March' from Parliament House to Vijay Chowk on Thursday, alleging that "democracy is under attack" by the BJP. MPs of like-minded Opposition parties such as the DMK, the Samajwadi Party, the RJD and the NCP, and from the Left, besides the Congress, will begin their march at 11.30 am. Following the march, floor leaders of the parties will address a press conference at the Constitution Club. Opposition parties have been displaying coordination during the Budget Session of Parliament and have jointly held protests ever since it started on March 13. They have been unitedly demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue and have raised the matter both in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, leading to disruptions of proceedings. The BJP has been demanding an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his democracy remarks made in the UK. Gandhi was disqualified as member of Lok Sabha .

SP MLC Swami Prasad Maurya booked for 'objectionable' comment on Lord Ram

In the video, Maurya can be heard saying -- "Mile Mulayam Kanshi Ram..." and pauses for the crowd to complete the sentence saying "...Hawa main ud gaye Jai Shri Ram"

Bandi Sanjay's arrest undemocratic; BJP not afraid of cases: Union Minister

"Sanjay was tortured like a terrorist. The elections are approaching, KCR's anarchic rule is visible," he said

Rahul to blame for Congress' situation, Sonia's writ doesn't run: Azad

Ghulam Nabi Azad termed Rahul Gandhi the main reason why he was no longer with the party

Cong cites OBC Mahasabha's 'notice to Nadda', says it showed mirror to BJP

The Congress on Wednesday attacked the BJP over an OBC mahasabha reportedly hitting out at the saffron party for "dragging" OBCs in the row over Rahul Gandhi's 2019 remarks, saying the ruling party has been shown the mirror. Several BJP leaders, including party chief J P Nadda, have accused Gandhi of insulting Other Backward Classes (OBCs) with his remark for which he has been convicted by a Surat court. Gandhi (52) was disqualified from the Lok Sabha last month after he was convicted by a court in Gujarat's Surat in a 2019 defamation case. The court in Surat sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in the case, filed on a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for his remark, "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" On Twitter, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh tagged a media report which said that the national core committee of the OBC Mahasabha in Gwalior has issued a legal notice to BJP president JP Nadda in which it has been claimed that he "insulted" the OBC ...

Rahul, Priyanka to address joint rally in Nagpur in Apr; date not finalised

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Wednesday said a public meeting of party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to be held in Nagpur between April 20 and 25, although the date is yet to be finalised. Speaking to reporters at the Nagpur airport, he also said that the date of their rally will be finalised during a meeting of the Congress's state executive to be held in Thane on April 10. Patole accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of ignoring the basic issues of people. Targeting the saffron party over taking out 'Savarkar Gaurav Yatra' to honour late Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, the Congress leader asked, "Did the BJP take out any yatra against the farmers' suicides happening in the state?" "Is Gaurav Yatra being taken out because farmers' electricity supply is being snapped and their produce is not getting good price?" he said, adding that the poor were unable to get proper food.

PM's Panch Pran will make India a developed country by 2047: J-K L-G

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday inaugurated a three-day mega event on Panch Pran' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi here and said these five resolves will make India a developed country by 2047. In 2047, when we celebrate 100 years of Independence, India will have the world's youngest and most skilled workforce, he said. The event is being organised by the University of Jammu in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, Hindustan Samachar and Cluster University of Jammu. Talking about Amrit Kaal and Prime Minister's Panch Pran, Sinha said the five resolves -- resolve to move the country ahead as a developed India, eradicating the mentality of slavery, be proud of India's heritage and legacy, strength of unity and solidarity and duties of citizens towards the nation -- will make India a developed country by 2047. "Today we are the fifth largest economy in the world and in next 25 years, we will be a USD 26 trillion economy," he ...

PM Modi to address BJP 'karyakartas' on party's foundation day today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address BJP workers on the occasion of the party's foundation day on Thursday. "Tomorrow, 6th April is an important day for @BJP4India as it is the Sthapana Diwas of the Party," Modi said on Twitter. At around 10 AM Thursday, will be addressing Party 'karyakartas', he said.