Politics

Police tighten security in Kashmir to ensure peaceful elections

Srinagar, April 14 (ANI): Police have beefed up security in Kashmir, ahead of general election in the state, to keep a close vigil to prevent any untoward incident and ensure safe and peaceful polls. Authorities have been making extra security arrangements for Kashmir's sensitive constituency of Srinagar which would go to polls on April 30. Security agencies have declared 66 percent polling stations as hypersensitive and 27 percent sensitive in the city. Shah further added that poll arrangements are done keeping in view the model code of conduct and other facilities like experienced observers for each assembly segments, video surveillance teams and flying squads have also been allotted for each segment.

Apr 14, 2014

Alvi refutes Modi's claim, says Congress not usurping credit for Ambedkar's work

New Delhi, Apr 14 (ANI): Congress leader Rashid Alvi on Monday disagreed with BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi's views that the Congress was taking the credit for Chief architect of the Indian Constitution Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar's work. Modi had earlier paid tribute to the Ambedkar on his 123rd birth anniversary, and said that "nobody had insulted the latter as much as the Congress by taking credit for his work".

Apr 14, 2014

Why it is launched during election time: Congress on P C Parakh's book

New Delhi, APR 14 (ANI): Reacting over Former Coal secretary P C Parakh's book, Congress leader, Meem Afzal questioned its release which happens to be the time of elections which is now through its fourth phase.

Apr 14, 2014

Assam celebrates Rongali Bihu with fervour

Jorhat/Guwahati, April 14 (ANI): Thousands of devotees on Monday celebrated the Harvest festival, Rongali Bihu with great fervour across the state of Assam. This festival marks the beginning of Assamese New Year and annual harvest with ritual feasting and merry- making. Rongali Bihu is the most celebrated festival of Assam. It is a festival that transcends all religious and class barriers bringing people together in a free and uninhibited manner. People in capital city Guwahati played traditional games and sang traditional song and also performed traditional dance. In Jorhat, a cultural festival Ethnique was organised that sought to showcase the various traditions of Assam.People in this town also bathed their cows, as they considered them sacred and also worshipped them.

Apr 14, 2014

BJP Mahila Morcha protests against Madhusudan Mistry for remark on Swaraj

Vadodara, April 14 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party's Mahila Morcha on Monday hit out at Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Vadodara Madhusudan Mistry for his alleged "loose and vulgar statements" against BJP's senior leader Sushma Swaraj. Gujarat BJP Mahila Morcha President Jyotiben Pandya slammed Mistry for using derogatory terms for a woman. Earlier, BJP had complained to the Election Commission, seeking action against Madhusudan Mistry for his statements against Sushma Swaraj. In its complaint, the BJP alleged that Mistry's statement is "vulgar and intended to tarnish the image of a woman who herself is an elderly person". The party has accused Mistry of making statements contravening provisions of the Model Code of Conduct, the Representation of People's Act (RPS) and the Indian Penal Code. Reacting over this Mistry said that BJP is doing this for publicity.

Apr 14, 2014

FIR filed against Hema Malini for violating model code of conduct

New Delhi, April 14 (ANI): An FIR was filed against veteran actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Mathura constituency Hema Malini on Monday for violation of model code of conduct.The actor has been charged with holding a meeting in a school without permission two days ago. Malini had filed her nomination papers from Mathura to fight the upcoming Lok Sabha elections a week back.

Apr 14, 2014

China and Pakistan's ISI back insurgents in India's north-east

Europe, April 14: India's northeastern region has been affected by prolonged insurgency. Several militant outfits, including the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in Assam, Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in Nagaland, People's Liberation Army (PLA) and United National Liberation Front (UNLF) in Manipur, are operating from the land-locked region, which shares international boundaries with China, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh. These insurgent are surviving with backing from across the border. Experts believe that intelligence agencies of China and Pakistan remain the backbone of insurgency in India's northeastern states. Insurgent groups from the Northeast are being provided assistance in the form of money and weapons by Chinese agencies, routed through the ISI, to create instability in the region. This is a deadly concoction of terror that is being used to destabilise India. It is believed, the Chinese are now using northeast based insurgent outfits to supply arms to Maoists in India.

Apr 14, 2014

Kazakhstan entrepreneur promotes Expo 2017 on future energy in Mumbai

Mumbai, April 14 (ANI): A globe trotting 70-year-old entrepreneur from Kazakhstan, Sapar Iskakov, reached Mumbai bearing the flag of Expo 2017 in a bid to promote the international event on future energy being hosted in Astana, capital of the Central Asian country. The Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan has arranged meetings for Iskakov in various countries to speak about the hosting venue, Astana and the event EXPO 2017. He is travelling at his own expense and has chosen not to disclose the cost of the journey. Sharing snippets from his journey so far, Iskakov on Monday spoke about the countries he has visited. Iskakov said that the event would be themed exclusively on future of energy through innovative but practical energy solutions as well as their global impact.

Apr 14, 2014

Sanjay Jha tweets Vajpayee weakest PM, BJP condemns

New Delhi, April 14 (ANI): BJP on Monday condemned Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha's tweet which said that "the weakest PM India ever had was AB Vajpayee who gave Kandahar terrorists an escort-service, and allowed Parliament to be attacked." BJP Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that their words show that the party is sure of their defeat and that the polls will backfire all their allegations on them. Further, BJP Spokesperson MJ Akbar said that Jha is the weakest spokesperson Congress have to say such a thing about a loved former PM. He also pitied on Jha for such a remark.

Apr 14, 2014

To save his govt, 'weak' Vajpayee remained mum on many occasions: Sanjay Jha

Mumbai, April 14 (ANI): Following his tweet wherein Congress Spokesperson Sanjay Jha claimed that Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the weakest PM, he remained on his statements and said that to save his government, Vajpayee remained mum on many occasions where he should have taken action. He said that BJP leader Govindacharya himself had said that Vajpayee is a two-faced man. Further, he questioned the former PM on what was he doing when thousands were killed in a state ruled by his own party and that he did not try to stop Gujarat riots in order to save his government, which is a sign of a weak government. Meanwhile, talking about Sanjay Baru's memoir, he said that this is BJP's orchestrated criticism against a decent PM.

Apr 14, 2014

Telangana: KCR Confident of Winning Assembly Polls

K. Chandrasekhara Rao-led Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in Andhra Pradesh would not join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Apr 14, 2014

Lok Sabha Elections 2014: Third Front the Only Alternative, Says Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

The third front, which is yet to be formed by non-Congress and non-BJP parties, could only lead India in the right direction, said former West Bengal Chief Minister and CPI (M) leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on 13 April.

Apr 14, 2014

Politicos react as P C Parakh says PM was unable to counter vested interests

New Delhi/ Amritsar/ Varanasi, Apr 14 (ANI): Reacting over Former Coal secretary P C Parakh’s book in which he has said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was running a government in which he had 'little' political authority, AAP leader Gopal Rai said that it is not something new and he had an inkling of the same. BJP leader Arun Jaitley said that he is not interested in the timing of the book but its context. Former SP Leader Shahid Siddiqui also said that the book does not say anything new.

Apr 14, 2014

Congress rubbishes reports that Priyanka was keen to fight Modi in Varanasi

New Delhi, April 14 (ANI): The Congress party on Monday denied media reports that Priyanka Gandhi wanted to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections against Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi from Varanasi. Denying the reports Congress leader Meem Afzal said that there is no truth in it. Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, said that the party would never stop her from contesting an election if she wanted to and such reports are mere rumours.

Apr 14, 2014

PM was never given power, still being ignored: Politicos

New Delhi, April 14 (ANI): BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and former SP leader Shahid Siddiqui on Monday criticized the Congress Party and specifically party President Sonia Gandhi for never letting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to execute his powers properly. Swamy stated that Singh is being ignored because Gandhi wants to project his son, Rahul Gandhi as the face of Congress. Meanwhile, former SP leader Shahid Siddiqui stated that if Singh was allowed to work freely in his PM office the country would not have suffered.

Apr 14, 2014