Month: February 2014

Haryana CM slapped by youth

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Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had to face an embarrassing moment when a youth slapped him during a Congress road show on Sunday.

According to a video clipping, the youth tried to step on an SUV on which Hooda was standing and slapped the chief minister.

The identity of the youth was not immediately know, however the Haryana Police present at the site caught him and whisked away from the scene.

An agitated Hooda could be seen giving instructions to the security personnel following the incident.

Jaganmohan woos farmers with pre-election sops

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After being unanimously elected President on Sunday of the YSR Congress Party for a second time, YS Jaganmohan Reddy tried to garner support amongst farmers by promising special measures in their interest if the party was voted to power in upcoming polls.

Announcing steps which would be taken to safeguard farmers’ interests, Jagan said that a YSR Congress government would create two ministries for agriculture and also introduce a “special budget”.

Kiran Kumar to lobby against state’s bifurcation

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Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and other leaders plan to press their case on Andhra Pradesh’s bifurcation with top leaders in Delhi, it was announced here on Sunday.

The AP Chief Minister told reporters here this evening that time has been sought to meet President Mukherjee on February 4 or 5 to press his demand against bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the YSR Congress should join the efforts to keep AP “united”, like they did during the recent assembly session when the Telangana Bill was rejected.

Ironic for Congress to say power is poison: Modi

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Addressing a rally in Meerut, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate on Sunday said that it was ironic for the Congress to say that power was poison, as they stayed in power for the longest time in the country after Independence. “Sonia Gandhi has accused some people of ”sowing seeds of poison”. She had once told her son Rahul Gandhi that power is poison. Who stayed in power for the longest time after Independence?

Modi talks as if he owns Gujarat: Samajwadi Party

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Reacting to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi”s statement that the farmers in Uttar Pradesh were in the worst condition in the country and that the Samajwadi Party is a Samaj ‘virodhi’ Party, SP leader Ranjendra Chaudhary on Sunday said that Modi spoke as if he owned Gujarat. “Modi talks as if he owns Gujarat. Does he even know anything about farmers?

Arunachal student’s body flown home for last rites, community protests in Bangalore

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Body of northeastern student, who died after he was allegedly beaten up by shopkeepers at a busy market in New Delhi, reached his hometown, while the community mourned his death staging anti-racial protest on Sunday. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Kiren Rijiju, condemned the incident and said if such incidents were repeated it would have a very bad impact on the country”s unity. “This is a big wound on the unity of this country.

Pakistani Taliban forms committee to start talks with government

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The Pakistani Taliban Sunday formally announced a committee of senior political and religious leaders to mediate peace talks with government negotiators.

The Taliban’s central council unanimously agreed to open talks with the government and formed a five-member committee of leaders who favour a peace dialogue with the government, Xinhua reported.

The committee comprises senior opposition leader Imran Khan, Maulana Abdul Aziz, Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, Professor Mohammad Ibrahim and Mufti Kifayatullah, the Dawn reported.

Infiltration at borders declined during UPA rule: Sushilkumar Shinde

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Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde today credited the UPA government for the decline in infiltration at the country’s borders.

“The infiltration at borders adjoining Pakistan and China has come down by 70 per cent,” Shinde said at a Congress party function at Mandrup, located in south Solapur.

Shinde also said that during the UPA government rule, incidents of rioting have come down in the country.

“Communal forces were coming forward in the society through political parties. This should be stopped,” the senior Congress leader said.

Kuwaiti lawmaker seeking to repatriate 1.3 million foreigners in 5 years

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A Kuwaiti lawmaker’s proposal to reduce the number of expatriates in the country by more than 1.3 million in five years has sparked a heated debate in the parliament.

MP Abdullah Al Tamimi’s comment that the country’s demographic balance required imposing a five-year cap and asking 20 per cent of the foreigners to leave Kuwait every year has triggered off an argument among the members of parliament.

Modi thinks by repeating lies they will become true: Atul Anjan

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Reacting to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s claim that Gujarat Government has provided round the clock electricity supply to the people, Communist Party leader (CPI) leader Atul Anjan on Sunday said that Modi is a liar and believes that repeating lies would make them true.

“Modi lies a lot, and he thinks if he keeps repeating those lies they will become true,” said Anjan.

Venkaiah to demand mention of water projects in T-bill

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Launching a scathing attack on the ruling Congress party for its policy on bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, BJP senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu today said there would be no water sharing problems in two States if the Centre mentioned about water projects in the bill.

VRO, VRA exams held peacefully

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Barring a few incidents of delay in sending examination papers to the centers and arrest of a gang of people for trying to resort to mass copying in Kurnool, the VRO, VRA examinations were held peacefully at 3,684 centers across the State. While 14 lakh candidates applied for the examination, some 85 to 91 per cent have taken the examinations.

Gorakapudi chinnaiah dora joins TDP

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Gorakapudi Chinnaiah Dora, former chairman of State Municipal Chamber of Peddapuram Assembly constituency has joined the Telugu Desam Party in the presence of party supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Along with him, several Kapu leaders also joined the TDP, according to a pressnote issued by TDP headquarters office here on Sunday. (NSS)

Congress firm on formation of Telangana: Digvijay Singh

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Asserting that the Congress is firm on formation of Telangana, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh today said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Reddy was free to take any step he deems fit on the issue.

“Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh is free to take any step he deems fit; Congress party is firm on its stand on formation of Telangana,” Singh told reporters when asked about Reddy’s threat to quit politics if the AP Reorganisation 2013 Bill is tabled in the Parliament in its current form.

‘AAP does not treat women as human beings’

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Former diplomat and AAP’s founding member Madhu Bhaduri today “distanced” herself from the party alleging that she was heckled at a meeting for introducing a resolution condemning Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti’s role in a midnight raid, even as the outfit rubbished the charges.

“I have distance myself from the party. I am not with the party anymore,” Bhaduri said in a response to a question whether she has quit AAP.

Elections schedule will be announced by end of Feb: Election Commissioner

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Chief Election Commissioner Bhanwar Lal today said schedule for 2014 General Elections will be announced by end of February.

Speaking to reporters, Bhanwar Lal said the Election Commission is likely to issue a notification in this regard in the fourth week of this month. He exhorted the people to exercise their franchise during elections without fail. He also said about 72 lakh new voters were enrolled in Andhra Pradesh. The General Elections may be held in four to five phases during April and May this year, he added. (NSS)

Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar’s address to rally in PoK raises questions: Report

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A massive rally organised in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed led by Masood Azhar “raises questions about the state’s policy towards militancy”, a media report said today.

About 10,000 people attended the rally organised in PoK capital Muzaffarabad by JeM to launch a book authored by Mohammad Afzal Guru, who was executed last year for his role in the 2001 attack on the Indian parliament.

Legal fight against T bill: Anam

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Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy said here on Sunday that they (Seemandhra leaders) would approach the Supreme Court to stall the process of bifurcating the State to form separate State of Telangana.
Speaking to reporters, he said that they will move the court against the bifurcation. Besides we will meet the Congress party leadership at Delhi and call on President Pranab Mukherjee and others against the bifurcation.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ‘most unimpressive’ politician: Pakistan daily

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has received a mixed reaction from the media here after his interaction with Pakistani journalists, with one daily today calling him the “most unimpressive” Indian politician while another praised him for his simplicity.

Tearing into Kejriwal, The News daily reported: “India’s new shooting star with dreams of another ‘India Shining’ appeared as of the country’s most unimpressive politicians but with a most impressive agenda”.

Chandrababu for Delhi today

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Telugu Desam Chief and Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu will leave for Delhi on February 3. He is likely to call on President Pranab Mukherjee and express his views against State bifurcation and seek equal justice to Seemandhra region post bifurcation. TD sources said they are awaiting an appointment with the President. Naidu’s trip assumes significance as the Group of Ministers is all set to finalise the T bill on February 4.
Third Front talk surfaces again

India warns against unilateral interventions such as in Libya and Syria

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Warning against direct or indirect unilateral interventions such as in Libya and Syria, India asserted the need to strengthen processes of multilateral consultation to manage conflicts and reduce regional tensions.

“Unilateral (sometimes covert) interventions, as in Libya or Syria, have led to unexpected and dangerous outcomes,” said National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon while addressing the Munich Security Conference on Global Power and Regional Stability here yesterday.

T Agitation is not 60-year old: Undavalli

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Congress MP from Rajahmundry Undavalli Arun Kumar here on Sunday clarified that the Telanganaites’ claim that their agitation was 60 years old was totally false.
Speaking at a meeting organised by Andhra Pradesh Journalists’ Forum, Arun Kumar said the Telangana agitation was launched in 1999 and it was not 60-years old. Stating that separate Telangana agitation was launched by sycophants of the erstwhile Nizam, Undavalli claimed that people of Telangana did not want separate State then and had agreed for formation of Andhra Pradesh.

1984 riots massive failure of government: Wajahat Habibullah

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Outgoing National Commission for Minorities chairperson Wajahat Habibullah, who served in the PMO when the anti-Sikh riots took place, says the government had collapsed in 1984 and the violence was a “massive failure” on its part.

He, however, dismissed allegations that the then Congress government colluded in the violence and sought to put Narendra Modi in dock over riots in Gujarat in 2002 saying the chief minister was “firmly in control” in the state.

CPM averse to poll tie-up with tainted Jagan’s party

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The State committee of Communist Party of India (Marxist) has refused to an electoral alliance with the YSR Congress Party of Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy.
During the CPM State committee executive meeting, some senior leaders of the party strongly felt that they might face problems in future if the party entered into an electoral alliance with YSRCP as its founder-president was facing corruption charges and went to jail. The party high priests prefer electoral tie-up only with Left parties.