New Delhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Thursday said the issues of the pilots of Air India should be sorted out immediately. "This issue should be raised in the parliament," Naqvi told media outside parliament. Taking a strong view of the agitation, the Air India management has so far sacked 36 pilots. The Air India management had earlier argued before the court that inter-union rivalry between erstwhile Air India and the Indian Airlines was the reason behind the strike. According to the management, there were two aircrafts at the centre of the controversy - the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Boeing 777 - and who should be trained on them. The unions were not in agreement whether pilots from Air India or Indian Airlines should be trained on the two aircraft. A decision was taken that the training on the Dreamliner would be in the ratio 1:1 and that had already begun. Aggrieved by this decision, the Indian Pilots Guild moved the High Court and the Indian Commercial Pilots Association moved the Supreme Court. On April 23, the Supreme Court said that the training in the 1:1 ratio would continue. Despite this order the Indian Pilots ...
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New Delhi, The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday in a sharp response to Sonia Gandhi's "fashionable" comment said, that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)- II government had failed to address the problems of people. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, chairing the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meeting had earlier commented that it has become "fashionable" for the Opposition to criticise the policies of the government without studying them. BJP spokesperson Gopinath Munde, addressing mediapersons here, said that the Congress was making such statements as a result of its frustration at recent electoral losses. "I believe that this comment was made for two reasons. First, the Congress' disappointment at its loss in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, as well as the civic corporation polls in Maharashtra and Delhi. Secondly, the Prime Minister had promised that they would have solutions to people's problems within 100 days of coming to power, but the UPA has failed to address them," Munde said. Speaking about the drought situation in Maharashtra, Munde said the BJP had called upon the PM to arrive at a solution. "The Prime Minister did not make a definite ...
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Varanasi, Refusing to comment on the Ayodhya issue, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Uma Bharti has said she remained unapologetic about her association with the campaign that led to the demolition of the Babri mosque. "I am never worried that my name is associated with Babri mosque demolition case. In fact, I feel that my association with Ayodhya movement will be a boon for my upcoming seven generations. I am unapologetic for being involved with Ayodhya movement. I have never repented for this and I still do not regret it," Bharti told media here. The CBI has appealed in the Supreme Court that senior leader Lal Krishna Advani along with other leaders should face trial in the demolition case. The agency opposed the separation of trial of eight accused leaders -- Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar, Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Vishnu Hari Dalmiya and Sadhvi Rithambara -- from 41 others, mainly kar sevaks, allegedly involved in the demolition of the disputed structure on December 6, 1992. It said separation of the trial, which has found favour with the trial court and the Allahabad High Court, is totally erroneous. CBI has challenged the ...
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Dharamshala, Once again exposing the widening fissures within Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh, party national vice-president and Rajya Sabha member from the state Shanta Kumar on Sunday overtly spoke out in favour of Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) leaders, maintaining that the state BJP leaders under the influence of power and wealth have turned a blind eye to internal matters of the party. Addressing a press conference here, Shanta Kumar said, "Our leaders are under the influence of their acquired wealth and power and therefore have lost consciousness about party matters. He said that merely talking about 'mission repeat' will not bring back the party into power as most of our senior workers have left the party." "I cannot forget the contribution of Maheshwar Singh, Shyama Sharma, Radharaman Shashtri and Mahender Sofat towards our party. Today they have left the party and without them the party is unlikely to come back to power," he added. He said Himachal is comparatively an easy turf for the party but there is still neck to neck competition with the opposition. "Mahender Sofat has established the party in Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur during 1990s. He left ...
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New Delhi, The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday said the government seems to have decided against any more reforms as the prime minister's economic advisor Kaushik Basu had said reforms were not possible till the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Basu, who is accompanying Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on a visit to the US, had said that post-2014 "you would see a rush of important reforms" and after 2015, India would be one of the "fastest growing" economies of the world. Reacting to this, BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy told IANS: "It is an indication that the government has conclusively taken a call that no more reforms can take place in the UPA II." Rudy said allies were no more supporting the government on anything, whether it was on bills or the "burden" of charges against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) like graft and price rise. "Major alliance partners will not like to go with the Congress any more...the burden of charges on the UPA government, be it graft or price rise, allies are no more with them," Rudy said. "The trust in alliance partner has waned...It sounds of impending elections," he said. Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment meet in ...
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New Delhi, After winning its first battle in the Lok Sabha, the UPA government secured a victory in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday on the issue of the fiercely contested National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC). The amendments moved by the BJP and the Left to the President's address against the anti-counter terror unit were defeated in the Upper House. The amendments could garner only 82 votes in favour, while 105 members opposed it. The BJP staged a walkout after the vote, expressing unhappiness with the Prime Minister's reply on the issue. Trinamool Congress MPs were absent during the voting, while SP and BSP members voted in favour of the government. On Monday, three amendment motions moved by the opposition on the anti-terror intelligence hub were defeated in the Lok Sabha. The Trinamool Congress, a bitter critic of the NCTC but part of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA), lent tacit support to the government in defeating the amendments after its MPs walked out of the house and didn't participate in the voting. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MPs also walked out. The amendments were moved by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Left and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) after ...
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New Delhi, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja on Monday slammed the economic polices of the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre. "Right now, my party CPI has been striving for uniting all left democratic forces against the neo-liberal economic policies of the government. I do not know what is the talk about that front, because it is not readymade thing that people can talk about whenever they like. We are talking about an alternative to the neo-liberal economic policies pursued by the Congress and UPA II government," said Raja. He also took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the issue, saying there was not much difference between the former and the ruling Congress Party. "We do not see much difference between Congress and BJP as far as economic policies are concerned. So we have to really work for an alternative," he added. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi ruled out the possibility of the formation of a Third Front. Naqvi said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would emerge stronger in the near future. "I don't see any such possibilities. As far as the Bharatiya Janata Party or the NDA is concerned, the ...
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New Delhi, The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday said it will lay its claim for forming government in the states of Punjab, Goa and Uttrakhand after results of the assembly polls in five states were announced. BJP General Secretary Ananth Kumar, after attending the party's Parliamentary Board meeting under the leadership of party president Nitin Gadkari, said: "BJP has emerged victorious in Uttrakhand, Punjab and Goa. The BJP Parliamentary Board has decided that to form government in Punjab we will send our leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley and party leader Ramlal as surveyors. "For Goa, we will be sending our former party chief Venkaiya Naidu and party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad as surveyors. In Uttrakhand, the BJP has emerged as single largest party the governor of the state should call us to form the government and to do so our former party president and me we go there," said Ananth ...
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Panaji, The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday led in three seats and the ruling Congress in two as vote count began early Tuesday. BJP candidates Ganesh Gaonkar (Sanvordem), Ramesh Tawadkar (Canacona) and Nilesh Cabral (Curchorem) were ahead of their rivals. Chandrakant Kavlekar (Quepem) and Mauvin Godinho (Dabolim) of the Congress were on the victory lap. Goa voted March 3 for a 40-member ...
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Lucknow, Kalyan factor is back to haunt the Bharatiya Janata Party as it gears up for the next phase of polling in the western belt. Former UP chief minister and once the most prominent face of Ram Mandri movement, Kalyan Singh has fielded his army -- the Rashtriya Jan Kranti Dal --all along the Lodh-backward route in the western front. Senior leaders shrug off any perceptible threat like what they had faced in 2002 when Kalyan actually dented their chances in 68 constituencies. But, there is a reasonable apprehension among them that the grand old rebel is poised to trip them in more than two dozen seats in and around Hathras, Aligarh and Bulandshahr pockets. At least 50 seats in western UP record 5 to 13 per cent presence of most backward classes (MBC), particularly Lodh presence. In constituencies like Sayana, Atraluli, Dibai, Khair, Iglas, Bhojipura, Bahedi, Bisalpur, Purqazi, Puuranpur and Shikarpur, the segment is known to play a decisive role. Even though BJP has tried to counter Kalyan's charisma by launching a high-voltage campaign spearheaded by Uma Bharti and it is hopeful that Gadkari's subtle hints of popping Uma as the next chief minister UP would make the MBC ...
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New Delhi, The Bharatiya Janata Party Wednesday called upon all political parties to oppose any curbs on the Election Commission. "This is an attempt to curb the powers of the Election Commissionm," BJP leader Yashwant Sinha told reporters here. "I think all political parties ... should stand up and oppose this move of the government." He spoke on a day a group of ministers (GoM) on corruption is to meet. Ministers have denied that the meeting will consider taking the model code of conduct out of the purview of the Election Commission. Sinha said: "The denial by some of the ministers has already been exposed. I hope they will desist from moving ...
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New Delhi, Survivors and relatives of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, besides activists of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), clashed with police here on Thursday, after Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna took a decision to commute the life sentence of Kishori Lal, who was convicted for the murder of eight Sikhs. The protests took place outside the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Family members of the 1984 riot victims, survivors and political activists expressed both shock and anger over Khanna's decision. The protesters broke barricades around the Dikshit residence and demanded justice. Khanna's decision to send the case again to the State Review Board was followed by opposition by a section of the Sikh community. Kishori Lal, 48, a former butcher from Trilokpuri in East Delhi, was accused of stabbing several people to death in the neighbourhood during the riots. Kishori Lal was picked on grounds of good conduct by the jail authorities, who then approached the Sentence Review Board (SRB). The SRB recommended that he be released from jail and given a chance 'to reform himself'. H.S. Phulka, the lawyer ...
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Bhopal, Firing fresh rounds into the rival camp, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former deputy premier Lal Krishna Advani today alleged that lack of good governance during certain decades of the previous century prevented India from being the world's numero uno country. 'The nation is fortunate in having no dearth of true leaders,' the bigwig said while addressing a programme to felicitate local parliamentarian Kailash Joshi on the latter's completion of 50 years in the political arena. Wherever the BJP rules, the masses have the boon of good governance, he claimed while adding that Madhya Pradesh managed to exit the 'BIMARU' category. In the 20th century, the guidelines of certain personages -- such as Swami Vivekananda -- were adopted by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh that is nothing less than man-making machinery, Mr Advani said while pointing out that he himself became part of an ideological family that lent him unique support along with his biological family. 'A photograph -- featuring (ex-prime minister) Atal Bihari Vajpayee, (former vice-president) Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and myself -- comes to mind. The picture was taken in the 50s but it is ...
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New Delhi, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil will flag off the 'Saakshar Bharat Yatra' from the Rashtrapati Bhawan here on Saturday. President Patil will flag off the 'Saakshar Bharat Yatra' at 11.30 a.m. on Saturday in the presence of Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal and Minister of State for Human Resource Development Dr. D. Purandeswari. A nationwide mobilization campaign is being organized by National Literacy Mission during February-March 2012 in collaboration with a Non-Government Organisation: Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti for promoting Saakshar Bharat Programme. A country wide 'jatha' will be organized covering 22 States, 180 districts, 1000 blocks, over 16,000 panchayats. The objectives of the Saakshar Bharat Yatra are to draw the attention of the entire country towards Saakshar Bharat Programme, to carry out a nationwide campaign for mobilization of public opinion and enthusiasm towards the importance and need of literacy and life long education, to conduct widespread 'Jan Vachan programmes' for refocusing the public mind on issues connected with literacy and lifelong education, to create a demand for a major rural reading and ...
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New Delhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader L K Advani on Monday said Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid should apologise to the Election Commission (EC) for violating its model code of conduct to woo Muslim voters amid the ongoing polls. Khurshid had found himself in the eye of a storm for speaking about Muslim reservation quotas during campaigning for the ongoing elections in Uttar Pradesh, coming under sharp criticism from both the EC and political opponents, including the BJP. Ensuring continuing pressure on the Law Minister from the opposition BJP, the party’s stalwart L K Advani said, “Salman Khurshid should apologise to the Election Commission and he should follow what they said.” “I congratulate the Election Commission. According to the law, 27 percent of reservations are there for OBCs. Law minister Salman Khurshid gave a statement which is totally wrong and they (Election Commission) censured him from speaking regarding reservations,” he said. Earlier, Khurshid met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday, reportedly to express his willingness to accept any disciplinary action, a day after the poll panel wrote a letter to President ...
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Allahabad, If you want to see me alive and hale and hearty and save from going to jail, vote for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in the assembly elections and inflict a crushing defeat on Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) candidates, said former minister and expelled BSP leader, Babu Singh Kushwaha while addressing a meeting in support of BJP candidates at Colonelgunj Inter College here on Saturday. Stating that during his political career spanning 27 years he did everything to facilitate BSP to power in the state, Kushwaha said that if the BSP and SP are really interested in the upliftment of backwards and OBC they would have never promised providing 9 and 18 percent reservation to Muslims.This amounts to appeasement and erosion of existing OBC quota of 27 percent reservation in jobs. Accussing BSP ministers of plotting to frame him in false cases he said that had I not received the support of Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) at this crucial juncture, my fate would have been disastrous. Taking a swipe at BSP supremo, Mayawati for ignoring the interest of backwards, he said that she was only interested in taking care of her cadre votes.Moreover when I tried to raise the voice ...
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Gorakhpur/Badaun, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh has criticised Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lal Krishna Advani for raising the contentious Ram temple- Babri mosque row before the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Addressing a public meeting here, Singh said: "First we want to know what happened to the funds that were generated in the name of building the temple? You always raise the issue of mosques and temples in order to create communal tension. You have brought insult to your community by spreading fear." "The BJP used to raise the slogan- we don''t say that all Muslims are militants but why is that all militants are found to be Muslims? But now things are clear. Mr. Advani I want to know that all Hindus are not militants but why is it that all people involved with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are caught in militancy related incidents," Singh added. Referring to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, Digvijay Singh said: "You (Mayawati) are no longer a daughter of the Dalits, you have become the daughter of Daulat (wealth). " What have you done for the poor here? In Lucknow you got stone elephants constructed worth 10 million dollars ...
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New Delhi, The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday said the administrative structure of the UPA-II (United Progressive Alliance) government has collapsed. Reacting after the Supreme Court questioned the government's decision to reject army chief Gen V.K. Singh's plea to officially correct and change his year of birth, BJP leader Balbir Punj demanded a clarification from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "It shows that the administrative system of UPA-II has collapsed," Punj told reporters here. "The Indian Army, of which all Indians are proud, has been totally unpolitical and is known as a model, professional army. The government was not able to solve this controversy on its own level. Hence, the issue was raised in the Supreme Court which also has now busted the government's claims,” he said. “But the government is so shameless that it will not be embarrassed by this either. The prime minister should tell the nation why the controversy reached this level," added Punj. In his plea, General Singh has asked that his date of birth be restored to May 10, 1951, from May 10, 1950. The Supreme Court Friday said the entire matter involving the army chief was ...
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New Delhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari hoisted the tricolour on Thursday on the occasion of India's 63rd Republic Day, and called upon the nation's citizens to unite and work for the country's social and economic growth. "I agree that today is an important day in the history of India's independence. All of us should unite and fight for social and economic justice. I feel that we should pledge to make our country free from fear, hunger, terror and corruption and in order to make our country prosperous and powerful, people from all castes, creed and religion must unite and work together and on the occasion of Republic Day, I congratulate the people of this nation," said Gadkari. He added that it was wrong for politicians to play the caste card with the motive of garnering votes during the elections. Gadkari stated that the members of the drafting committee of the Constitution laid down certain clauses to be followed by the nation with an aim to ensure that people from all religions live in peace and harmony. "If we go according to the Constitution, then only it is correct. Like our Constitution says that reservation on the basis of religion ...
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Roorkee, Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government for not utilising the funds sent by central government, during her campaign in poll bound Uttarakhand's Roorkee city. "The state government has betrayed people of Uttarakhand for the past couple of years," Gandhi said. She blamed that the state government has not properly utilized the funds sent by central government. Gandhi urged the people of Uttarakhand to vote in favour of the Congress and help in 'developing' the north Indian state. She is scheduled to address another election rally at Uttarakhand's Tehri city. Uttarakhand will go to polls on Jan ...
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