The White House asked Pakistan to immediately end “support” and “safe haven” to all terror groups as it strongly condemned the Pulwama terrorist attack.
Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) has claimed responsibility for the attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Thursday that left at least 37 personnel dead and many critically wounded.
“The United States calls on Pakistan to end immediately the support and safe haven provided to all terrorist groups operating on its soil, whose only goal is to sow chaos, violence, and terror in the region,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a late night statement on Thursday.
“This attack only strengthens our resolve to bolster counterterrorism cooperation and coordination between the United States and India,” she said in a strongly-worded statement issued by the White House.
On the eve of Valentine’s Day, just a few weeks before the crucial 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the surprise support of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav to Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday in the Parliament created enough hoo-ha in the political forum. Former Samajwadi Party chief senior Yadav praising Narendra Modi and wishing to see him back as the Prime Minister while junior Yadav a.k.a. current President of Samajwadi Party and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav is in an alliance with Mayawati’s BSP with an aim to defeat the BJP, came across as a probable jolt for the SP-BSP Gathbandhan in the state. Uttar Pradesh plays a key role in the government formation at the centre with the highest number of 80 Lok Sabha seats. At this climacteric period of Indian politics, it is believed by many that Yadav’s comments can result in votes being drifted away from the alliance.
Samajwadi Party’s Maharashtra unit Chief Abu Azmi spoke to Afternoon Voice and called Mulayam’s statement ‘a joke’. He expressed, “It was the last day of the Parliament and Mulayam Singh Yadav appreciating PM Narendra Modi was nothing but a joke. Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav is in an alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to avoid the splitting of votes and knock out BJP in the next polls. The SP-BSP alliance is strong and there won’t be any negative impact on the partnership.”
In like manner, BSP MLA Surajpal Singh asserted, “Mulayam Singh Yadav gave an emotionally-driven statement as it was the end of the 16th Lok Sabha session. I don’t think there will be any loss to the BSP-SP alliance in the upcoming polls.”
The veteran SP leader was addressing the Lok Sabha on the final day of the Budget Session of the Parliament and congratulated the Prime Minister saying, “He has tried to take everybody along. I want to say that all members must win and come again and Narendra Modi Ji should become the Prime Minister again”. While the head of the government acknowledged his sentiment with folded hands, however, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi looked perplexed sitting next to him. It was the last Parliament session before the general elections and PM Modi in his farewell speech marked the moment noting Yadav’s praises for him as “blessings” when he took the floor to deliver his speech and said, “There is much to do and Mulayam Singh Ji has given his blessings. I am very grateful to him.”
At a time when all opposition parties across the nation are gearing up with last minute preparation for the Lok Sabha polls with efforts to forge an anti-BJP alliance or with respective formulas to defeat the saffron party, 79-year-old Mulayam’s softer tone for the ruling party draw massive applause from the BJP members both in the house and outside; posters were put up in Lucknow thanking Yadav and one of those read, “Thank you Mulayam Singh Yadav, today you reiterated the wish of 125 crore Indians in the Lok Sabha.”
BJP MP Rajendra Agrawal commented, “Everyone is talking about the SP-BSP alliance but the Gathbandhan is lousy, weak, and it is powerless. It is not going to impact the mandate for BJP.”
He went on adding, “Mulayam Singh is a matured politician who has a deep understanding of Uttar Pradesh politics. He stated that PM Modi has done a good job for the nation and he wants Modi to become the Prime Minister of India again. He congratulated Modi not once but thrice. BJP is aiming to win all the seats in the state and I am sure that we will form the government at the centre again with the blessings of Mulayam Singh Yadav.”
Commenting on Mulayam Singh Yadav’s comment, UP CM Yogi Adityanath said, “This is the truth, and the truth always triumphs. What Mulayam Ji said in the Parliament is the truth, and I think that like Mulayam Ji, his son (Akhilesh Yadav) should also accept this truth.” Contradicting senior Yadav, Congress President Rahul Gandhi was quoted, “I disagree with him. But Mulayam Singh Yadav has a role in politics and I respect his opinion.”
“Yadav has given a shocking statement! The BSP and SP talk about Secularism and Mulayam Singh giving such statements is absolutely wrong. Yadav praising the PM has made the Dalit and Muslim voters in Uttar Pradesh angry,” stated Congress MLA Varsha Gaikwad. “Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi’s Lucknow rally shows how powerful Congress is in Uttar Pradesh. On one hand, Akhilesh Yadav and BSP is asking for secular votes, and on another hand, Mulayam Singh Yadav is supporting BJP and he might tie-up with BJP,” she added.
Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav bid a classy farewell by giving due respect to the members of the house and to the stature of the Prime Minister of the country and in the process of upholding the honour and sanctity of the house is a quality only found in the seasoned politicians of the past. A lot of us are shocked at such a statement made in this age of polluted and mudslinging politics. Probably, all the leaders who are losing relevance in their states want Modi to come back. They include Nitish, Mulayam, and AIADMK leaders. Moreover, Mulayam responded a day after his son was attacked, praised Modi for his ill will act against his son, nothing else! This man fought all his life against the right-wing ideology; he becoming a saint all of a sudden and that too after the attacks on his son, tells all. He created a flutter in the Lok Sabha when he said that he wished to see Narendra Modi back as the Prime Minister, a sentiment acknowledged by the BJP leader with folded hands. Mulayam Singh Yadav’s comment may not please his son Akhilesh Yadav, one of the main players in efforts to forge a grand opposition coalition to take on PM Modi and the BJP in the upcoming national election. Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh, in a jaw-dropping departure from the opposition chorus and his own party line during speeches, marked the last sitting of the current Lok Sabha before the national election. His supporters swore that it was all in humour, but his comments didn’t fail to raise the eyebrows.
The Yadav father and son have not been in the best of terms over the past two years, during which Akhilesh, 45, staged a coup and took over control of the party founded by his father. Despite the strain, Mulayam Singh chose to remain by his son’s side as his younger brother Shivpal Yadav broke away and set up a rebel outfit. Aparna Yadav, the younger daughter-in-law of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, has said that there are speculations that she might join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which were triggered after her back-to-back meetings with Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Aparna and her husband Prateek Yadav, the younger son of Mulayam, first met Adityanath two days after he became the Chief Minister. However, then the couple was seen with the CM during his cow shelter visit in Lucknow. This bahu was the Samajwadi Party’s candidate from the Lucknow Cantonment constituency and lost the election to Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Rita Bahuguna Joshi. Aparna said that she was caught in the crossfire during the Yadav family feud or else she would have won. Before her, all others — Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav, Akshay Yadav, and Shivpal Yadav — began their political career generally through a by-poll from the family’s pocket borough seats. Mulayam and his entire family are in active politics of Uttar Pradesh. However, in the recent past, the two generations had got rift within.
On December 30, 2016, Mulayam Yadav expelled his son Akhilesh and his cousin Ram Gopal from the party for six years on the grounds of indiscipline, only to revoke the decision 24 hours later. Akhilesh, in response, stripped his father off the party presidency and instead named him the chief patron of the party following the national convention of the party on January 1, 2017. Mulayam termed the national convention as illegal and directly expelled his cousin, Ram Gopal Yadav, who had convened the national executive convention. However, the Election Commission of India ruled that Ram Gopal Yadav had the right to convene that executive convention, and reversed Mulayam’s order. Hence, Akhilesh Yadav officially became the new National Leader of the party, dumping his father aside.
Akhilesh is the son of Mulayam’s first wife; however, Prateek is from his second wife. Shivpal Yadav is the real brother of Mulayam Singh and Ram Gopal is the cousin of senior Yadav. Shivpal and Mulayam are on one side while Ram Gopal and Akhilesh on the other. Now comes the fight, it is just because everyone wants to hold power in the party. Shivpal and Mulayam claim that they had created the party so they should hold the power; on the other hand, Akhilesh being the CM wants to take decision on its own, as in spite of being the CM of UP, he was not able to take decisions by his own due to the compulsions by these people. So, within the party, there are two schools of thoughts, which are not matching. One wants another candidate to contest election while others want another group of candidates. Mulayam’s group believes that they can win the election by gundaraj and other things for which SP is known for while Akhilesh wants to change the image and wants to choose candidates with a clean image and the ones who will work for the development.
The fight started way back in June 2016 when Akhilesh Yadav scrapped off some cabinet ministers who were close to Mulayam Singh Yadav and appointed more capable ones. Mulayam Singh Yadav’s brother Shivpal Singh Yadav is also very close to Mulayam and wasn’t very happy with Akhilesh holding the CMs position. Shivpal’s distance from Akhilesh was seen several times when he criticised him in several press conferences. Soon, Akhilesh gained popularity because of his developmental policies and ignored his uncle and father’s intervention in his work. Mulayam too was seen speaking against his son in the press. This led to the formation of a rift between Akhilesh and his father.
Mulayam Singh Yadav is the founder of the Samajwadi Party. He served for three non-consecutive terms as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 1989 to 1991, 1993 to 1995, and 2003 to 2007 respectively and also served as the Minister of Defence of India from 1996 to 1998 in the United Front government. He currently serves as the Member of the Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Azamgarh, and this was his last speech. Groomed by the leaders such as Ram Manohar Lohia and Raj Narain, Yadav was first elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh in 1967. Yadav served eight terms there. He first became a state minister in 1977. Later, in 1980, he became the President of the Lok Dal (People’s Party) in Uttar Pradesh, which became a part of the Janata Dal (People’s Party) afterward. In 1982, he was elected leader of the opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and held that post until 1985. When the Lok Dal party split, Yadav launched the Krantikari Morcha party.
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Union minister Ramdas Athawale Thursday said the BJP would win around 260 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and Narendra Modi will once again become the prime minister of the country.
Replying to a query on whether he would like to see Union minister Nitin Gadkari or Narendra Modi as the next PM, Athawale said since the BJP will fight the 2019 polls under Modi’s leadership, the latter should get the opportunity.
“Nitin Gadkari is a very good friend of mine, but Narendra Modi will become the next prime minister. Gadkari is a very active minister in the union cabinet. But for now, Modi will become the prime minister…Let’s see what happens after five years,” Athawale told reporters.
“Now, elections will be fought under the leadership of Narendra Modi, and hence he should get the opportunity. After that, if Nitin Gadkari’s name comes up then it is well and good,” the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment said.
He said conditions were favourable for the BJP and it will win around 260 seats.
“As per our analysis, even if there is a loss of around 15-20 seats in Uttar Pradesh, BJP’s seat tally will increase in the North East. The party will also do good in Mamata’s West Bengal, where Communists and Congress are not that strong any more,” he said.
“There will be a close fight between Mamata (Banerjee’s TMC) and the BJP. Similarly, Nitish Kumar and BJP’s alliance will get good seats in Bihar. I think even if there will be some reduction and increase in the number of seats at some places, we will win the 2019 elections,” he said.
The BJP had won 282 seats out of 543 in the 2014 parliamentary election.
He observed that there was no “agreement” among the constituents of the proposed ‘mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance) and there were a number of aspirants for the post of prime minister in it.
When asked whether Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav praised Narendra Modi as his son Akhilesh Yadav has joined hands with BSP chief Mayawati, Athawale said, “Perhaps Mulayam Singh did not agree with Akhilesh’s decision of going with Mayawati with whom Mulayam Singh had huge differences.”
“That’s why he said his ‘mann ki baat’ (straight from the heart) in the Lok Sabha. By appreciating Narendra Modi, Mulayam Singh has brought the truth before the people of the country. The alliance between Mayawati and Akhilesh won’t affect the BJP much in the elections,” he said.
Indrani Mukerjea may be called to appear in-person in Delhi’s Patiala House Court on hearing on her plea to become a witness in the INX Media case.
The next date of hearing in the case is February 28.
Indrani Mukerjea, the former head of INX Media, had filed the plea as she was ready to turn an approver.
Mukerjea has been lodged at Mumbai’s Byculla jail since her arrest in 2015 for her alleged involvement in her daughter, Sheena Bora’s murder case.
Last year, Indrani gave her confessional statement in a Delhi court in connection with the INX Media case and later sent a letter stating to become an approver in the matter.
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and son Karti are accused in the INX Media case.
On February 3, the Union Law Ministry granted sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to prosecute Chidambaram in connection with the matter, according to Law Ministry sources.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing the role of Chidambaram in the INX Media money laundering case for giving a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to the group in 2007.
The ED probe so far showed that for the FIPB approval, INX Media directors Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea met the senior Congress leader so that there was no delay in their application.
The probe agency has attached properties worth Rs 54 crore belonging to Karti, and a firm in the case. It has also attached properties belonging to the Mukerjeas in regard to the same case.
Social activist Anna Hazare was Thursday admitted to a hospital here after complaining of weakness due to lack of blood supply to his brain, doctors said.
Hazare, 81, last week broke his week-long fast over his demand for appointment of anti-corruption watchdogs.
“Anna is suffering from weakness and other health issues due to lack of blood supply to his brain,” Dr Bapu Kandekar, who examined the activist, said.
Hazare, who lives in Ralegan Siddhi village in Ahmednagar district, complained of some health problems and was brought here in the morning, his aide said. He underwent an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan at a diagnostics centre here.
He was later admitted to a private hospital here as suggested by doctors, Hazare’s aide Shyam Asawa told agencies.
Hazare has been suffering from neurological problems for the last two days, Asawa said.
The anti-corruption crusader had begun his fast on January 30 and called it off on February 5 after a marathon meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and two Union ministers at his village.
He lost almost 5 kg weight during the agitation.
The activist has sought appointment of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states where such statutory anti-corruption watchdogs do not exist, and resolution of farmers issues.
He has also been demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations on ways to address agrarian distress, besides electoral reforms.
Telecom operator Bharti Airtel Thursday said it has upgraded the 4G network in Mumbai, with the deployment of ‘LTE 900 technology’ that will enhance indoor network coverage and improve network experience for customers.
With the roll-out of 4G in the superior 900 MHz spectrum band, Airtel’s mobile network “will get additional high-speed data capacity to serve its customers”, the company said.
“More importantly, given the high propagation and reach of the 900 MHz spectrum, Airtel smartphone customers will enjoy improved 4G availability inside buildings – homes, offices, and malls. It will also result in wider availability of Airtel 4G across Mumbai,” it added.
Airtel has over 8.4 million customers in Mumbai. The company has announced it will expand the network in Mumbai by rolling out 7,000 new mobile broadband sites and 400 Kilometres of the fresh optical fiber during 2018-19 under its network transformation program Project Leap.
Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Minister Mahadev Jankar, whose Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) is an ally of the ruling BJP, said on Thursday that he would contest the Lok Sabha election either from Baramati or Madha seat in the state on his party symbol.
Jankar said he would make an announcement about the constituency on February 24 when the RSP will hold a mega convention in Mumbai to show the party’s “strength” ahead of the polls.
He said during the event, his party would also reiterate its demand for reservation for the Dhangar (shepherd) and Muslim communities.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will inaugurate the convention, Jankar told reporters here.
RPI(A) chief Ramdas Athawale and Shiv Sangram leader Vinayak Mete, whose parties are allies of the ruling BJP, will also attend the convention, he said.
Jankar said he has demanded six seats – Baramati, Madha, Parbhani, Hingoli, Amravati and North East Mumbai – for the Lok Sabha elections.
“I am aware that my party’s demand for six seats will not be accepted, but I would be happy with Baramati and Madha. We will contest on our own party symbol and remain an ally of the NDA,” he said.
On the issue of reservation for Dhangars, he said, “We had promised that a decision on it will be taken in the first Cabinet meeting of the BJP-led state government. But, we were unaware of the technical and constitutional details. The issue of granting quota to Dhangars under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category is the jurisdiction of the Centre,” he said.
Jankar said the RSP would also demand the Bharat Ratna for social reformers Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule.
He refused to comment on BJP president Amit Shah’s remark that ‘lotus’ (the saffron party’s symbol) would bloom in Pune’s Baramati constituency, the bastion of NCP chief Sharad Pawar and his family.
He also declined to respond to a question on Pawar’s announcement that NCP workers want him to contest from Madha seat in Solapur district.
“Pawar is a big leader. It is up to him to decide from where to contest…I don’t think NCP will last for long as a party,” he said, without elaborate further.
Jankar also said that the proposed alliance between the NCP and Raj Thackeray-led MNS was “not digestible”.
“The alliance will be among the leaders and not workers,” he said.
NCP leader Ajit Pawar had on Tuesday advocated a tie-up with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for the Lok Sabha elections.
He had met Thackeray on Wednesday and later told reporters that the decision on alliance with the MNS would be taken by “senior leadership” of the NCP and Congress.
Jankar had unsuccessfully contested against NCP’s Supriya Sule from the Baramati Lok Sabha seat in 2014. Prior to it, he had lost to Sharad Pawar in the constituency.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti condemned the killing of at least 18 CRPF personnel in a terrorist attack in Pulwama district on Thursday.
The CRPF personnel were killed when a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the bus they were travelling in.
“Terrible news coming from the valley. A number of CRPF soldiers are reported to have been killed & injured in an IED blast. I condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. My prayers for the injured & condolences to the families of the bereaved,” Abdullah tweeted.
The vehicle was blown up on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in the district’s Awantipora area. “Disturbing news coming in from #awantipura. Twelve of our security personnel have been martyred and several have been injured. No words are enough to condemn the gruesome terror attack. How many more lives will be snuffed out before this madness ends?” Mehbooba tweeted.
Several other mainstream politicians took to social media to condemn the attack. However, People’s Conference leader Imran Ansari said that it’s very sad news coming from Lethpora, any form of killing must be condemned by one and all.
The casualties are likely to go up. Several people were injured in the terror attack, which reduced the bus to a mangled heap of iron. However, the officials said that The Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibility for the incident.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mourned the death of CRPF jawans at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir in a terrorist attack on Thursday.
“Saddened that 13 CRPF jawans became martyrs today in Pulwama. We salute our brave jawans and extend our solidarity and condolences to their families. Our prayers for those injured. We wish them a speedy recovery”, she said in a tweet.
Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress chief, is away in New Delhi, where she went to attend the opposition parties meeting convened by the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, the last day that the present Lok Sabha met, and to discuss with them the strategy to oust the Modi government in the coming Lok Sabha polls.
According to latest reports, at least 18 CRPF personnel were killed as a explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the bus carrying the jawans in J&K on Srinagar-Jammu highway in Awantipora area of Pulwama district. However, terror group JeM claimed responsibility for the incident, officials said.
Police have identified the terrorist as Adil Ahmad from Kakapora in Pulwama. He joined the Jaish-Mohammed in 2018, police said.
On the eve of Valentine’s Day, just a few weeks before the crucial 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the surprise support of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav to Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday in the Parliament created enough hoo-ha in the political forum. Former Samajwadi Party chief senior Yadav praising Narendra Modi and wishing to see him back as the Prime Minister while junior Yadav a.k.a. current President of Samajwadi Party and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav is in an alliance with Mayawati’s BSP with an aim to defeat the BJP, came across as a probable jolt for the SP-BSP Gathbandhan in the state. Uttar Pradesh plays a key role in the government formation at the centre with the highest number of 80 Lok Sabha seats. At this climacteric period of Indian politics, it is believed by many that Yadav’s comments can result in votes being drifted away from the alliance.
Union minister Ramdas Athawale Thursday said the BJP would win around 260 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and Narendra Modi will once again become the prime minister of the country.
Indrani Mukerjea may be called to appear in-person in Delhi’s Patiala House Court on hearing on her plea to become a witness in the INX Media case.
Social activist Anna Hazare was Thursday admitted to a hospital here after complaining of weakness due to lack of blood supply to his brain, doctors said.
Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Minister Mahadev Jankar, whose Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) is an ally of the ruling BJP, said on Thursday that he would contest the Lok Sabha election either from Baramati or Madha seat in the state on his party symbol.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti condemned the killing of at least 18 CRPF personnel in a terrorist attack in Pulwama district on Thursday.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mourned the death of CRPF jawans at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir in a terrorist attack on Thursday.