The Indian Panorama

Tag: Indian National Congress @INCIndia

  • CBI registers FIR against UK-based arms dealer in Embraer deal

    CBI registers FIR against UK-based arms dealer in Embraer deal

    NEW DELHI (TIP): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a First Information Report (FIR) against a UK-based arms dealer for allegedly taking kickbacks worth over USD 5.70 million from Brazilian company Embraer in the 2008 three-aircraft deal.

    CBI sources said a case has been registered against a UK based NRI whose named had also figured in another defence deal probed by the agency.

    They said the kickbacks were allegedly paid in 2009 through subsidiaries of Embraer via a Singapore based company which is owned by the middleman.

    It is alleged that the payoffs were routed through Austria and Switzerland.

    They said the agency, which had registered a preliminary enquiry in September, has converted it into a regular FIR as enough prima facie material has been found by it to proceed in the case.

    The deal for three aircraft which were to be used by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for air-borne radar systems was inked in 2008 with Embraer.

    A Brazilian newspaper had alleged that the company had taken the services of middlemen to clinch deals in Saudi Arabia and India. According to defence procurement rules of India, middlemen are strictly barred in such deals.

    Leading Brazilian newspaper ‘Folha de Sao Paulo’ had reported that the company allegedly paid commissions to a UK-based defence agent to finalise the deal with India. DRDO had purchased three aircraft from the company in 2008 and customized them for serving air-borne radar system known as airborne early-warning and control systems or AWACS for the Indian Air Force. The company has been under investigation by the US Justice Department since 2010 when a contract with the Dominican Republic raised the Americans’ suspicions, the report said.

    Since then, the investigation has widened to examine business dealings with eight more countries.

    After the PE was registered, Embraer had issued a statement saying, “Since 2011, Embraer has publicly reported that it has been conducting an extensive internal investigation and cooperating with the authorities on investigations regarding alleged violations of the FCPA.

    “The company voluntarily expanded the scope of the investigation, systematically reporting the progress of the case to the market. “

    “The company is not party of the legal proceedings in Brazil. Therefore, it does not have access to the information contained therein,” it had said.

  • PM Modi profiteering from blood spilt by soldiers, says Rahul

    PM Modi profiteering from blood spilt by soldiers, says Rahul

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Oct 6 unleashed a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of “profiteering” from the soldiers who have given their blood for the nation.

    “Aap kar kya rahe ho jo hamare jawan hain, jinhone khoon diya hai, jinhone Jammu and Kashmir mei apna khoon diya hai, jinhone Hindustan ke liye surgical strike kiya hai, unke khoon ke peeche aap chhupe huye ho. (What are you (PM) doing? Our soldiers have given their blood in Jammu and Kashmir, carried out surgical strikes for India, you (PM) are hiding behind their blood),” he said.

    “Aap unki dalali kar rahe ho. Ye galat hai (PM is profiteering from the soldiers. This is wrong.),” Gandhi said, winding up his 26-day Kisan Yatra across poll-bound Uttar Pradesh in Delhi.

    Gandhi’s remarks came six days after he had praised the PM over the surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC).

    “I want to thank him (PM) because for the first time in two-and-a-half years he has taken an action that is of the stature of PM,” he had said while addressing a public meeting at Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh.

    This was a rare occasion when Gandhi publicly praised Modi. But on Thursday evening, Gandhi was in an attacking mode.

    “The Indian army has done its job for the country, you do yours now. Increase their (soldiers) pay in the 7th pay commission,” he told the PM.

    Reacting shar ply to the Congress leader’s comment, BJP secretary Sidharth Nath Singh said, “Rahul Gandhi’s statement is a new low in Indian politics. It is not only condemnable but highly irresponsible coming from a vice-president of the Congress party which fought for Independence. It also proves that what Sanjay Nirupam had said two days back had Rahul Gandhi’s backing and, therefore, no action has been taken against him. Congress and other political parties may be nervous because of courage and will power shown by Modi government in backing armed forces’ decision to go for surgical strikes across LoC… Rahul Gandhi has done surgical strike on his party.”

    The much-publicised Indian army operation across the LoC is turning into a political slugfest, with the opposition asking the Modi government to furnish evidence to call “Pakistan’s bluff ”. Upcoming elections in five states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab, are widely believed to be the reason why the opposition parties are asking for proof but couching it as a must to quash Pakistan’s propaganda.

  • Now, Sidhu’s front waiting for invite from AAP, Congress

    Now, Sidhu’s front waiting for invite from AAP, Congress

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): After playing hardball with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress, cricketer-turned-politician and Awaaz-e-Punjab leader Navjot Singh Sidhu is now waiting for an invite from both.

    Sidhu held yet another meeting with his teammates —independent MLAs Simarjeet and Balwinder Bains and Pargat Singh — in Delhi on Thursday.

    Simarjeet said after the meeting that they are waiting for an alliance with the AAP or the Congress. “Our front has made it clear that we will not divide the anti-incumbency vote against the ruling SAD-BJP government. We are waiting for reaching an understanding with either the AAP or Congress,” he said.

    The Congress leaders said no meeting was held on Sidhu between party vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh.

    “We are not in talks with Sidhu so there was no question of holding a meeting on the issue,” Congress Punjab affairs in-charge Asha Kumari said. Party’s Punjab leaders were in Delhi on Thursday to welcome Rahul who returned from his month-long “kisan yatra” in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.

    Sidhu’s forum is finding itself in a piquant situation vis-à-vis both the AAP and Congress. The AAP is not willing to buy Sidhu’s bait after burning its fingers last time when he held meetings with party leaders, but was not happy with the deal.

    MAKE ALL FOUR JOIN CONGRESS: BAJWA

    Leaving the final decision to the Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa on Thursday advocated taking Navjot Sidhu, Pargat Singh and Bains brothers into the party fold. Contrary to this, state Congress chief captain Amarinder Singh was wary and had shown reluctance to make the four join the party.

    “In the forthcoming polls, every single vote and every candidate in poll fray will matter, so my advice is to take decision wisely,” suggested Bajwa, saying he will also take it up with the party high command.

  • Out of BJP crease, Sidhu dangles his bat before Cong, AAP

    Out of BJP crease, Sidhu dangles his bat before Cong, AAP

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu is back in the game of hitting sixes. As if political fronts coming up in Punjab are not enough to tie voters in knots, the former BJP MP is giving a new spin to state politics every week.

    The latest from Sidhu’s not even one-month-old forum, Awaaz-e-Punjab, is a tie-up bait thrown to both the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress. The Awaaz forum has set a condition for the Congress — any alliance is only possible minus its state chief Captain Amarinder Singh, who, the forum says, has been in “cahoots with the ruling Badals”.

    Is Sidhu not able to make up his mind or is he a shrewd bargainer, who wants to extract the best deal? Many in the AAP and Congress have a third theory —he (Sidhu) is playing one against the other as his much-hyped forum has failed to gather political mass. No leader or workers from any party have joined his forum, which remains what it was when announced – a confused quartet.

    Though neither the AAP nor Congress have so far given an offer Sidhu cannot refuse, they are trying to catch him, not as much owing to his political equity, but his damage value if he joins the rival camp. Congress poll strategist Prashant Kishor is learnt to have told the party that Sidhu may dent the Congress prospects in Punjab if he goes the AAP way. And many in the AAP feel Sidhu can boost the Congress campaign to the detriment of the party.

    On Amarinder, Sidhu’s close aides say the bad blood between the two runs deep as the former Punjab CM had “played a negative role” in his conviction in a road rage death case by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in December 2006. “Contrary to Amarinder’s claims, his relations with Sidhu’s father, Bhagwant Singh, who was an advocate general in his government, were not cordial,” they say. But there could be more palace intrigues. A lobby within the Congress, which is opposing Amarinder being named as the CM face, is also backing Sidhu. At a time when Captain loyalists are raising the pitch to announce him as the CM candidate and the entire campaign is centred around him, Sidhu can queer the pitch for the state Congress chief.

    Though Amarinder had reacted sharply to the forum’s statement saying: “This game of playing one against the other will not work. Do they think Congress president will throw me out of the party so that they can ally with Awaaz-e-Punjab? They cannot disassociate me with the Congress.”

    Sidhu’s bouncers have also thrown the AAP in a tizzy. Its leaders HS Phoolka and Punjab convener Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi are batting for Sidhu but others like Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann have said the party cannot have poll alliances.

    Owing to his inconsistent utterances, Sidhu’s bargaining chip has lost much of its value. His shifting stance and ambivalence from a man who calls himself a “protector” of Punjab’s interests but remains incommunicado when he shoots his comedy shows in Mumbai, likes to engage the media in one-way communication through issuing statements and holding press conferences when back in New Delhi, and his meeting Congress and AAP leaders alternatively does not seem to be helping Punjab, Punjabi or Punjabiat, that Awaaz-e-Punjab proudly espouses.

     

    Source: HT

  • CAUVERY TALKS FAIL, UMA BHARTI SAYS SHE’LL FAST TO PREVENT UNREST

    CAUVERY TALKS FAIL, UMA BHARTI SAYS SHE’LL FAST TO PREVENT UNREST

    NEW DELHI (TIP): As a meeting convened by the Centre on the Cauvery issue failed to achieve any breakthrough, Union water resources minister Uma Bharti again appealed to both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for peace on the water sharing issue and said she may go on a hunger strike on the border of the two riparian states if there is any report of a fight between them.

    “I am ready to sit on hunger strike, if required, to maintain peace in both the states,” said Bharti after the marathon meeting that lasted for four hours. The attempt to resolve the deadlock in the meeting chaired by her failed with Tamil Nadu refusing to accept Karnataka’s proposal that an expert committee be sent to the river basin to assess water availability. Karnataka wants such visits to assess the ground situation before it releases water to Tamil Nadu as directed by the Supreme Court.

    Chief minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah and PWD minister of Tamil Nadu E K Palaniswamy along with senior officials of respective state governments attended the meeting. It was convened as per the direction of the Supreme Court. Bharti said delegation from both the states presented their views on the Cauvery water dispute. “I have noted the views expressed by both the states, which will be conveyed to the Supreme Court through the attorney general of India,” she said.

  • I AM AGAINST RSS IDEOLOGY, SAYS RAHUL GANDHI

    I AM AGAINST RSS IDEOLOGY, SAYS RAHUL GANDHI

    GUWAHATI (TIP): Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said here that he was opposed to the RSS ideology that intended to divide the country.

    After appearing in the court of the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) in a defamation suit filed against him by the RSS, the Congress vice-president said such cases wouldn’t deter him from continuing his fight for the interests of the downtrodden and suppressed.

    “I work for the suppressed, downtrodden, unemployed, poor farmers of the country. These cases are filed against me to prevent me from working for the weaker and deprived sections. But I will not be deterred by such designs,” he said.

    The CJM court here released Rahul on a bond of Rs 50,000 in a criminal defamation case filed against him by the RSS. The court has fixed November 5 as the next date of hearing. Counsel for the RSS, Bijon Mohajan, said the Congress vice-president did not apply before the court to spare him from personal appearance in the case during further hearing. Gandhi will be asked to submit his explanation of the offence during the next hearing.

    Gandhi appeared in the court at 10 am and came out at 10.45 am. The hearing was conducted amid tight security. Coming out of the court, Rahul drove to Rajiv Bhawan to address a meeting of party leaders, but not before he paid tribute to Swahid Kushal Konwar, a freedom movement martyr, at Nehru Park in front of the court premises.

    The case was filed against him by RSS member Anjan Bora because of Gandhi’s comment made against the RSS accusing the latter of conspiring to prevent him (Gandhi) from entering Barpeta Satra (a Vaishnavite monastery) in western Assam during his visit to the state in December 2015. Gandhi, however, had visited the monastery later in the day of his padayatra.

  • Congress too slams Nawaz Sharif

    Congress too slams Nawaz Sharif

    #Congress too slammed Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his Kashmir rant and glorifying terrorist Burhan Wani at the UN and said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj should give a strong and a befitting reply when she addresses the world body on Monday.

    The main opposition party said the government should build a strong and factual case for India in front of the International community and wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consult all political parties before deciding on “concrete and tangible steps” in the wake of the Pakistani onslaught.

    “Conspiratorial omission to Uri Attack in his speech is a public admission of guilt by Pakistan, of its direct involvement in this act of cowardice. There was nothing new in his address, except glorification of terrorists and extremism which Pakistan has adopted as ‘state policy’,” Congress’ chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said here.

    In “glorifying” a terrorist like Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Mujahideen commander who was killed in an encounter with security forces on July 8, Sharif only reiterated where his and his country’s sympathies and support lies, he added.

    “The international community must now understand fully that it is not only terrorists in Kashmir that Pakistan supports but its state policy is to provide an umbrella support and sustenance to all those who wreck havoc across the world, including in France, Bangladesh, USA,Britain and Belgium……,” he added.

    “We are confident that an already wary international community has seen through Pakistan’s vile designs”, he said.

    Surjewala ridiculed Sharif’s claim of an ‘intifada’ (uprising) in the Kashmir valley and said his “conspiratorial omission” to Uri Attack is a public admission of guilt.

    “In citing ‘intifada’ in Kashmir, Nawaz Sharif looks like that emperor who plays flute while his entire country, right from Khyber to Balochistan to Sindh is up in a violent intifada against his nation state,” the Congress leader said.

    Describing Pakistan as a ‘renegade state’ that has emerged as the ‘central processing unit’ (CPU) of global terror, he said in what has now become habitual, Sharif again invoked Kashmir at a multilateral forum, despite Pakistan being a signatory to the Shimla Accord.

  • Chaos in Punjab assembly, Cong MLA throws shoe at Majithia

    Chaos in Punjab assembly, Cong MLA throws shoe at Majithia

    CHANDIGARH (TIP): As curtains came down on the last assembly session of Punjab ahead of polls, it saw yet another first. After an unprecedented sit-in by Congress MLAs on the floor of the House for two nights, one of them hurled a shoe at the treasury benches over an alleged caste slur.

    Half of party’s 42 MLAs had continued the sit-in, started on Monday (Sept 12) evening after the no-trust vote moved by the party was defeated, through Tuesday (Sept 13) night. When the session began at 10 am on Wednesday, the opposition members were already in the well of the house shouting slogans. Assembly speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal first adjourned the House for 15 minutes and later suspended the question and zero hour and asked the ministers to table reports and bills. Amid the bill-passing spree, agitated opposition members continued shouting slogans and threw bills and paper planes at his chair calling him a “sarkari speaker” for not allowing a debate on the no-confidence motion.

    A huge posse of assembly marshals flanked the chairs of speaker and assembly secretary Shashi Lakhanpal Mishra to ward off the paper missiles. Amid the pandemonium, Congress MLA Tarlochan Singh Soondh hurled a shoe at the treasury benches. The shoe narrowly missed Punjab revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia, the brother-in-law of SAD president and Punjab Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal. After Majithia stood up and flashed the shoe before the house, Akali Dal and BJP legislators too left their seats. Both sides trained their guns at each other, plunging the house into utter chaos.

    As Majithia instructed assembly marshals to find out the MLA with a missing shoe, the Congress decided to walkout. But Majithia threw Soondh a dare and asked him to “own up” that he hurled the shoe. “The assembly marshals told me Soondh was not wearing shoes. After hurling it, he was standing and shouting slogans from the chair of leader of opposition Charanjit Singh Channi and left his other shoe there. But when they were staging a walkout, I asked Soondh to have the guts to own up that it was him,” Majithia later told HT.

    At 11.36 am, an hour-and-half after the session began, speaker Atwal adjourned the House sine die. Though many senior Congress leaders disapproved of the incident, the party decided to brazen it out and held a hurried press briefing to justify Soondh’s action. Flanked by party MLAs, Soondh admitted to throwing the shoe but claimed it was aimed at SAD MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha who “used expletives and insulted his community”.

    “Valtoha took my name in the House and said ‘ae ne chure, chamara da theka laya ae’ (has he taken responsibility of all churas and chamars in Punjab). I am a proud Dalit and could not tolerate this insult to my community and hurled a shoe at him,” Soondh said. Channi, also a Dalit from the Ravisdassia sect, added that “100 shoes will be hurled if anyone insults Dalits”.

    The Congress later held a mock session in the House and Soondh was made the “speaker”. Interestingly, at the mock session, Channi who had invited the wrath of the ruling benches by calling Badals “thugs”, spoke eloquently without using any offensive words till Congress MLA Jagmohan Kang raised a point of order and reminded him that he was forgetting the words he used inside. But the pun was not lost on senior Congress leaders who said on condition of anonymity that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had passed the baton of the assembly to “inexperienced” young leaders and they had little choice but to go by their decisions.

    Make video public: Valtoha to speaker

    The Akali Dal, too, lost no time to rebut Congress allegations. Soon after Congress media briefing, Valtoha denied abusing Soondh and claimed the assembly video recording would bear him out. He has written to the speaker to make the video public to “expose” the Congress. As is his wont, Valtoha went a step further and issued a statement accusing Congress MLAs of “drinking, eating non-vegetarian fare and singing and cracking jokes “ during their night stay. Congress MLAs Sukhjinder Randhawa and Tripat Bajwa too shot back asking Akalis to go to a gurdwara and say it under oath.

    Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh, in a statement, congratulated his party MLAs for

    “bringing Akalis on toes”. He said the he sit-in by the legislators helped in highlighting the issues for which the Congress had sought a debate and which was refused by the Speaker.

    “With an arrogant government and not an impartial speaker, our members were left with no option. This was the beginning of the final assault on the government,” he added.

  • Cong MLA’s shoes get Rs 50,000 price tag

    Cong MLA’s shoes get Rs 50,000 price tag

    Chandigarh: Congress MLA from Banga Tarlochan Singh Soondh would never have imagined how his worn-out pair of shoes would become a “prized” possession.

    A Canada-based news channel has reportedly offered Soondh Rs 50,000 if he could bring on their show the shoe allegedly hurled by him towards the Akali Dal legislators in the Vidhan Sabha, or even the one he did not throw.

    The MLA went back to the Vidhan Sabha this afternoon to get his shoes. Secretary Shashi Lakhanpal Mishra reportedly told him that the shoe that landed near Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia was a “case property”, while the other one was not in their possession.

    Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madan Mohan Mittal said while the shoe that fell near Majithia had been handed over to the Speaker’s office, he had no clue where the other one was.

    Soondh had claimed that he had hurled the shoe at Akali MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha over an alleged caste slur.

    The Treasury benches came to know about the shoe-hurler only when they noticed that Soondh had only   one shoe on. Sensing trouble, Soondh hid it near his seat. It was taken into possession by the watch and ward staff and its whereabouts are not known.

    Soondh admitted receiving calls from Canada-based news organisations. “They want to highlight the incident as a strong protest not just against Majithia, but against the government,” he said. Soondh walked barefoot yesterday and asked the CLP office secretary to arrange a pair of shoes. “They did buy me a new pair, but it was uncomfortable. Now I am looking for a new pair in the Sector 19 market,” he said.

  • Gandhi’s wake up after 26 years After, Finally a Visit to Ayodhya

    Gandhi’s wake up after 26 years After, Finally a Visit to Ayodhya

    After a gap of almost 26 years, a member of the Gandhi clan, Rahul Gandhi, visited Ayodhya.

    As part of his ongoing ‘Kisan Mahayatra’, the Congress vice-president visited the temple town on Sept. 9 and made a brief stopover at Hanumangarhi, a famous temple.

    He was closeted with the priest of the temple for over five minutes after which he came out and drove off to the circuit house, where he started his road show.

    The late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was scheduled to visit the temple in 1990 when he was on his ‘Sadbhavna Yatra’ to Ayodhya, but the program was called off at the last moment as he had to fly back to Lucknow and it was getting dark.

    Emerging out of the meeting, priest Mahant Gyan Das said Rahul had come like any other devotee.

    When asked if there was any discussion on the contentious issue of the Ram temple, the priest answered in the negative.

    Gandhi was slated to go to the Kichaucha Dargah Sharif at Ambedkarnagar in the evening to meet the farmers in Faizabad at Ramlila grounds in Poorabazaar.

    He would later spend some time with Dalits in a Dalit colony.

    This has been his routine in the last three days of the 2,500-km-long Yatra which is to take him, in a special modeled, air conditioned bus, to more than 223 assembly constituencies in the state.

    #UttarPradesh is scheduled to elect a new government early next year.

    #Congress has 28 legislators in the present assembly and a recent survey has predicted that the party would slip further in numbers.

    The party has hired election strategist Prashant Kishore to pep up the campaign and to secure a better outcome at the polls.

  • RSS defamation case: Stand by what I said, ready to face trial, says Rahul Gandhi

    RSS defamation case: Stand by what I said, ready to face trial, says Rahul Gandhi

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on September 1 told the Supreme Court that that he stood by his remarks blaming the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

    The Congress leader further said that he was ready to face a trial before a Maharashtra court which had issued a summons to him as an accused in the defamation case.

    Gandhi’s lawyer Kapil Sibal told the Supreme Court: “I stand by each and every word. I will never take my words back. I stood by it yesterday, I stand by it today and I will stand by it in future. I am ready to go to trial.”

    Rahul withdrew a petition before the apex court that had sought quashing of the defamation proceeding in a Maharashtra trial court.

    The bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman allowed the petition to be withdrawn but did not grant Rahul Gandhi an exemption from appearing before the trial court.

    When the matter came up before the bench, the counsel appearing for an RSS functionary who has filed the complaint, said he had instruction that the matter can be put to an end if Rahul gave another clarificatory statement that he never intended to say that RSS was behind the assassination.

    Senior advocate UR Lalit, appearing for the RSS functionary, submitted that such a statement was needed from Rahul, as in the last 60 years, whenever there was an election, Congress made an attempt to blame RSS for the killing of the Father of the Nation.

    “Whenever and wherever there is an election, RSS is maligned,” he said.

    Lalit also said if Rahul was not willing to express his bonafide saying he had not intended to accuse the RSS for the assassination, he could show that the sequence of his sentences used in the election rally were such that RSS was his target.

    However, the submission was opposed by Sibal who said the statement made by the opposite side was like a political speech and cannot be accepted by the apex court.

    As the bench was not inclined to entertain Rahul’s plea, Sibal said he preferred to withdraw the appeal filed by the Congress leader against the Bombay High Court judgement refusing to quash the case and summons issued to him by the trial court.

    The bench allowed his plea and declared the Special Leave Petition filed by Rahul as “dismissed as withdrawn”.

    The bench also said the trial court would go into the case without being influenced by any of the observations made by the apex court and the High Court during the various hearings before them.

    RSS activist Rajesh Kunte filed the defamation case against the Congress leader over his remarks at a 2014 election rally in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, that people associated with the RSS killed Mahatma Gandhi.

    On August 24, Rahul had told the Supreme Court that he had never blamed RSS as an institution for killing Mahatama Gandhi but persons associated with it were behind the assassination. On a subsequent day, Rahul said he stands by his comments and will never stop fighting the “hateful and divisive agenda” of the RSS.

    He buttressed his stand by citing paragraphs from his affidavit filed in the Bombay High Court, while challenging the summons issued to him as an accused for his alleged defamatory statement.

    Sibal cited the affidavit filed before the High Court and said that Rahul had only accused certain people of RSS and not the organisation as the killer of Mahatma Gandhi.

    The court had asked Lalit, appearing for Rajesh Mahadev Kunte, Secretary of Bhiwandi Unit of RSS and the complainant, to take instructions on the option of disposing of the matter.

    Lalit had informed the court that he would take instruction as to whether the statement, given in the affidavit, is taken on record, then the petition can be disposed of or not.

    Kunte, secretary of Bhiwandi unit of RSS, had alleged in his complaint that Rahul told in an election rally at Sonale on March 6, 2014 that the “RSS people killed Gandhiji”.

    The case is pending before a magisterial court in Bhiwandi in Maharashtra’s Thane district.

    He had alleged that the Congress leader had sought to tarnish the reputation of RSS through his speech.

  • Sonia Gandhi is back in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital

    Sonia Gandhi is back in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital

    Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has been admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital again for a medical check-up, two days after she was discharged following treatment for illness and a shoulder injury.

    She had visited the hospital yesterday for removal of her stitches from the surgery. Sources, however, on Thursday said she was admitted again last evening, for “routine” medical check-up.

    “At the time of her discharge from the hospital last week, doctors had said that she was likely to revisit the hospital for further evaluation of her condition. So, she is here for that,” a hospital source said.

    “She is likely to stay at the hospital for a couple of days,” the source said.

    Party sources also said she has been admitted again, and will be there for couple of days for a medical check-up.

    The 69-year-old leader was admitted to the hospital on August 3 after being taken ill during a roadshow in Varanasi. She was discharged on August 14 and doctors treating her at the hospital had then said she had recovered from her illness and injury to the left shoulder and was stable.

    “Mrs Gandhi is likely to visit the hospital for further evaluation of her condition in the coming week,” D S Rana, Chairman of Board of Management of the hospital, had said the day she was discharged.

    Gandhi was admitted under the care of Arup Basu, senior consultant, Department of Pulmonology and Chest Medicine and his team.

    She was operated upon for a shoulder injury by Prateek Gupta, senior consultant and his team from Department of Orthopaedics and Sanjay Desai from Mumbai.

    The Congress chief was shifted to the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital from the Army Research and Referral Hospital, where she was rushed soon after her arrival from Varanasi around midnight of August 2.

  • Beyond the Gandhinagar drama

    Beyond the Gandhinagar drama

    Eleven months ago this column had reflected on the long-term corrosion the Patels’ agitation for reservations had caused to the durability of the so-called Gujarat Model. Predictably, there was this familiar chorus of denunciation and denigration: how could anyone dare speak less than reverentially about Narendra Modi and his Gujarat? That ritual of abuse apart, it needs to be recalled that on August 25, 2015, a 22-year-old man named Hardik Patel had managed to mobilize a massive crowd, defiant and dismissive of the state government. This was the culmination of a months’ old agitation. The alarm bells were ringing loud and clear; only the deaf and the arrogant could not hear.

    Eleven months later, Gujarat has a new Chief Minister. This change of guard is deemed as a fire-fighting operation, dousing the fires of disarray and discontent in Gujarat. It was only two years ago that Anandiben Patel’s accession to the chief ministerial gaddi after the “Saheb” had moved to Delhi was being hailed as an inspired move. A woman Chief Minister. A first for Gujarat. A loyal lieutenant rewarded for loyalty through thick and thin. A true leader takes care of those who stand by him. And, much more. But then the 2015 Patel agitation happened. The very community that had sustained the BJP and its boorish – and, often violent – politics since the early 1980s, was now being contrarian. It was advertising to the whole world that it too had a grievance: economic prosperity had eluded it. Blasphemy. Suddenly the social and political precariousness of the much over-sold ‘vibrant’ Gujarat Model was visible to the naked eye. Without the Modi-Shah duo’s daily micro-management, the ‘vibrancy’ had lost its steam and all the hidden fault-lines stood exposed. Within two years the very ‘loyal’ Anandiben was demarched to make way for a colorless and mediocre man. Vijay Rupani is the new man, and perhaps the new scapegoat.

    In May 2014, we were told that Anandiben was the most trusted lieutenant. During these two years it was never suggested that she had even remotely tried to roll back any of the Modi initiatives. Indeed, this limited, taluka-level politician had fully downloaded in her politics all the Modi mantras and masquerades. It must be presumed that the Gujarat she inherited in May 2014 was economically vibrant, administratively super-competent, and politically immersed fully and wholeheartedly into the modernist project of ‘development.’ During 12 years of Modi raj, Gujarat had become a shining example of industrial prosperity and growth; the praja was at peace with itself and with the raja; harmony prevailed, and the Gujarati asmita was reclaimed and deepened.

    Gujarat, in fact, was deemed to be on auto-pilot of growth, prosperity and vikas. All that the good Anandiben had to do was to carry on pretending to be the Chief Minister. She was fortunate enough that the Prime Minister had both the time and the inclination to guide her. Yet, it became necessary that this loyal woman was asked to make way for another loyalist’s loyalist.

    Duplicity and double-crossing that attended the change of guard in Gujarat was chillingly ruthless. It needs to be argued that the installation of a new dummy in Gandhinagar is not a simple question of the BJP’s internal intrigue and infighting. It is much more than that. Could it be that if Anandiben fumbled and floundered, it was precisely because of the deleterious effect of Modi rule on the State’s governing institutions?

    Admittedly, it would be unfair to single out Narendra Modi for reducing Gujarat to a personal fiefdom. It is an unvarnished reality that all States, irrespective of the color of the ruling party, tend to get reduced to be a chief ministerial show. Tamil Nadu, Bengal, and, Odisha are prime instances of a chief minister dictating the tone and tenor of governance, often at variance with the constitutional norms and political conventions. In fact, almost all chief ministers do it, some do it bluntly and defiantly, others do it with some touch of sophistication; mercifully, some chief ministers are constrained to answer to a high command.

    To his credit, as Chief Minister, Modi defied the high command of his own party. He carved out for himself an autonomous zone of supremacy in Gujarat. The central writ – political and administrative – did not run in Gujarat, be it Vajpayee rule or the Manmohan Singh arrangement. During those 12 years Gujarat had been made to experience what, for want of a better term, can only be called vanzarafication of a presumably constitutional government. Ruthlessly loyal officers were relied upon and empowered to untie messy entanglements. Difficult customers were simply put away. Every single legal instrument of governance was made to bend to suit the whims and fancies of a single man. This model of command and control produced ‘results’ – and, the crony corporate India took the front row as the applauding chorus sang hosannas.

    Why then this sudden sense of disquiet, even panic? We are told the trigger for the ditching of a ‘loyalist’ was that very shameful incident at Una. As if that was the first time that the upper caste assertion was on display so crassly. Indeed that kind of barbaric behavior towards the Dalits should be no surprise to any BJP district-level leader. Indeed, the rise of the BJP in Gujarat since the early 1980s had very much hinged on such entrenched anti-Dalit attitudes. It was in the 1990s that anti-Muslim polemics and violence were used to commandeer the Dalits into the Hindutva tent. The very intensity and the benumbing brutality of the 2002 anti-Muslim riots further trapped the Dalits in this ‘inclusive’ model. That does not mean that the Dalits were accepted as social equals. Rural and semi-urban Gujarat remains a site of extensive and elaborate social discrimination.

    The only thing new about the Una violence is that it became available on the social media and it provoked a national hue and cry. The consternation among the BJP’s apologists is not because of an intrinsic unjustness but because the ‘expose’ has the potential of hurting the party’s electoral chances in Uttar Pradesh.

    The BJP may be animated by electoral calculations; but the flawed Gujarat Model is crumbling because of built-in redundancy. Narendra Modi’s very success at the national level has loosened up the anti-Muslim social coalition. The natural clamor for a piece of the pie is the very stuff of contested and competitive politics and social protests. The Dalit upsurge is as natural as is the Hindutva forces’ aggression; the vikas-centric jumala-baazi cannot contain for long social and economic contradictions. All said and done, governance is an essay in trust.

    (Harish Khare – The author is editor-in-chief of The Tribune group)

  • Sonia Gandhi recovering after shoulder operation

    Sonia Gandhi recovering after shoulder operation

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Congress president Sonia Gandhi underwent surgery on her dislocated left shoulder on August 4.

    She had collapsed during a rally in Varanasi on Wednesday .Such was the impact of her fall that the humerus, the largest bone in the arm, was fractured and dislocated.

    The operation was conducted by a team of doctors, including Sanjay Desai from Mumbai who recently operated on Shah Rukh Khan for a knee injury , and Prateek Gupta from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH).

    Sonia is recovering after the surgery and will soon be shifted out of the ICU, said Dr D S Rana, chairman, SG RH board of management. She is likely to be discharged in about a week, a hospital source said. It was an open surgery . Doctors made a small cut in the front of her shoulder and slowly moved the head of the humerus, which is like a ball, back to its position and fixed it using screw and plate,” said the hospital source, adding that theprocedure took nearly two hours. “Her health parameters are showing improvement,” Dr Rana said.

  • RAHUL MAY FACE TRIAL FOR ‘BLAMING’ RSS FOR MAHATMA GANDHI’S ASSASSINATION

    RAHUL MAY FACE TRIAL FOR ‘BLAMING’ RSS FOR MAHATMA GANDHI’S ASSASSINATION

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi may have to stand trial in a defamation case for blaming the RSS for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination after the Supreme Court on Tuesday told him, “You can’t make wholesale denunciation of an organisation”.

    The court’s observation came on Gandhi’s petition that has sought quashing of proceedings against him in a Maharashtra court.

    “There is a difference between Nathuram Godse killing Mahatma Gandhi and the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh) killing him,” a bench headed by justice Dipak Misra said, referring to the ideological parent of the BJP.

    “You must face trial, case must be decided on merits whether what you spoke was for public good or not.”

    Gandhi’s counsel sought to justify the remarks, arguing they were historical facts. “They are part of government records and also a judgment delivered by the Bombay high court,” senior advocate Harin Raval said.

    The court fixed July 27 as the next date of hearing, turning down the 46-year-old leader’s request to defer the case for two weeks as senior advocate Kapil Sibal was unavailable.

    “Let someone else argue the matter,” said the bench, also comprising justice RF Nariman. The Amethi MP was not present in the court.

    “Purpose of law is not to turn citizens into litigants, history is the biggest enemy of privacy,” the bench said, pointing that law couldn’t be misused even thought the court had upheld criminalisation of defamatory speech.

    Gandhi was one of the petitioners who had challenged the criminal defamation law.

    Senior advocate MN Krishnamani, counsel for complainant Rajesh Kunte, said his client would withdraw the case if Gandhi apologised for his remarks. Krishnamani had made a similar submission during the previous hearing.

    Gandhi has, so far, refused to apologies.

    An RSS activist, Kunte had in March 2014 filed a complaint against Gandhi in a Maharashtra court, alleging he had told an election rally that “RSS people killed Gandhiji”.

    The Congress leader had in May 2015 challenged the complaint in the Supreme Court.

  • Rishi Kapoor Attacks Congress for Naming National Assets After Gandhi Family

    Rishi Kapoor Attacks Congress for Naming National Assets After Gandhi Family

    In a series of tweets, actor Rishi Kapoor has attacked the practice of naming all the major assets of the country after Gandhi family members during the Congress rule.

    The 63-year-old veteran actor, who had in the recent past, been critical of the Saffron forces on issues like intolerance, picked on the Congress for his blast this time.

    Kapoor said the names of prominent places should be named after those who worked for the welfare of the country.

    “Change Gandhi family assets named by Congress. Bandra/Worli Sea Link to Lata Mangeshkar or JRD Tata link road. Baap ka maal samjh rakha tha? (Did they consider it family property?)

    “If roads in Delhi can be changed why not Congress assets/property ke naam? Was in Chandigarh wahan bhi Rajeev Gandhi assets? Socho? Why? (sic),” the actor tweeted.

    The “Kapoor and Sons” star said people from the film industry should also have buildings named after them.

    “We must name important assets of the country who have contributed to society. Har cheez Gandhi ke naam? I don’t agree. Sochna log!

    “Film City should be named Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar ya Amitabh Bachchan ke naam? Rajeev Gandhi udyog Kya hota hai? Socho doston!” he said.

    Kapoor said even Delhi’s international airport should be named after personalities like Bhagat Singh or Bhimrao Ambedkar.

    “Why Indira G airport International ? Why not Mahatma Gandhi or Bhagat Singh Ambedkar or on my name Rishi Kapoor. As superficial! What say?” he tweeted.

    The actor said his father, legendary actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor, has done more good to the country than any politician.

    “Raj Kapoor has made India proud over the years all over even after his death. Certainly more than what has been perceived by politics (sic),” he wrote.

    Actor Anupam Kher said Kapoor’s tweets are genuine thought.

    “Rishi Kapoorji has thought about it and I am sure a lot of people think about a lot of things that they put on social networking sites. It’s genuine thought. It is not necessarily against the particular family,” Kher said, adding that the achievements of other people should also be lauded.

    “Salutes to @chintskap for speaking the truth. The #Nehruisation of this country has to go. There is no different. between them & the Britishers,” said filmmaker and censor board member Ashoke Pandit.

  • AGUSTA SCAM: HAVE TO PROTECT GANDHIS TO PROTECT MYSELF, SAYS MIDDLEMAN

    AGUSTA SCAM: HAVE TO PROTECT GANDHIS TO PROTECT MYSELF, SAYS MIDDLEMAN

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Christian Michel, an accused in the VVIP chopper scam, said on Thursday that in a note he did describe Congress president Sonia Gandhi as the “driving force” behind the decision to buy helicopters for the use of politicians but clarified that his suggestion that she and other Congress leaders be lobbied by diplomats didn’t mean bribes were paid.

    “I have to protect the Gandhis to protect myself,” Michel said in an interview with NDTV. “I have to prove they are innocent to prove my innocence.”

    This came on a day when the CBI rejected his offer to depose via video-conferencing from the Indian consulate in Dubai. The investigating agency said on Thursday that Michel would have to come to India for questioning.

    In an interview with another news channel on Wednesday, Michel had offered to get “interviewed” from the Dubai consulate since he feared “getting arrested” on his arrival in India. “The CBI will take its probe in the VVIP choppers’ deal case to its logical conclusion. Christian Michel should join the probe in India,” an agency spokesperson said.

    On Thursday, the British national told NDTV that he visited India 180 times as he loved the country. He also spoke of his father’s connections with Congress leaders in 1980s but clarified that he had inherited neither his wealth nor his Congress connections. The alleged British middleman said he did not personally know Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi. He never met Sonia Gandhi or Ahmed Patel, he said.

    BJP MP Anurag Thakur had claimed that a senior Congress leader had flown to Dubai to meet Michel. But Michel denied that. Source: HT

  • KATRINA KAIF IDOLIZES INDIRA GANDHI

    KATRINA KAIF IDOLIZES INDIRA GANDHI

    Since recent times, Katrina Kaif has been in the news for her alleged breakup with Ranbir Kapoor. But now, she has made heads turn for something else. The gorgeous actress attended an event recently where women achievers were awarded. While interacting with the media, she said that the former Prime Minister of India, the Late Indira Gandhi is her inspiration and she looks up to her. When it comes to women from other countries, Katrina said that she admires Tennis superstar Serena Williams. The ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ actress also said that she believes that education can help attain the goal of gender equality. Needless to say, people present at the event were impressed by Kat’s thoughts.

    In a recent interview, the actress confessed that though she’d prefer to be in the news for her professional achievements and not her personal life, she’s more or less unperturbed by the unwanted attention. The actress also added that though she wishes she was in the lime light for her work, she doesn’t take speculation as an invasion of privacy. Now that’s a very mature way to deal with the drawbacks of stardom.

  • National Herald case: Supreme Court of India provides reprieve to Gandhis

    National Herald case: Supreme Court of India provides reprieve to Gandhis

    NEW DELHI (TIP): A Supreme Court bench of Justices J.S. Khehar and C. Nagappan granted Ms. Sonia and Mr. Gandhi exemption from making personal appearances before the Magistrate court, saying this would cause “more inconvenience than convenience”. However, the justices said. the trial proceedings should continue. The justices refused to quash criminal proceedings against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case but expunged all “firm conclusions” made by Delhi High Court about their criminal intent. “We will pass an order fair to all,” Justice Khehar said.

    The apex court however said it will not interfere or quash the trial proceedings. The court did not pay heed to senior advocates Kapil Sibal and A.M. Singhvi that BJP leader Dr. Subramanian Swamy had no locus standi to file a complaint of cheating and breach of trust as only an aggrieved person could do that.

    However, drama began on Thursday when senior advocate Kapil Sibal sought an assurance from a Bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice R. Banumathi that the Gandhis would be given an urgent hearing on February 12 itself.

    Mr. Sibal said BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who had filed the complaint in the case, is now saying he would not be available till February 19. This was when the next date of hearing before the trial court is February 20.

    Ms. Gandhi has urged the Supreme Court to recognize her “deep roots in the society” and quash the politically-motivated criminal proceedings before irreparable damage is done to her reputation. The accused Congress brass has asked the top court to stay the December 7, 2015 order of the Delhi High Court. The High Court had not only refused their request to stay the summons of the trial court but also went on to brand the case as “one of its kind where the probity of the legendary Congress party is under scanner.”

    The Single Judge Bench of Justice Sunil Gaur had observed in his 20-odd page order that it would be “preposterous” to deny criminality in transactions that, it feels, had left lakhs of citizens who donated to the party “cheated.”

    The High Court order led to the personal appearance of the accused leaders in the trial court, which had granted them unconditional bail.

  • Maneka Gandhi calls for mandatory fetal gender tests

    Maneka Gandhi calls for mandatory fetal gender tests

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Maneka Gandhi, the Women and Child Development minister of India said in a speech on Monday, Feb 1, that recording the sex of a fetus from the start of pregnancy and then monitoring its progress would be more effective than banning prenatal sex tests.

    Male babies are preferred in some regions of India, and abortions are sometimes carried out if families discover the sex is female. A 2011 study in the British medical journal The Lancet found that as many as 12 million girls had been aborted in the past three decades in India.

    Activists have described her suggestion as “shocking” and say legalizing the tests would only increase the problem.

    The tests are officially illegal in India in a policy designed to stop unborn girls being aborted by parents who would prefer a boy.

    “When a woman becomes pregnant it should be registered and that way you will be able to monitor right until the end whether she gave birth or not and what happened,” Gandhi said, during a speech in the western city of Jaipur.

    “Every pregnant woman should be compulsorily told whether it is a boy or girl.”

    Parents and doctors can be jailed for up to five years for requesting or conducting a prenatal sex test, but they are still thought to be widespread, particularly in impoverished rural areas.

  • Gandhi Samaj of Chicago Organized Second Annual Youth Career Planning Seminar

    Gandhi Samaj of Chicago Organized Second Annual Youth Career Planning Seminar

    CHICAGO, IL (TIP): “The world of work has been undergoing a metamorphosis, on account of the surging tide of liberalization, privatization, and globalization. As a result, existing careers are losing their sheen and new careers are cropping up, at a mind-boggling pace. This calls for systematic, scientific, and objective career planning by youth in order to ensure that the careers that they choose are in line with these global trends”, said Hitesh

    Gandhi, Executive Vice President, Gandhi Samaj of Chicago (GSC) in his welcome address at the Second Annual Youth Career Planning Seminar. The event was organized by the GSC at Poplar Creek Public Library 1405 Spark Ave Streamwood IL 60107 on January 31st2016 between 1:00 and 4: 00 PM.

    Continuing his address, Gandhi urged the students to consider their aptitude, debt that they are willing to carry, job prospects, and average expected salary before deciding on their majors. “It is of utmost importance to carefully consider the academic, financial, and social issues before zeroing in on the right college to pursue higher education”, he added.

    Neha Gheewala, a noted IT and Financial Auditor, said that graduates with accounting major have the highest percentage of job offers, followed by economics, computer science, and engineering. He advised students to equip themselves with a degree in accounting as well as such certifications as Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, Chartered Global Management Accountant, Certified Financial Manager, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Government Financial Manager, Certified Financial Planner, etc. in order to take a lion’s share of emerging career opportunities.

    Ashi Shah, a well-known Dentist, said that demand for qualified dentists, during 2014-’24, is expected to increase at the rate of 18%, when compared to a mere 7% in other occupations. He advised students to appear for Dental Admission Test to secure admission in a reputed School. He added that dentists can pursue higher education to become Orthodontist, Oral Surgeon, Periodontist, Prosthodontist, Endodontics, etc.

    Dipesh Gandhi, Clinical Risk Manager, AMITA Health Adventist Midwest Health, stated that entry into Law School requires a good score at the Law School Admission Test. He said that in order to practice law, law graduates must successfully sit for and pass the State Bar Examination. He added that Health Law, which calls for clinical and legal experience, is very specialized area which offers career opportunities in such areas as Medical Malpractice, Medical Malpractice Defense, Corporate Transactions, Managed Care, Fraud and Abuse, etc. Jay Gandhi, a professional Pharmacist, said that the increasing requirement for prescription medicines will lead to more demand for pharmacists in a wide range of settings, including Community Pharmacies, Hospitals, Pharmaceutical Industry, Government Departments, Academics, etc. He advised students to appear for Pharmacy College Admission Test in order to secure admission in a college of their choice.

    Hiren D. Ghayal, Youth Secretary, GSC said that a graduate degree in Clinical Psychology opens a number of doors in such fields as Teaching, Research, Assessment, Treatment, Consultation Services, Clinical Supervision, etc. “One can either establish his own private practice or find well-paying jobs in Mental Health Clinics, Healthcare Service Organizations, Hospitals, Schools, Universities, etc.”, he added.

    Rebecca Romero said that pursuing college education is a worthwhile proposition considering the fact that the median weekly earnings of those with bachelor degree and above was in the range of USD 1101-1591, whereas, it was as low as USD 668 for those with High School Diploma. She added that Illinois Student Assistance Commission’s Student Portal (http://www.studentportal. isac.org/) helps students with each step in the college-going process by giving them best-in-class online tools and the information they need to make smart college choices, navigate the financial aid process, and manage their money.

    Anita Gajula from My College Planning Team said that those with the most knowledge often receive the most financial aid rather than those with the greatest financial need. She advised students to go through the following two books before selecting a college: “Colleges that Change Lives” by Loren Pope; “Paying for Colleges without Going Broke” by Kalman Chany.

    (Press release by: Asian Media USA)
  • He made mistakes, so did I: President Pranab Mukherjee on Rajiv Gandhi

    He made mistakes, so did I: President Pranab Mukherjee on Rajiv Gandhi

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Noting that he has been maintaining a daily diary for years, President Pranab Mukherjee Thursday underlined the complexities a politician faces when he decides to bring out facts related to governance in public domain. Speaking at the release of the second volume of his memoirs, The Turbulent Years: 1980-96, he said “some facts are to be buried with me”.

    The book was released by Vice-President Hamid Ansari.

    Talking about his daily diary, he said: “I have advised my daughter, who is the custodian of this diary, to never release this… digitise this but never release it. If you digitise it, as and when the government finds it necessary, they will release.”

    On Rajiv Gandhi

    While Mukherjee clarifies he never made a claim for the PM’s post after Indira Gandhi’s death, he cannot but conceal the complex bond he shared with Rajiv Gandhi, especially the hurt when Rajiv, immediately after becoming PM, dropped him from the cabinet. Mukherjee was the finance minister then.

    Mukherjee recalls, “…I was shell-shocked and flabbergasted… But I composed myself, and sat alongside my wife as she watched the swearing-in ceremony on television.” He says: “I made no special effort to reach out to Rajiv or ask why I was dropped…”

    Rajiv gave him a second “shock” soon. At the centenary session of the Congress in 1985 in Mumbai, Mukherjee writes, “After being asked to move the main centenary declaration, to my utter shock and dismay, I was dropped from the CWC when it was reconstituted in January 1986. This was a blow which hurt me even more than being dropped from the cabinet.”

    In April 1986, Mukherjee gave an interview to The Illustrated Weekly, which Rajiv believed “went beyond the limits of party discipline”. “…all I can say is that he made mistakes and so did I,” says Mukherjee.

    The bond changed after the 1989 election. “Rajiv’s defeat in the Lok Sabha elections of 1989 brought us close together again…”

    He points at Rajiv’s failures and says “Rajiv’s actions on Shah Bano judgement and Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Bill drew criticism and eroded his modern image”. “The opening of Ram Janmabhoomi temple site was perhaps another error of judgement,” he writes.

    On Manmohan Singh

    “There has been some discussion regarding differences between RBI Governor Dr Manmohan Singh, and me…I never saw

    my differences with Dr Singh…as anything other than legitimate exchanges of opinion over professional matters…I had absolutely no role in Dr Manmohan Singh’s departure from the RBI.”

    Source: The Indian Express

  • Rahul Gandhi caught on the wrong foot again; this time at Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru

    Rahul Gandhi caught on the wrong foot again; this time at Mount Carmel College in Bengaluru

    BENGALURU (TIP): Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi faced some embarrassing moments when a large section of the audience at Mount Carmel women’s college responded with an overwhelming “yes” to his poser on whether they thought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Swachh Bharat and Make in India campaigns were working.

    During an interaction with students of the Mount Carmel College on Wednesday, November 25, the Congress Party leader took an instant poll asking the young audience about the twin flagship programs while slamming the Modi government.

    Gandhi hastened to tell the audience that he differed with them. “You might see it, I don’t,” said Gandhi, who sported a grey T shirt, adding, “Anyway, I don’t clearly see a vision that the BJP is projecting.”

    His interaction was the first in a series planned with students across campuses in the country. Gandhi, later talking to reporters, said the nature of the response of the students to his questions was not clear.

    “Actually it was not clear. On Swachh Bharat, half the room said nothing had happened and some said something had happened. On Make in India, I think more people said not much had happened, some said things have happened,” he maintained.

    The Bharatiya Janata Party lost no time to comment on the incident. BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said the meeting had exposed Gandhi’s “disconnect” with people.
    “Rahul was shocked. Why was he shocked? Because of the very fact that he has a great disconnect, he does not know the vibrations on the ground. Leave aside the country, he cannot lead the youth of the country,” Patra said.

    Congress Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Gandhi answered questions, unlike Prime Minister Modi who hardly ever answers questions.

    “This is the way the leader of the country should interact with the young and the countrymen everywhere — sometimes disagreeing with them, sometimes agreeing with them and answering their basic inquisitiveness on how India should look in five years, 10 years and 20 years. Rahulji has answered, what no other political leader has done,” Surjewala said.

  • Shatrughan Sinha calls Rahul Gandhi a ‘rising star’

    Shatrughan Sinha calls Rahul Gandhi a ‘rising star’

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Hours before Nitish Kumar’s swearing-in as Bihar chief minister following an election that the BJP handsomely lost, party rebel Shatrughan Sinha, through a series of tweets, continued to taunt his party leadership, which he has repeatedly attacked for ignoring him during the crucial polls.

    “It has been the victory of democracy. I wish the new government led by Nitish babu, Laluji and rising star Rahul Gandhi great success,” the actor-turned-politician tweeted on Thursday night.

    Hours ago at an event in New Delhi, the Congress vice-president had launched a high-voltage assault on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sealing his position as Modi’s official enemy. Sinha now calling Rahul a “rising star” opens a new front in the Patna Sahib MP’s frequent barbs at the BJP, which began after the results of the Bihar elections were declared on November 8.

    “I welcome Nitish “Susashan” Babu, messiah of development as CM of Bihar & congratulate Laluji, leader of masses for massive victory in Bihar,” said another tweet by Sinha, who added that “despite his best intention”, he will not be able to attend the swearing-in ceremony at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan.

    “Will miss the ceremony, but Nitishbabu & Laluji, I remain a well-wisher, admirer and friend…and remember, once a friend, always a friend,” he tweeted.

  • Sonia Gandhi Meets President raises the ‘Tolerance’ Issue

    Sonia Gandhi Meets President raises the ‘Tolerance’ Issue

    New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday, November 2, met President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and, reportedly, raised concerns about “rising intolerance” in a 40-minute one-on-one meeting.

    Ironically, the meeting comes hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi taunted the party on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and said it should “stop lecturing on tolerance.”

    Mrs Gandhi will also lead a delegation of Congress parliamentarians to the President’s House tomorrow to raise the pitch on a subject that is being debated following incidents like attacks on rationalists and mob killings on the suspicion of beef-eating or cow slaughter.

    “Organisations and people of a particular ideology are spreading it to divide people. We are under no illusion that it is an accident. The hate, violence and petty mindedness is being unleashed as part of a pre-determined plan. We will not allow such a diabolical design to succeed… It will shake country’s foundations… We are ready to fight the battle,” Sonia Gandhi had said earlier on October 31.

    Earlier today, the Congress reacted sharply to PM Modi raising the 1984 riots to attack the party, while addressing a rally in Bihar.

    “Doob maro (drown in shame)… Try to remember that day in 1984 when Sikhs were being massacred in Delhi and all over India two-three days after Indira Gandhi was killed. There were serious charges against the Congress party and Congress leaders…,” PM Modi said, referring to the mob killings of Sikhs in the days after the assassination of the former Prime Minister on October 31 that year.

    “And today on November 2, Congress party is lecturing on tolerance,” the PM said.

    The Congress hit back raising the 2002 riots in Gujarat, the state that Mr Modi ruled for 13 years till he took charge as prime minister last year.

    “Like in 2002, Modi has forgotten Raj Dharma in 2015,” said Congress spokesman Anand Sharma, invoking the phrase used by then prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

    Alleging that the Prime Minister was an “endorser of intolerance by his studied silence,” Mr Sharma said: “The Prime Minister cannot be given the certificate of excellence on this front….He is all-powerful and not that helpless.”

    The “intolerance debate” has intensified over the past few weeks as writers, artists and filmmakers have returned their awards to express anger over what they believe is PM Modi’s inadequate response to attacks on freedom of speech.

    In more than one speech last month, the President sent out a strong message stressing on  India’s core values of tolerance and diversity.