Lalitgate: Vasundhara Raje leaves Delhi without meeting BJP top brass
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NEW DELHI/JAIPUR: Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who came to Delhi for a NITI Aayog deliberation on Saturday, has returned to Jaipur without meeting either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP chief Amit Shah.
This was Raje's first trip to Delhi after controversy involving her and Lalit Modi surfaced recently.
There were reports about Raje meeting with the BJP top brass but it was tactfully avoided to rule out further speculations about what transpired during the meetings.
On Friday, Raje got a clean chit from the BJP top brass as well as the RSS, as the two organizations have assured no threat to her position.
"I told her to hold the meeting at Niti Aayog and return to Jaipur. There is no relevance of meeting with any leader since her position was intact and she need not clarify about the ongoing allegations against her," a senior BJP leader told TOI.
He said that reports about her resignation were baseless and at no point in time it was discussed among party leaders. "Leadership has conveyed to her that her earlier explanation about her position in Lalit Modi case was satisfactory and that she hasn't done anything wrong," he said. He said that there was no evidence of illegality in her statement supporting Lalit Modi application to take UK citizenship.
There were reports that Raje had sought time from home minister Rajnath Singh, finance minister Arun Jaitely and party president Amit Shah. However, reports suggest that Rajnath Singh spoke to her and asked her to focus on her routine work and ignore media reports.
Raje has been accused of helping former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi get UK citizenship. BJP insiders say that the RSS leadership had no second thought and outrightly conveyed that action against senior and mass leaders will weaken the party. "Congress has purposely targeted senior leaders, who have strong mass base, therefore, government should no bow to opposition pressure," said a senior leader.
When Raje reached Delhi on Saturday, she was surrounded by media persons and a few press vehicles chased her cavalcade. On media vehicle reportedly hit a car in her cavalcade.
Upset at media "behaviour" on her arrival at Delhi airport, her media team issued a statement saying that media behaviour in Delhi was disturbing and they should refrain from chasing her. "We have briefed media from time to time and we shall keep doing so," the statement said.
NEW DELHI/JAIPUR: Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who came to Delhi for a NITI Aayog deliberation on Saturday, has returned to Jaipur without meeting either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or BJP chief Amit Shah. This was Raje's first trip to Delhi after controversy involving her and Lalit Modi surfaced recently.
There were reports about Raje meeting with the BJP top brass but it was tactfully avoided to rule out further speculations about what transpired during the meetings.
On Friday, Raje got a clean chit from the BJP top brass as well as the RSS, as the two organizations have assured no threat to her position.
"I told her to hold the meeting at Niti Aayog and return to Jaipur. There is no relevance of meeting with any leader since her position was intact and she need not clarify about the ongoing allegations against her," a senior BJP leader told TOI.
He said that reports about her resignation were baseless and at no point in time it was discussed among party leaders. "Leadership has conveyed to her that her earlier explanation about her position in Lalit Modi case was satisfactory and that she hasn't done anything wrong," he said. He said that there was no evidence of illegality in her statement supporting Lalit Modi application to take UK citizenship.
There were reports that Raje had sought time from home minister Rajnath Singh, finance minister Arun Jaitely and party president Amit Shah. However, reports suggest that Rajnath Singh spoke to her and asked her to focus on her routine work and ignore media reports.
Raje has been accused of helping former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi get UK citizenship. BJP insiders say that the RSS leadership had no second thought and outrightly conveyed that action against senior and mass leaders will weaken the party. "Congress has purposely targeted senior leaders, who have strong mass base, therefore, government should no bow to opposition pressure," said a senior leader.
When Raje reached Delhi on Saturday, she was surrounded by media persons and a few press vehicles chased her cavalcade. On media vehicle reportedly hit a car in her cavalcade.
Upset at media "behaviour" on her arrival at Delhi airport, her media team issued a statement saying that media behaviour in Delhi was disturbing and they should refrain from chasing her. "We have briefed media from time to time and we shall keep doing so," the statement said.
Bobby Jindal wants to get rid of US Supreme Court
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"Thursday, the Supreme Court had its say on Obamacare; soon, the American people will have theirs," wrote the newly minted aspirant for Republican nomination for President in an opinion piece in Time magazine.
The Court's decision upholding subsidies for states participating in the federally run insurance exchange, he wrote, "violates the plain text of Obamacare," as President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law Affordable Care Act is nicknamed.
"It's a sad outcome for the rule of law - and the English language," said Jindal who like other Republican governors has refused to set up a marketplace or exchange where people can shop for affordable health insurance.
But an estimated 138,000 residents of Louisiana are getting federal subsidies through the federal exchange that is open to those who don't have access to state exchanges.
"Contrary to this President's self-proclaimed edicts, yesterday's Supreme Court decision is not the end of the debate on Obamacare," said Jindal.
It merely "shifts back to the elected branches of government - the ones that caused our health care mess in the first place," he said. "It is there that conservatives can complete our work to repeal Obamacare."
Jindal's reaction to the apex court's ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide was even more sharp.
"The Supreme Court is completely out of control, making laws on their own, and has become a public opinion poll instead of a judicial body," he said in a statement from Iowa, which holds the first presidential caucus.
"If we want to save some money, let's just get rid of the court," Jindal added.
Jindal later said that the ruling fundamentally redefined the institution of marriage.
"Marriage between a man and a woman was established by God, and no earthly court can alter that," he added.
He also argued that protecting same-sex marriage would open the door to discrimination against people of faith who oppose its practice.
Despite the Supreme Court judgment, the Jindal administration has said Louisiana's state government won't recognize gay marriage for now.
But Mike Reed, Jindal's spokesman in the governor's office, acknowledged "Our agencies will have no choice but to comply with the Supreme Court's decision" eventually, he told NOLA.com.
The Court's decision upholding subsidies for states participating in the federally run insurance exchange, he wrote, "violates the plain text of Obamacare," as President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law Affordable Care Act is nicknamed.
"It's a sad outcome for the rule of law - and the English language," said Jindal who like other Republican governors has refused to set up a marketplace or exchange where people can shop for affordable health insurance.
But an estimated 138,000 residents of Louisiana are getting federal subsidies through the federal exchange that is open to those who don't have access to state exchanges.
"Contrary to this President's self-proclaimed edicts, yesterday's Supreme Court decision is not the end of the debate on Obamacare," said Jindal.
It merely "shifts back to the elected branches of government - the ones that caused our health care mess in the first place," he said. "It is there that conservatives can complete our work to repeal Obamacare."
Jindal's reaction to the apex court's ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide was even more sharp.
"The Supreme Court is completely out of control, making laws on their own, and has become a public opinion poll instead of a judicial body," he said in a statement from Iowa, which holds the first presidential caucus.
"If we want to save some money, let's just get rid of the court," Jindal added.
Jindal later said that the ruling fundamentally redefined the institution of marriage.
"Marriage between a man and a woman was established by God, and no earthly court can alter that," he added.
He also argued that protecting same-sex marriage would open the door to discrimination against people of faith who oppose its practice.
Despite the Supreme Court judgment, the Jindal administration has said Louisiana's state government won't recognize gay marriage for now.
But Mike Reed, Jindal's spokesman in the governor's office, acknowledged "Our agencies will have no choice but to comply with the Supreme Court's decision" eventually, he told NOLA.com.
Attacks on 3 continents expose global hurdles in terror fight
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BEIRUT, LEBANON: In a matter of hours and on three different continents, militants carried out attacks on Friday that killed scores of civilians, horrified populations and raised thorny questions about the evolving nature of international terrorism and what can be done to fight it.
On the surface, the attacks appeared to be linked only by timing.
In France, a man stormed a US-owned chemical plant, decapitated one person and apparently tried to blow up the facility. In Tunisia, a gunman drew an assault rifle from a beach umbrella and killed at least 38 people at a seaside resort. And in Kuwait, a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque during communal prayers, killing at least 25 Shiite worshipers.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks in Tunisia and Kuwait, according to statements released on Twitter. But it almost did not matter for terrorism's global implications whether the three attacks were coordinated. Each in a different way underlined the difficulties of anticipating threats and protecting civilians from small-scale terrorist actions, whether in a mosque, at work or at the beach.
The attacks occurred at a time of fast evolution for the world's most dangerous terrorist organizations, which continue to find ways to strike and spread their ideology despite more than a decade of costly efforts by the United States and others to kill their leaders and deny them sanctuary.
The United States has killed leaders of al-Qaida in Afghanistan, Yemen and elsewhere, but the group has maintained a string of branches and melded itself into local insurgencies. The Islamic State has worked on two levels, seeking to build its self-declared caliphate on captured territory in Iraq and Syria while inciting attacks abroad.
Fueling that expansion are civil wars and the collapse of state structures in Arab countries from Libya to Yemen that have opened up ungoverned spaces where jihadis thrive, while social media has given extremists a global megaphone to spread their message.
While officials in the three countries investigated the attacks, many noted that leaders of the Islamic State have repeatedly called for sympathizers to kill and sow mayhem at home.
Earlier this week, the spokesman for the Islamic State, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, greeted the group's followers for Ramadan, telling them that acts during the Muslim holy month earned greater rewards in heaven.
"Muslims, embark and hasten toward jihad," Adnani said in an audio message. "O mujahedeen everywhere, rush and go to make Ramadan a month of disasters for the infidels."
The attacks targeted each country in a particularly sensitive spot.
Tunisia, widely hailed as the sole success of the Arab Spring uprisings that began more than four years ago, suffered a sharp blow to its tourism sector, a pillar of the local economy.
The bombing in Kuwait followed the pattern of similar attacks on Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia and was aimed at sowing sectarian divisions in a country where Sunnis and Shiites serve together in top government bodies and open friction between the sects is uncommon.
The motivation behind the attack in France was less clear, although the beheading suggested that the perpetrator had at least been inspired by the Islamic State, which frequently propagandizes similar executions in the territories it occupies.
And because the day's events appeared to bear some of the infamous hallmarks of the Islamic State and its supporters, some analysts speculated that the attacks had been timed to mark the first anniversary of its declaration of a caliphate. Even if that is not the case, the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist propaganda, said the attacks inspired "celebration from Twitter accounts of jihadi fighters and supporters of the Islamic State."
Lina Khatib, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said,"We have entered a new jihadist era," adding that the Islamic State had used its international brand to establish sleeper cells abroad, whose actions were meant to advance its efforts to build a state.
"Everything in the end serves the purpose of strengthening the project of the Islamic State," she said.
US intelligence and counterterrorism officials were scrambling Friday to assess the connections, if any, between the attacks in France, Kuwait and Tunisia. Officials said that if the assessment found that the attacks were linked, officials would seek to determine whether the Islamic State had actively directed, coordinated or inspired them.
Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, condemned the attacks, which he called "heinous." But there was no word yet on whether they were coordinated, he said. "We just don't know yet."
In claiming the Kuwait attack, the Islamic State called the suicide bomber "one of the knights of the Sunni people" and lauded him for killing Shiites, who are considered apostates in the group's hard interpretation of Islam.
The assault resembled others launched by the Islamic State recently on Shiite mosques in neighboring Saudi Arabia, prompting many to believe that the militant group is seeking to set off a sectarian war between Sunnis and Shiites.
Some Kuwaitis said that with sectarian tensions rising across the region, it was only a matter of time before they reached Kuwait.
"Ever since I heard about Qatif and the Shiite mosques there, I just had this feeling that we were next," said Bodour Behbehani, a Shiite graduate student in Kuwait City, recalling a mosque bombing last month near Qatif, a city in Saudi Arabia.
The US war on terrorism has taken many forms over the years. But the spread of such small-scale attacks highlighted what even U.S. officials have called a failure to win the ideological - or information - war that feeds militancy and inspires recruits.
The challenge, analysts and government officials say, is to reorient a strategy centered on combat to one that challenges extremist groups on all fronts simultaneously: political, social, ideological and religious. A primary aim, they say, should be to win the information war and undermine the appeal of radical Islamist ideologies.
Such terrorist attacks have shattered the assumption that the Islamic State can be confined to territories it controls in the Middle East, said Bruce Hoffman, director of the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University. Although Western governments can work to monitor those who might be plotting attacks, this will not solve their root cause.
"Chasing individuals is probably a fool's errand given the geographically disparate nature of the threat," Hoffman said. "There comes a point where you have to tackle the organization behind it."
And monitoring has limits. The authorities in Tunisia said the gunman there was a young Tunisian with no prior police record. The authorities in France said that the attacker arrested there had connections to radical Islamists but that surveillance of him stopped in 2008.
The Kuwaiti authorities did not identify the attacker in their country.
To fight the Islamic State, the United States has formed an international coalition that is bombing its fighters and their bases in Iraq and Syria, a process that President Barack Obama has said seeks to degrade and destroy the group. But while the group has lost many fighters and some territory, Friday's attacks demonstrated the continued power of the jihadi movement to inspire attacks abroad by local actors.
It is an extraordinary coincidence that "all three attacks happened at the same day and time," said Brian Fishman, a counterterrorism research fellow at New America, a research organization in Washington. He said the attacks suggested that the focus on taking territory from the Islamic State could make the United States miss other ways the group poses dangers.
"We can't get attached to a single metric for understanding this organization," he said.
BEIRUT, LEBANON: In a matter of hours and on three different continents, militants carried out attacks on Friday that killed scores of civilians, horrified populations and raised thorny questions about the evolving nature of international terrorism and what can be done to fight it. On the surface, the attacks appeared to be linked only by timing.
In France, a man stormed a US-owned chemical plant, decapitated one person and apparently tried to blow up the facility. In Tunisia, a gunman drew an assault rifle from a beach umbrella and killed at least 38 people at a seaside resort. And in Kuwait, a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque during communal prayers, killing at least 25 Shiite worshipers.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks in Tunisia and Kuwait, according to statements released on Twitter. But it almost did not matter for terrorism's global implications whether the three attacks were coordinated. Each in a different way underlined the difficulties of anticipating threats and protecting civilians from small-scale terrorist actions, whether in a mosque, at work or at the beach.
The attacks occurred at a time of fast evolution for the world's most dangerous terrorist organizations, which continue to find ways to strike and spread their ideology despite more than a decade of costly efforts by the United States and others to kill their leaders and deny them sanctuary.
The United States has killed leaders of al-Qaida in Afghanistan, Yemen and elsewhere, but the group has maintained a string of branches and melded itself into local insurgencies. The Islamic State has worked on two levels, seeking to build its self-declared caliphate on captured territory in Iraq and Syria while inciting attacks abroad.
Fueling that expansion are civil wars and the collapse of state structures in Arab countries from Libya to Yemen that have opened up ungoverned spaces where jihadis thrive, while social media has given extremists a global megaphone to spread their message.
While officials in the three countries investigated the attacks, many noted that leaders of the Islamic State have repeatedly called for sympathizers to kill and sow mayhem at home.
Earlier this week, the spokesman for the Islamic State, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, greeted the group's followers for Ramadan, telling them that acts during the Muslim holy month earned greater rewards in heaven.
"Muslims, embark and hasten toward jihad," Adnani said in an audio message. "O mujahedeen everywhere, rush and go to make Ramadan a month of disasters for the infidels."
The attacks targeted each country in a particularly sensitive spot.
Tunisia, widely hailed as the sole success of the Arab Spring uprisings that began more than four years ago, suffered a sharp blow to its tourism sector, a pillar of the local economy.
The bombing in Kuwait followed the pattern of similar attacks on Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia and was aimed at sowing sectarian divisions in a country where Sunnis and Shiites serve together in top government bodies and open friction between the sects is uncommon.
The motivation behind the attack in France was less clear, although the beheading suggested that the perpetrator had at least been inspired by the Islamic State, which frequently propagandizes similar executions in the territories it occupies.
And because the day's events appeared to bear some of the infamous hallmarks of the Islamic State and its supporters, some analysts speculated that the attacks had been timed to mark the first anniversary of its declaration of a caliphate. Even if that is not the case, the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist propaganda, said the attacks inspired "celebration from Twitter accounts of jihadi fighters and supporters of the Islamic State."
Lina Khatib, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, said,"We have entered a new jihadist era," adding that the Islamic State had used its international brand to establish sleeper cells abroad, whose actions were meant to advance its efforts to build a state.
"Everything in the end serves the purpose of strengthening the project of the Islamic State," she said.
US intelligence and counterterrorism officials were scrambling Friday to assess the connections, if any, between the attacks in France, Kuwait and Tunisia. Officials said that if the assessment found that the attacks were linked, officials would seek to determine whether the Islamic State had actively directed, coordinated or inspired them.
Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, condemned the attacks, which he called "heinous." But there was no word yet on whether they were coordinated, he said. "We just don't know yet."
In claiming the Kuwait attack, the Islamic State called the suicide bomber "one of the knights of the Sunni people" and lauded him for killing Shiites, who are considered apostates in the group's hard interpretation of Islam.
The assault resembled others launched by the Islamic State recently on Shiite mosques in neighboring Saudi Arabia, prompting many to believe that the militant group is seeking to set off a sectarian war between Sunnis and Shiites.
Some Kuwaitis said that with sectarian tensions rising across the region, it was only a matter of time before they reached Kuwait.
"Ever since I heard about Qatif and the Shiite mosques there, I just had this feeling that we were next," said Bodour Behbehani, a Shiite graduate student in Kuwait City, recalling a mosque bombing last month near Qatif, a city in Saudi Arabia.
The US war on terrorism has taken many forms over the years. But the spread of such small-scale attacks highlighted what even U.S. officials have called a failure to win the ideological - or information - war that feeds militancy and inspires recruits.
The challenge, analysts and government officials say, is to reorient a strategy centered on combat to one that challenges extremist groups on all fronts simultaneously: political, social, ideological and religious. A primary aim, they say, should be to win the information war and undermine the appeal of radical Islamist ideologies.
Such terrorist attacks have shattered the assumption that the Islamic State can be confined to territories it controls in the Middle East, said Bruce Hoffman, director of the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University. Although Western governments can work to monitor those who might be plotting attacks, this will not solve their root cause.
"Chasing individuals is probably a fool's errand given the geographically disparate nature of the threat," Hoffman said. "There comes a point where you have to tackle the organization behind it."
And monitoring has limits. The authorities in Tunisia said the gunman there was a young Tunisian with no prior police record. The authorities in France said that the attacker arrested there had connections to radical Islamists but that surveillance of him stopped in 2008.
The Kuwaiti authorities did not identify the attacker in their country.
To fight the Islamic State, the United States has formed an international coalition that is bombing its fighters and their bases in Iraq and Syria, a process that President Barack Obama has said seeks to degrade and destroy the group. But while the group has lost many fighters and some territory, Friday's attacks demonstrated the continued power of the jihadi movement to inspire attacks abroad by local actors.
It is an extraordinary coincidence that "all three attacks happened at the same day and time," said Brian Fishman, a counterterrorism research fellow at New America, a research organization in Washington. He said the attacks suggested that the focus on taking territory from the Islamic State could make the United States miss other ways the group poses dangers.
"We can't get attached to a single metric for understanding this organization," he said.
Mumbai's Colaba BJP MLA criticizes PM Modi, Shah, video goes viral
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MUMBAI: A secretly-shot video showing BJP MLA from Colaba Raj Purohit criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah that appeared on the websites of several language channels on Friday left the state BJP red-faced.
In the video, Purohit is shown to agree with the interviewer, whose identity is unknown, that Modi and Shah are the only ones wielding power (it is not clear if the implication is the party or the country as a whole). He alleges that there is no democracy in the BJP. "People talk of collective leadership, but it is simply absent. This is a dangerous sign for the party."
He is also heard calling chief minister Devendra Fadnavis helpless in the face of "pressure from above" and from influential individuals like builder and Malabar Hill MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha and ridiculing Raj Thackeray as a "bogus" leader.
The sting op also shows him saying that in the state, he is the seniormost BJP leader after Eknath Khadse.
Purohit told TOI the video was morphed and the voice in it was not his. The CM refused to comment on the matter. Lodha termed Purohit's political career a failure and called references to him "baseless gossip". State BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said the party has decided to send the video for forensic testing; depending on the result, the party's state president will take action in the matter. The MNS attacked Purohit's Kalbadevi office on Friday.
Towards the beginning of the video, Purohit is shown saying that competence does not matter in the party and influential people like Lodha rule the roost. Experts say Purohit's grouse is that because of Lodha, he missed out on a ministerial berth.
Purohit, who was a minister of state in the Shiv Sena-BJP government of 1995-1999, is shown as saying Lodha wields influence with the top rung of the BJP and RSS. "This is called money power. All know that Lodha is the biggest builder (here). In elections, he spends huge amounts for the party ... Even the CM is helpless. Diktats come from above and he has to do what the top rung says," Purohit says in the video.
After criticizing Modi and Shah, he is shown as saying about the central government's policies that "Narendra-bhai is doing good work, but he should avoid the mistakes he is making. Some of his decisions are alienating certain groups likes traders, who are the BJP's hard-core supporters. They were fed up with the Congress's policies and were expecting more from the BJP. But what laws have you made? If you want to buy gold worth over Re 1 lakh, you have be a PAN card holder. When half the economy is being run on black money, if you compel traders to make PAN cards, their business will definitely be affected."
He goes on to say in the video, "The Centre has come up with a bill to curb black money. It's a policy contradiction. On one hand you allow foreign investment, and on the other you seek accountability for each and every rupee. The punishment of 10 years is the same as for culpable homicide. I sit among the top traders of the country. No one is happy with the policy."
Purohit told TOI, "I called up the CM and told him to submit the video for forensic analysis. I respect the party chief (Shah) and the PM. As for criticizing the RSS, not even in my dreams can I think of doing so. I am not a big leader. I am not a national level leader. I am not a minister. I am an ordinary MLA. I don't know how anyone will benefit by maligning my image through a so-called sting operation. I think it was done to thwart my chances of becoming a minister in the state."
MUMBAI: A secretly-shot video showing BJP MLA from Colaba Raj Purohit criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah that appeared on the websites of several language channels on Friday left the state BJP red-faced.In the video, Purohit is shown to agree with the interviewer, whose identity is unknown, that Modi and Shah are the only ones wielding power (it is not clear if the implication is the party or the country as a whole). He alleges that there is no democracy in the BJP. "People talk of collective leadership, but it is simply absent. This is a dangerous sign for the party."
He is also heard calling chief minister Devendra Fadnavis helpless in the face of "pressure from above" and from influential individuals like builder and Malabar Hill MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha and ridiculing Raj Thackeray as a "bogus" leader.
The sting op also shows him saying that in the state, he is the seniormost BJP leader after Eknath Khadse.
Purohit told TOI the video was morphed and the voice in it was not his. The CM refused to comment on the matter. Lodha termed Purohit's political career a failure and called references to him "baseless gossip". State BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said the party has decided to send the video for forensic testing; depending on the result, the party's state president will take action in the matter. The MNS attacked Purohit's Kalbadevi office on Friday.
Towards the beginning of the video, Purohit is shown saying that competence does not matter in the party and influential people like Lodha rule the roost. Experts say Purohit's grouse is that because of Lodha, he missed out on a ministerial berth.
Purohit, who was a minister of state in the Shiv Sena-BJP government of 1995-1999, is shown as saying Lodha wields influence with the top rung of the BJP and RSS. "This is called money power. All know that Lodha is the biggest builder (here). In elections, he spends huge amounts for the party ... Even the CM is helpless. Diktats come from above and he has to do what the top rung says," Purohit says in the video.
After criticizing Modi and Shah, he is shown as saying about the central government's policies that "Narendra-bhai is doing good work, but he should avoid the mistakes he is making. Some of his decisions are alienating certain groups likes traders, who are the BJP's hard-core supporters. They were fed up with the Congress's policies and were expecting more from the BJP. But what laws have you made? If you want to buy gold worth over Re 1 lakh, you have be a PAN card holder. When half the economy is being run on black money, if you compel traders to make PAN cards, their business will definitely be affected."
He goes on to say in the video, "The Centre has come up with a bill to curb black money. It's a policy contradiction. On one hand you allow foreign investment, and on the other you seek accountability for each and every rupee. The punishment of 10 years is the same as for culpable homicide. I sit among the top traders of the country. No one is happy with the policy."
Purohit told TOI, "I called up the CM and told him to submit the video for forensic analysis. I respect the party chief (Shah) and the PM. As for criticizing the RSS, not even in my dreams can I think of doing so. I am not a big leader. I am not a national level leader. I am not a minister. I am an ordinary MLA. I don't know how anyone will benefit by maligning my image through a so-called sting operation. I think it was done to thwart my chances of becoming a minister in the state."
Delhi govt moves HC against ACB chief appointment
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NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party government filed an interim application on Saturday in the Delhi high court against the appointment of Joint Commissioner of Police Mukesh Kumar Meena as Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) chief.
The application is in the petition filed by the Delhi government against the ministry of home affairs notification.
Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Friday said that Meena was currently under the scanner for an alleged hawala racket.
Last week, the Kejriwal government had brought out an order affirming the vigilance department's jurisdiction over ACB and reiterated that Yadav was its chief. In the aftermath of fresh tension, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Friday wrote to the LG voicing his concern over the treatment allegedly meted out to Yadav and stressing that the post of ACB chief comes under the vigilance department and that the state has the power to chose its chief.
Earlier this week, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had written to Union home minister Rajnath Singh expressing his reservations over the LG's decision, citing the rule book and pointing out that there was no post of joint commissioner in ACB at present.
That tension has been brewing is evident in a series of letters written by Yadav to various authorities—LG, police commissioner, director, vigilance, and even Meena, about a growing sense of threat among the ACB staff. In a letter dated June 24, Yadav has apprised director of vigilance, Sukesh Jain, about the actions of Meena, whom he describes as joint commissioner, New Delhi Range, and not that of ACB. He has also complained that Meena has been "unauthorisedly entering and occupying a room in ACB headquarters".
According to his version of the latest round of events, Meena called him late in the evening and asked him about the FIR book. "He threatened me that the FIR book should be handed over to him as he wanted to show it to top authorities and take it out of the ACB police station. I told him it was in the safe custody of ACB and cannot be given like this as it will be an illegal act. I went to ACB at that time and he also arrived. He kept pressuring and threatening me," Yadav has informed the director, vigilance.
Yadav has also informed the department that Meena has been keeping some armed CRPF personnel in an unauthorized and illegal manner in ACB. "I am under serious threat," he has said. He has pointed out that he has raised his concern of threat to his life with the LG and police chief earlier too, saying he was apprehensive that Meena may use force to unlock his office and other offices in ACB and occupy them, evicting him.
NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party government filed an interim application on Saturday in the Delhi high court against the appointment of Joint Commissioner of Police Mukesh Kumar Meena as Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) chief. The application is in the petition filed by the Delhi government against the ministry of home affairs notification.
Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Friday said that Meena was currently under the scanner for an alleged hawala racket.
Last week, the Kejriwal government had brought out an order affirming the vigilance department's jurisdiction over ACB and reiterated that Yadav was its chief. In the aftermath of fresh tension, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Friday wrote to the LG voicing his concern over the treatment allegedly meted out to Yadav and stressing that the post of ACB chief comes under the vigilance department and that the state has the power to chose its chief.
Earlier this week, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had written to Union home minister Rajnath Singh expressing his reservations over the LG's decision, citing the rule book and pointing out that there was no post of joint commissioner in ACB at present.
That tension has been brewing is evident in a series of letters written by Yadav to various authorities—LG, police commissioner, director, vigilance, and even Meena, about a growing sense of threat among the ACB staff. In a letter dated June 24, Yadav has apprised director of vigilance, Sukesh Jain, about the actions of Meena, whom he describes as joint commissioner, New Delhi Range, and not that of ACB. He has also complained that Meena has been "unauthorisedly entering and occupying a room in ACB headquarters".
According to his version of the latest round of events, Meena called him late in the evening and asked him about the FIR book. "He threatened me that the FIR book should be handed over to him as he wanted to show it to top authorities and take it out of the ACB police station. I told him it was in the safe custody of ACB and cannot be given like this as it will be an illegal act. I went to ACB at that time and he also arrived. He kept pressuring and threatening me," Yadav has informed the director, vigilance.
Yadav has also informed the department that Meena has been keeping some armed CRPF personnel in an unauthorized and illegal manner in ACB. "I am under serious threat," he has said. He has pointed out that he has raised his concern of threat to his life with the LG and police chief earlier too, saying he was apprehensive that Meena may use force to unlock his office and other offices in ACB and occupy them, evicting him.
Permanent job passé, work for multiple companies
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MUMBAI: Employment constructs are becoming more flexible. Companies are opening up to evolving employment constructs with employees no longer bound by the rigidities of working in one organization. Job security, as was known a decade ago, say industry experts, doesn't capture people's imagination any more. Companies believe a scenario where employees are working for multiple organizations is fast approaching.
"I see employment constructs evolving and offering flexibility as appropriate for the individual. Tomorrow it will not be about seeking a full-time job but about maximizing the returns on the capability being invested by an individual to contribute to a mission," said Prithvi Shergill, chief HR officer, HCL Technologies.
In the west, the market for interim executives, as they are called, is quite well developed. These are specialists who work with companies on defined projects, typically for a finite period ranging from a few weeks to a few months. For example — a financial restructuring, or a software implementation, or even as a temporary CEO while the company looks for one. Companies are willing to pay a premium on a daily, weekly or monthly basis for such interim executives. "The demand for interim executives has slowly started building up in India," said Sonal Agrawal, managing partner, Accord India.
Hiring agencies are getting inquiries from companies to set up databases of such people who can work on an interim basis. Shergill said, "I have people on my team who are more comfortable working in a freelance arrangement than working permanent. Expertise and experience, at the end of the day, needs to be applied to achieve specific outcomes and not just be seen through the time spent in the office."
What's driving this change is the kind of choices available to people to work flexibly. Santrupt Misra, director, group HR, Aditya Birla Group, said, "Today, the nature of employment relation has changed driven by the choices available to both the employees and the employers. Many people, unlike in the past, are not seeking security of employment because the market provides so much of opportunity to be unattached and be on their own. Employers find this model attractive as they see cost flexibility given the volatility of the markets. This is a phenomenon that's growing."
HR experts see a different world three-five years down the line with people understanding that every temporary assignment can be permanent and even permanent employment can be temporary. Ashutosh Telang, chief HR officer, Marico, said, "One may face a situation wherein an employee may be with three enterprises. Assignments will attract people. You may have situations where employees would say, 'I want assignments, not a job or a title'."
Traditionally, in addition to full-time employment, employees were also engaged as part-time, temporary, hourly-based, probationers, etc. It is also common to engage individuals as 'consultants' or 'independent contractors'.
But the new arrangement companies are mulling over these days has to do with individuals wanting to exercise more flexibility and it stems from the recognition that skills and competencies have more takers than becoming permanently employed with an organization.
"In such cases, the individual is not employed as an employee but engaged as an independent consultant, as a result of which he is not eligible to the standard employment-related benefits such as leave, holidays, allowances, bonus, overtime, social security, etc. The withholding tax rate on consultancy fees is also lower as compared to salary, although consultants may be required to pay service tax," said Vikram Shroff, head, HR law, Nishith Desai Associates.
The legal and tax counseling firm recommends such non-employment arrangements only in certain situations in order to avoid a misclassification risk.
MUMBAI: Employment constructs are becoming more flexible. Companies are opening up to evolving employment constructs with employees no longer bound by the rigidities of working in one organization. Job security, as was known a decade ago, say industry experts, doesn't capture people's imagination any more. Companies believe a scenario where employees are working for multiple organizations is fast approaching."I see employment constructs evolving and offering flexibility as appropriate for the individual. Tomorrow it will not be about seeking a full-time job but about maximizing the returns on the capability being invested by an individual to contribute to a mission," said Prithvi Shergill, chief HR officer, HCL Technologies.
In the west, the market for interim executives, as they are called, is quite well developed. These are specialists who work with companies on defined projects, typically for a finite period ranging from a few weeks to a few months. For example — a financial restructuring, or a software implementation, or even as a temporary CEO while the company looks for one. Companies are willing to pay a premium on a daily, weekly or monthly basis for such interim executives. "The demand for interim executives has slowly started building up in India," said Sonal Agrawal, managing partner, Accord India.
Hiring agencies are getting inquiries from companies to set up databases of such people who can work on an interim basis. Shergill said, "I have people on my team who are more comfortable working in a freelance arrangement than working permanent. Expertise and experience, at the end of the day, needs to be applied to achieve specific outcomes and not just be seen through the time spent in the office."
What's driving this change is the kind of choices available to people to work flexibly. Santrupt Misra, director, group HR, Aditya Birla Group, said, "Today, the nature of employment relation has changed driven by the choices available to both the employees and the employers. Many people, unlike in the past, are not seeking security of employment because the market provides so much of opportunity to be unattached and be on their own. Employers find this model attractive as they see cost flexibility given the volatility of the markets. This is a phenomenon that's growing."
HR experts see a different world three-five years down the line with people understanding that every temporary assignment can be permanent and even permanent employment can be temporary. Ashutosh Telang, chief HR officer, Marico, said, "One may face a situation wherein an employee may be with three enterprises. Assignments will attract people. You may have situations where employees would say, 'I want assignments, not a job or a title'."
Traditionally, in addition to full-time employment, employees were also engaged as part-time, temporary, hourly-based, probationers, etc. It is also common to engage individuals as 'consultants' or 'independent contractors'.
But the new arrangement companies are mulling over these days has to do with individuals wanting to exercise more flexibility and it stems from the recognition that skills and competencies have more takers than becoming permanently employed with an organization.
"In such cases, the individual is not employed as an employee but engaged as an independent consultant, as a result of which he is not eligible to the standard employment-related benefits such as leave, holidays, allowances, bonus, overtime, social security, etc. The withholding tax rate on consultancy fees is also lower as compared to salary, although consultants may be required to pay service tax," said Vikram Shroff, head, HR law, Nishith Desai Associates.
The legal and tax counseling firm recommends such non-employment arrangements only in certain situations in order to avoid a misclassification risk.
In a first, 109 sent to jail for urinating in public
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AGRA: In an unprecedented cleanliness drive, and perhaps, for the first time in India, Government Railway Police of Agra division has sent 109 persons to jail for 24 hours after they were found urinating on the railway property, including platform, tracks parking lot. They were later released after paying a fine ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 500 depending on the gravity of the act of creating a public nuisance.
Disgusted with the stink of urine and ugly red pan stains due to spitting in every nook and corner at stations and other railway properties, senior superintendent of police, GRP, Gopeshnath Khanna ordered his men to conduct a drive against such miscreants and penalize them for public nuisance.
The drive was conducted over a 48-hour period across 12 stations of GRP, Agra division. As many as 109 people were nabbed. Of these 27 were caught in the act on Friday.
Speaking to TOI, Khanna said, "In a special drive conducted at several stations of Agra division, including Agra Cantt, Agra Fort, Idgah, Raja Ki Mandi and Tundla, 109 men were sent to jail for 24 hours and were penalized up to Rs 500 for urinating in public places on railway properties in front of women and children. They were also fined for creating public nuisance by consuming alcohol or spitting pan masala from the window of trains in public place.
"The drive is a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative of 'Swachh Bharat' campaign. The offenders were charged under Section 34 of the Police Act (Punishment for certain offences such as inconvenience, annoyance to passengers or residents in public places, roads, etc)," he added.
On Friday, 23 men were rounded up from Agra Cantt station, while three offenders were booked at Farrukhabad station and one at Kosi Kalan station, he said.
The SSP said, "The message behind such a drive is to convey people, that enough is enough. For more than six decades, our adamant social behavior has not changed. This city hosts millions of tourist every year, we just can't be negligent and irresponsible when comes to showing etiquettes in public fora."
Simultaneously, in another drive to zero in on criminal activities in Agra division, GRP personnel arrested 12 men in the past 24 hours from six different stations. Ten knives and six mobile phones were recovered from them. All the men arrested from Agra Cantt, Tundla, Farrukhabad, Khurja, Kannauj and Mathura were booked under the Arms Act 4/25, while six were booked under IPC section 411 (Dishonestly receiving stolen property).
Disgusted with the stink of urine and ugly red pan stains due to spitting in every nook and corner at stations and other railway properties, senior superintendent of police, GRP, Gopeshnath Khanna ordered his men to conduct a drive against such miscreants and penalize them for public nuisance.
The drive was conducted over a 48-hour period across 12 stations of GRP, Agra division. As many as 109 people were nabbed. Of these 27 were caught in the act on Friday.
Speaking to TOI, Khanna said, "In a special drive conducted at several stations of Agra division, including Agra Cantt, Agra Fort, Idgah, Raja Ki Mandi and Tundla, 109 men were sent to jail for 24 hours and were penalized up to Rs 500 for urinating in public places on railway properties in front of women and children. They were also fined for creating public nuisance by consuming alcohol or spitting pan masala from the window of trains in public place.
"The drive is a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative of 'Swachh Bharat' campaign. The offenders were charged under Section 34 of the Police Act (Punishment for certain offences such as inconvenience, annoyance to passengers or residents in public places, roads, etc)," he added.
On Friday, 23 men were rounded up from Agra Cantt station, while three offenders were booked at Farrukhabad station and one at Kosi Kalan station, he said.
The SSP said, "The message behind such a drive is to convey people, that enough is enough. For more than six decades, our adamant social behavior has not changed. This city hosts millions of tourist every year, we just can't be negligent and irresponsible when comes to showing etiquettes in public fora."
Simultaneously, in another drive to zero in on criminal activities in Agra division, GRP personnel arrested 12 men in the past 24 hours from six different stations. Ten knives and six mobile phones were recovered from them. All the men arrested from Agra Cantt, Tundla, Farrukhabad, Khurja, Kannauj and Mathura were booked under the Arms Act 4/25, while six were booked under IPC section 411 (Dishonestly receiving stolen property).
Modi Foreign Visits 2014 – 2015 Part 1
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Dear Readers & Aspirants, We collected some Modi Foreign Visits 2014 – 2015 and make it in points format. We Hope it will definitely help you for your upcoming Exams. All the Best My Dear Aspirants & Readers.
1.Bhutan__16–17 June
Highlights
Modi made his first foreign visit to Bhutan following an invitation by
* King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Tobgay.
*The visit was called by the media as a “charm offensive”
- India and Bhutan reiterated their commitment to achieving the 10,000 MW target in hydropower cooperation
- Modi inaugurated one of India’s assistance projects – the building of the Supreme Court of Bhutan and laid foundation stone of the 600MW Kholongchu Hydro-electric .
- India also announced exemption of Bhutan from any ban on export of milk powder, wheat, edible oil, pulses and non-basmati rice.
- The two sides recalled the free trade arrangement between them and the expanding bilateral trade and its importance in further cementing their friendship.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi also mooted the idea of an annual hill sports festival with India’s northeastern states along with Bhutan and Nepal.
- Modi announced doubling of scholarships being provided to Bhutanese students in India which will now be worth Rs 2 crore.
- India will also assist Bhutan set up a digital library which will provide access to Bhutanese youth to two million books and periodicals.
- Both India-Bhutan reaffirmed their commitment to extensive development cooperation and discussed ways to further enhance economic ties.
*key persons —Sushma Swaraj, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval & Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh.
2.Brazil__13–16 July
*Highlights ___
In July 2014, he visited Brazil for his first multilateral visit, the 6th BRICS summit was held at the north-eastern beach city of Fortaleza.
- In the Fortaleza summit the group have agreed to establish a financial institution rivaling the western dominated World Bank and IMF.
- The bank would be named the New Development Bank as suggested by the Indian side but Modi govt failed to bag the bank’s headquarter for New Delhi, which would be located in Shanghai, China.
- Later the BRICS leader also attended an event in Brasilia where they met the UNASUR heads of government.
- At the same time, the Ministry of External Affairs added Spanish to its list of available languages.
*key persons —BRICS countries prime ministers
3 .Nepal__3–4 August
*Highlights _
Modi arrived for a two-day visit to Nepal on 3 August. The last visit of an Indian prime minister to Nepal was 17 years ago in 1997 by I. K. Gujral,
- India-funded hydroelectricity projects in Nepal and other infrastructure projects in Nepal
- Modi became the first foreign leader to address the Parliament of Nepal
- He did puja at the fifth century Pashupatinath temple
- Modi announced a credit assistance programme of US$1 billion to Nepal
- HIT policy__
which stands for Highways, Information Technology and Transmission.
*key persons –Nepal Prime Minister GP Koirala
- Note1__*The last visit of an Indian prime minister to Nepal was 17 years ago in 1997 by I. K. Gujral.
- Note2 _18th SAARC summit-katmandu-His first ever SAARC summit.
4.Japan__30 August – 3 September.
Highlights
- First bilateral state visit outside the subcontinent.
- Pledging financial support for building infrastructure in India.
- Sticking to his ‘Make in India’ slogan
- Modi gave an open invitation to Japanese companies to consider India as a ‘competitive low-cost manufacturing hub
- PM Modi’s 3D mantra–Democracy, Demography and Demand.
- Bullet trains: With Japan committing to fund bullet trains, the dream of running high-speed trains on Indian tracks is now a step closer.
- Special Strategic Global Partnership': Japan and India have upgraded their partnership to the level of ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ with the signing of a defence pact for regional stability and Tokyo’s decision to double FDI in India.
- Civil nuclear deal remains elusive – Despite last-minute negotiations, the two sides could not narrow down differences over Tokyo’s insistence for a tougher safe-guard regime and “no nuclear test” clause in the bilateral agreement.
5.United States_26–30 September__
*Highlights __
- India’s long standing demand of a permanent membership in Security Council
- Modi delivered his maiden speech in the sixty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly on 27 September 2014,
- He had also argued why UN should serve as G-All for global governance instead of several parallel sub-groupings like G7, G20 etc.
- Modi-Obama joint statement-cooperation in various fields including defence, intelligence, counter-terrorism, Afghanistan, space exploration and science
- Madison Square Garden pitch-3D Mantra, skill development, talent pool and India’s bright economic prospects.
- Comprehensive on International Terrorism’ by the UN and offered India’s pro-active role in it citing India as a victim of terrorism for decades.
- Demand Sharif has made in his address at the UNGA on 26 September, on Kashmir related mater he stated that his govt is ready for ‘bilateral talk’
- Modi commented briefly on climate change and use of clean energy, in this regards he also asked world leaders and UN officials for observing Yoga Day
- Modi fasted during a White House dinner in his honor.
- 10.Smart city assistance — AJMER, ALLAHABAD, VISIKAPATNAM–CISCO
*key persons– obama , ban-ki-moon
6.Myanmar_11–13 November
*Highlights _
- Modi attended East Asia Summit–9th summit -Naypyidaw
- Importance All the countries supported the East Asia summit declaration on Islamic state (terror group).
- And also asserted that an international partenership is required for a comprehensive response against terrorism.
- The summit also rejected any linkage between religion and terrorism.
- They have also said that it should be ensured that cyberspace and space remain a source of connectivity and prosperity and not new threats of conflicts.
*key persons– ASEAN COUNTRIES PM
7.Australia__14–18 November
- First time,Australian and Indian Prime Ministers have made reciprocal visits in the same year.
- The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, paid an official visit to Australia from 16-18 November 2014, following the G-20 Summit.
- priority areas such as resources, education, skills, agriculture, infrastructure, investments, financial services and health
- CECA_Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement be brought to an early conclusion to realise the potential of commercial relations.
- Australian investment in cold chain storage, energy, infrastructure and other sectors can do for the Indian economy.
- India will hold a Make in India event in Australia in 2015 and organise shows in gems and jewellery, engineering and pharmaceuticals to showcase India’s manufacturing capabilities.
- KEY* – a.Civil Nuclear Agreement signed in September.Australian supply of uranium in coming years will enhance India’s energy security.
b.cooperate on clean coal technologies
c.defence, counter-terrorism, cyber policy
- They announced collaboration on rejuvenatingthe Ganga River- two-way exchanges and cooperation in river basin planning .
- MoU on Arts and Culture, which will create a framework for deeper cultural exchanges,world-class Sports University.
*key persons– TONY ABOTT –PM
8.Fiji__19 November
*Highlights __
- In more than 33 years Modi became the first Indian head of government to visit Fiji after Indira Gandhi’s visit in 1981.
- There he also attended a ‘Forum for India-Pacific Island cooperation’ along with leaders from all 14 Pacific islands nations.
*key persons–Frank Bainimarama–PM
Dear Readers & Aspirants, We collected some Modi Foreign Visits 2014 – 2015 and make it in points format. We Hope it will definitely help you for your upcoming Exams. All the Best My Dear Aspirants & Readers.
1.Bhutan__16–17 June
Highlights
Modi made his first foreign visit to Bhutan following an invitation by
* King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Tobgay.
*The visit was called by the media as a “charm offensive”
- India and Bhutan reiterated their commitment to achieving the 10,000 MW target in hydropower cooperation
- Modi inaugurated one of India’s assistance projects – the building of the Supreme Court of Bhutan and laid foundation stone of the 600MW Kholongchu Hydro-electric .
- India also announced exemption of Bhutan from any ban on export of milk powder, wheat, edible oil, pulses and non-basmati rice.
- The two sides recalled the free trade arrangement between them and the expanding bilateral trade and its importance in further cementing their friendship.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi also mooted the idea of an annual hill sports festival with India’s northeastern states along with Bhutan and Nepal.
- Modi announced doubling of scholarships being provided to Bhutanese students in India which will now be worth Rs 2 crore.
- India will also assist Bhutan set up a digital library which will provide access to Bhutanese youth to two million books and periodicals.
- Both India-Bhutan reaffirmed their commitment to extensive development cooperation and discussed ways to further enhance economic ties.
*key persons —Sushma Swaraj, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval & Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh.
2.Brazil__13–16 July
*Highlights ___
In July 2014, he visited Brazil for his first multilateral visit, the 6th BRICS summit was held at the north-eastern beach city of Fortaleza.
- In the Fortaleza summit the group have agreed to establish a financial institution rivaling the western dominated World Bank and IMF.
- The bank would be named the New Development Bank as suggested by the Indian side but Modi govt failed to bag the bank’s headquarter for New Delhi, which would be located in Shanghai, China.
- Later the BRICS leader also attended an event in Brasilia where they met the UNASUR heads of government.
- At the same time, the Ministry of External Affairs added Spanish to its list of available languages.
*key persons —BRICS countries prime ministers
3 .Nepal__3–4 August
*Highlights _
Modi arrived for a two-day visit to Nepal on 3 August. The last visit of an Indian prime minister to Nepal was 17 years ago in 1997 by I. K. Gujral,
- India-funded hydroelectricity projects in Nepal and other infrastructure projects in Nepal
- Modi became the first foreign leader to address the Parliament of Nepal
- He did puja at the fifth century Pashupatinath temple
- Modi announced a credit assistance programme of US$1 billion to Nepal
- HIT policy__
which stands for Highways, Information Technology and Transmission.
*key persons –Nepal Prime Minister GP Koirala
- Note1__*The last visit of an Indian prime minister to Nepal was 17 years ago in 1997 by I. K. Gujral.
- Note2 _18th SAARC summit-katmandu-His first ever SAARC summit.
4.Japan__30 August – 3 September.
Highlights
- First bilateral state visit outside the subcontinent.
- Pledging financial support for building infrastructure in India.
- Sticking to his ‘Make in India’ slogan
- Modi gave an open invitation to Japanese companies to consider India as a ‘competitive low-cost manufacturing hub
- PM Modi’s 3D mantra–Democracy, Demography and Demand.
- Bullet trains: With Japan committing to fund bullet trains, the dream of running high-speed trains on Indian tracks is now a step closer.
- Special Strategic Global Partnership': Japan and India have upgraded their partnership to the level of ‘Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ with the signing of a defence pact for regional stability and Tokyo’s decision to double FDI in India.
- Civil nuclear deal remains elusive – Despite last-minute negotiations, the two sides could not narrow down differences over Tokyo’s insistence for a tougher safe-guard regime and “no nuclear test” clause in the bilateral agreement.
5.United States_26–30 September__
*Highlights __
- India’s long standing demand of a permanent membership in Security Council
- Modi delivered his maiden speech in the sixty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly on 27 September 2014,
- He had also argued why UN should serve as G-All for global governance instead of several parallel sub-groupings like G7, G20 etc.
- Modi-Obama joint statement-cooperation in various fields including defence, intelligence, counter-terrorism, Afghanistan, space exploration and science
- Madison Square Garden pitch-3D Mantra, skill development, talent pool and India’s bright economic prospects.
- Comprehensive on International Terrorism’ by the UN and offered India’s pro-active role in it citing India as a victim of terrorism for decades.
- Demand Sharif has made in his address at the UNGA on 26 September, on Kashmir related mater he stated that his govt is ready for ‘bilateral talk’
- Modi commented briefly on climate change and use of clean energy, in this regards he also asked world leaders and UN officials for observing Yoga Day
- Modi fasted during a White House dinner in his honor.
- 10.Smart city assistance — AJMER, ALLAHABAD, VISIKAPATNAM–CISCO
*key persons– obama , ban-ki-moon
6.Myanmar_11–13 November
*Highlights _
- Modi attended East Asia Summit–9th summit -Naypyidaw
- Importance All the countries supported the East Asia summit declaration on Islamic state (terror group).
- And also asserted that an international partenership is required for a comprehensive response against terrorism.
- The summit also rejected any linkage between religion and terrorism.
- They have also said that it should be ensured that cyberspace and space remain a source of connectivity and prosperity and not new threats of conflicts.
*key persons– ASEAN COUNTRIES PM
7.Australia__14–18 November
- First time,Australian and Indian Prime Ministers have made reciprocal visits in the same year.
- The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, paid an official visit to Australia from 16-18 November 2014, following the G-20 Summit.
- priority areas such as resources, education, skills, agriculture, infrastructure, investments, financial services and health
- CECA_Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement be brought to an early conclusion to realise the potential of commercial relations.
- Australian investment in cold chain storage, energy, infrastructure and other sectors can do for the Indian economy.
- India will hold a Make in India event in Australia in 2015 and organise shows in gems and jewellery, engineering and pharmaceuticals to showcase India’s manufacturing capabilities.
- KEY* – a.Civil Nuclear Agreement signed in September.Australian supply of uranium in coming years will enhance India’s energy security.
b.cooperate on clean coal technologies
c.defence, counter-terrorism, cyber policy
- They announced collaboration on rejuvenatingthe Ganga River- two-way exchanges and cooperation in river basin planning .
- MoU on Arts and Culture, which will create a framework for deeper cultural exchanges,world-class Sports University.
*key persons– TONY ABOTT –PM
8.Fiji__19 November
*Highlights __
- In more than 33 years Modi became the first Indian head of government to visit Fiji after Indira Gandhi’s visit in 1981.
- There he also attended a ‘Forum for India-Pacific Island cooperation’ along with leaders from all 14 Pacific islands nations.
*key persons–Frank Bainimarama–PM
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