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The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed the plea filed by CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana seeking quashing of FIR filed against him for bribery allegations.&nbsp;

Justice Najmi Waziri also refused to quash the FIR lodged against CBI Deputy Superintendent Devender Kumar and alleged middleman Manoj Prasad.

The High Court stated that the probe needs to be carried out expeditiously. As per reports, Asthana seeks two weeks of protection from the arrest and to appeal in the Supreme Court but the Court&nbsp;refuses to grant interim protection to CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

The Court has asked the CBI to maintain status quo for two weeks.

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Delhi HC: No doubt, registration of an FIR against a public servant will be a cause of great concern and stress for the public servant. Charges under the FIR are a matter of investigation. It is important that law presumes a person is innocent until proven guilty <a href="https://t.co/ByLr9nz4vI">https://t.co/ByLr9nz4vI</a>
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The Court has directed the CBI to conclude the investigation against Rakesh Asthana and Devender Kumar in 10 weeks.&nbsp;

The Court further said that the allegation of "mala fide" raised against then CBI Director Alok Verma is not made out. It also vacated its interim order granting protection to Asthana against criminal proceedings.

Justice Waziri said that permission for prior sanction to prosecute Asthana and Kumar was not required considering the facts of the case.

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Delhi High Court dismisses the plea filed by CBI's Spl Director Rakesh Asthana and DySP Devender Kumar plea seeking quashing of FIR filed against them <a href="https://t.co/zSmYoZlzsl">pic.twitter.com/zSmYoZlzsl</a>
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Asthana was booked on charges of criminal conspiracy, corruption and criminal misconduct under sections of Prevention of Corruption Act.

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He was booked by the CBI on October 15, 2018 on the basis of a magisterial statement recorded by a businessman Sathish Babu Sana who had claimed that two businessmen brothers had sought bribe of Rs 5 crore from him to get relief to him in a CBI case against him using their contacts with the special director, news agency PTI reported.

Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana had also made allegations of corruption, extortion and high-handedness. &nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)&nbsp;

The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed the plea filed by CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana seeking quashing of FIR filed against him for bribery allegations.

The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed the plea filed by CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana seeking quashing of FIR filed against him for bribery allegations. Justice Najmi Waziri also refused to quash the FIR lodged against CBI Deputy Superintendent Devender Kumar and alleged middleman Manoj Prasad. The High Court stated that the probe needs to be carried out expeditiously. As per reports, Asthana seeks two weeks of protection from the arrest and to appeal in the Supreme Court but the Court refuses to grant interim protection to CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana. The Court has asked the CBI to maintain status quo for two weeks. Delhi HC: No doubt, registration of an FIR against a public servant will be a cause of great concern and stress for the public servant. Charges under the FIR are a matter of investigation. It is important that law presumes a person is innocent until proven guilty https://t.co/ByLr9nz4vI — ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2019 × The Court has directed the CBI to conclude the investigation against Rakesh Asthana and Devender Kumar in 10 weeks. The Court further said that the allegation of "mala fide" raised against then CBI Director Alok Verma is not made out. It also vacated its interim order granting protection to Asthana against criminal proceedings. Justice Waziri said that permission for prior sanction to prosecute Asthana and Kumar was not required considering the facts of the case. Delhi High Court dismisses the plea filed by CBI's Spl Director Rakesh Asthana and DySP Devender Kumar plea seeking quashing of FIR filed against them pic.twitter.com/zSmYoZlzsl — ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2019 × Asthana was booked on charges of criminal conspiracy, corruption and criminal misconduct under sections of Prevention of Corruption Act. Delhi High Court: CBI to conclude investigation against Rakesh Asthana and Devender Kumar in 10 weeks https://t.co/ByLr9nz4vI — ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2019 × He was booked by the CBI on October 15, 2018 on the basis of a magisterial statement recorded by a businessman Sathish Babu Sana who had claimed that two businessmen brothers had sought bribe of Rs 5 crore from him to get relief to him in a CBI case against him using their contacts with the special director, news agency PTI reported. Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana had also made allegations of corruption, extortion and high-handedness. (With inputs from PTI)

Delhi High Court dismisses CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana's plea to quash FIR in bribery case

Interim CBI Director M Nageshwar Rao has cancelled all transfer decisions taken by his ousted predecessor Alok Verma, reverting to the position of officials as on January 8, officials said.

The fresh order issued by Rao on Friday declared all the orders issued by Verma as "non est".

"And consequently, all actions in pursuance thereof by all concerned are also hereby declared as null and void. In other words, status-quo ante as on January 8, 2019, stands restored," the order accessed by PTI said.

Verma, after being reinstated by the Supreme Court on January 8, had undone all the transfers done by Rao. He had also appointed a new investigation officer to probe the case against Special Director Rakesh Asthana.

A high-powered committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Justice A K Sikri and leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge had transferred Verma out of the CBI in a split verdict Thursday.

The government gave the charge of the agency to Additional Director Nageshwar Rao who was also in-charge for 77 days when Verma and his deputy Asthana were on forced leave.

The Supreme Court had earlier stopped Rao from taking any major policy decisions. However, no such condition applies on his present tenure.

Rao had taken charge of the agency at 9 pm Thursday, a CBI spokesperson said in a statement Friday.&nbsp;

Interim CBI Director M Nageshwar Rao has cancelled all transfer decisions taken by his ousted predecessor Alok Verma, reverting to the position of officials as on January 8, officials said.

Interim CBI Director M Nageshwar Rao has cancelled all transfer decisions taken by his ousted predecessor Alok Verma, reverting to the position of officials as on January 8, officials said. The fresh order issued by Rao on Friday declared all the orders issued by Verma as "non est". "And consequently, all actions in pursuance thereof by all concerned are also hereby declared as null and void. In other words, status-quo ante as on January 8, 2019, stands restored," the order accessed by PTI said. Verma, after being reinstated by the Supreme Court on January 8, had undone all the transfers done by Rao. He had also appointed a new investigation officer to probe the case against Special Director Rakesh Asthana. A high-powered committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Justice A K Sikri and leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge had transferred Verma out of the CBI in a split verdict Thursday. The government gave the charge of the agency to Additional Director Nageshwar Rao who was also in-charge for 77 days when Verma and his deputy Asthana were on forced leave. The Supreme Court had earlier stopped Rao from taking any major policy decisions. However, no such condition applies on his present tenure. Rao had taken charge of the agency at 9 pm Thursday, a CBI spokesperson said in a statement Friday.

M Nageshwar Rao undoes transfers done by Verma, situation restored to January 8

India has briefed the visiting United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad about its policy in the South Asian neighbour&nbsp;and Pakistan's role in the region.&nbsp;

Khalilzad met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday and foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale on Friday.&nbsp;

Ministry of External affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said both sides shared perspective on peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. &nbsp;

''Khalilzad briefed us on their aspect as to how US is trying to achieve peace and reconciliation in the country. We made it very clear that peace and reconciliation in Afganistan should be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, and Afghan-controlled," Kumar said.

Asked if Pakistan's role was discussed, he replied," This is something we have articulated time and again, about the destabilising role they (Pakistan) play. We reiterate out policy in Afghanistan."

US ambassador to India Ken Juster and secretary PAI (Pakistan Afgahistan Iran) division was also present when Khalilzad met Swaraj on Thursday.

"Both sides shared their perspectives on peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan," said an MEA tweet.

This is the first visit by Zalmay to India after taking charge. He will also be visiting China, Pakistan and Afghanistan. During his last visits to the region had had not visited India.&nbsp;

MEA also reacted on Army Chief General Bipin Rawat saying that "there should be talks with Taliban" but without "any preconditions."

"Our position on Afghanistan has been clear and consistent. We have said in the past, India supports the peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan. We support the process which is inclusive towards achieving this goal and there has been no change in the position," MEA spokesperson Kumar said.&nbsp;

India has briefed the visiting United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad about its policy in the South Asian neighbour and Pakistan's role in the region.

India has briefed the visiting United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad about its policy in the South Asian neighbour and Pakistan's role in the region. Khalilzad met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday and foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale on Friday. Ministry of External affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said both sides shared perspective on peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. ''Khalilzad briefed us on their aspect as to how US is trying to achieve peace and reconciliation in the country. We made it very clear that peace and reconciliation in Afganistan should be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, and Afghan-controlled," Kumar said. Asked if Pakistan's role was discussed, he replied," This is something we have articulated time and again, about the destabilising role they (Pakistan) play. We reiterate out policy in Afghanistan." US ambassador to India Ken Juster and secretary PAI (Pakistan Afgahistan Iran) division was also present when Khalilzad met Swaraj on Thursday. "Both sides shared their perspectives on peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan," said an MEA tweet. This is the first visit by Zalmay to India after taking charge. He will also be visiting China, Pakistan and Afghanistan. During his last visits to the region had had not visited India. MEA also reacted on Army Chief General Bipin Rawat saying that "there should be talks with Taliban" but without "any preconditions." "Our position on Afghanistan has been clear and consistent. We have said in the past, India supports the peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan. We support the process which is inclusive towards achieving this goal and there has been no change in the position," MEA spokesperson Kumar said.

India briefs UN special representative for Afghanistan about Pakistan's destabilising role in the region  

A day after Alok Verma was removed as&nbsp;Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director, Additional Director M Nageswara Rao on Friday again took charge of the premier investigation agency, officials said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre Indian Police Service officer, took charge in pursuance of an order of the Department of Personnel and Training issued a day earlier.

Rao was first given charge as interim Director after the government on October 23 sent Verma on leave divesting him of his powers along with Special Director Rakesh Asthana following a bitter spat between them alleging each other`s involvement in corruption.&nbsp;

Rao has been again given the charge after Verma was on Thursday removed from the post within 48 hours after rejoining as CBI Director.

A 2-1 decision by a Selection Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with its other two members being Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge and Supreme Court judge AK Sikri on Thursday decided to ease out Verma from the post of CBI Director.

A day after Alok Verma was removed as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director, Additional Director M Nageswara Rao on Friday again took charge of the premier investigation agency, officials said.

A day after Alok Verma was removed as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director, Additional Director M Nageswara Rao on Friday again took charge of the premier investigation agency, officials said. Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre Indian Police Service officer, took charge in pursuance of an order of the Department of Personnel and Training issued a day earlier. Rao was first given charge as interim Director after the government on October 23 sent Verma on leave divesting him of his powers along with Special Director Rakesh Asthana following a bitter spat between them alleging each other`s involvement in corruption. Rao has been again given the charge after Verma was on Thursday removed from the post within 48 hours after rejoining as CBI Director. A 2-1 decision by a Selection Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with its other two members being Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge and Supreme Court judge AK Sikri on Thursday decided to ease out Verma from the post of CBI Director.

Nageswara Rao again takes over CBI Director's duties

The indefinite strike by employees of the city's civic transport undertaking Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) will continue Friday, as talks between union leaders and officials remained inconclusive.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, whose party controls the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), met the BEST union leaders in the presence of Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta and the BEST commissioner Surendra Kumar Bagde at the Mayor's bungalow Thursday.

The negotiations went on for nearly seven hours but failed to break the deadlock.

"The officials have refused to relent on our demands to merge the budget of BEST with that of the BMC. Therefore, the strike will continue. They did not agree to even give us a written assurance about our other demands," BEST Workers Union president Shashank Rao told reporters after the meeting.

He added that while Thackeray tried to find a middle ground, he did not succeed.

The Union has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and demanded a written assurance on its demands, Rao said.

"This strike was called by workers. In the absence of definite assurance, what will we tell them?" said Rao.

Nearly 32,000 BEST employees are on indefinite strike since Tuesday over various demands, including higher salaries and merger of budgets. While the BMC is the richest municipal body in the country, BEST is a loss-making undertaking.

Not a single BEST bus plied on Mumbai roads since morning, an official said.

Commuters complained that auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers were charging much more than normal rates.

A PIL was filed in the Bombay High Court Thursday seeking a direction to BEST workers to end the strike. The court will be hearing it Friday.

The BEST has a fleet of over 3,200 buses, which criss-cross the metropolis and also operate services in the neighbouring Thane district and Navi Mumbai. It is the second-biggest mode of transport in Mumbai after the local trains.&nbsp;

The indefinite strike by employees of the city's civic transport undertaking Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) will continue Friday, as talks between union leaders and officials remained inconclusive.

The indefinite strike by employees of the city's civic transport undertaking Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) will continue Friday, as talks between union leaders and officials remained inconclusive. Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, whose party controls the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), met the BEST union leaders in the presence of Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta and the BEST commissioner Surendra Kumar Bagde at the Mayor's bungalow Thursday. The negotiations went on for nearly seven hours but failed to break the deadlock. "The officials have refused to relent on our demands to merge the budget of BEST with that of the BMC. Therefore, the strike will continue. They did not agree to even give us a written assurance about our other demands," BEST Workers Union president Shashank Rao told reporters after the meeting. He added that while Thackeray tried to find a middle ground, he did not succeed. The Union has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and demanded a written assurance on its demands, Rao said. "This strike was called by workers. In the absence of definite assurance, what will we tell them?" said Rao. Nearly 32,000 BEST employees are on indefinite strike since Tuesday over various demands, including higher salaries and merger of budgets. While the BMC is the richest municipal body in the country, BEST is a loss-making undertaking. Not a single BEST bus plied on Mumbai roads since morning, an official said. Commuters complained that auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers were charging much more than normal rates. A PIL was filed in the Bombay High Court Thursday seeking a direction to BEST workers to end the strike. The court will be hearing it Friday. The BEST has a fleet of over 3,200 buses, which criss-cross the metropolis and also operate services in the neighbouring Thane district and Navi Mumbai. It is the second-biggest mode of transport in Mumbai after the local trains.

Mumbai: BEST indefinite strike to continues

The British High Commission in India has got consular access to Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/agustawestland-scam-christian-michel-named-mrs-gandhi-son-of-italian-lady-in-probe-ed-tells-court-187221">AgustaWestland VVIP chopper</a> deal case, reported news agency ANI.

The High Commission said that its staff have visited Michel to check his welfare, the report added.

"Our staff are supporting a British man who is detained in India, and have visited him to check his welfare,” British High Commission in India said.

Earlier ED counsel told Delhi's Patiala court during the plea to extend his custody that he has spoken about the "son of the Italian lady" &nbsp;and how he is going to become the “next prime minister of the country''.&nbsp;

Michel was arrested in the UAE and extradited to India on December 4.&nbsp;

The British High Commission in India has got consular access to Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case, reported news agency ANI.

The British High Commission in India has got consular access to Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case, reported news agency ANI. The High Commission said that its staff have visited Michel to check his welfare, the report added. "Our staff are supporting a British man who is detained in India, and have visited him to check his welfare,” British High Commission in India said. Earlier ED counsel told Delhi's Patiala court during the plea to extend his custody that he has spoken about the "son of the Italian lady" and how he is going to become the “next prime minister of the country''. Michel was arrested in the UAE and extradited to India on December 4.

British High Commission in India gets consular access to Christian Michel 

The Army has managed the situation well along the borders with China and Pakistan and there should be no cause for concern, Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat said Thursday.

Speaking at his annual <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/terrorism-becoming-new-form-of-warfare-says-army-chief-bipin-rawat-189157">press conference</a>, Rawat also said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir needs to be improved further.

"We are only facilitators for peace in J&amp;K," he said.

"We have managed the situation well along the northern and western borders and there no cause of concern on the western and northern border," Gen Rawat said.

He also said that it was not possible to take decisions on 100 per cent consensus and that the Army has helped to improve the situations in northeastern states.

The Army has managed the situation well along the borders with China and Pakistan and there should be no cause for concern, Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat said Thursday.

The Army has managed the situation well along the borders with China and Pakistan and there should be no cause for concern, Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat said Thursday. Speaking at his annual press conference, Rawat also said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir needs to be improved further. "We are only facilitators for peace in J&K," he said. "We have managed the situation well along the northern and western borders and there no cause of concern on the western and northern border," Gen Rawat said. He also said that it was not possible to take decisions on 100 per cent consensus and that the Army has helped to improve the situations in northeastern states.

Army has managed situation well along China, Pakistan borders: Bipin Rawat

Indian Army rescues stranded tourists from Sikkim

Hearing of the politically sensitive case of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute in Ayodhya was adjourned on Thursday after Justice UU Lalit recused himself from the case.&nbsp;

Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi will constitute a fresh five-judge bench to hear the case.&nbsp;

No sooner than the bench assembled, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for a Muslim party, told a bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi that Justice Lalit appeared for former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh in 1994.

Singh is currently the Rajasthan Governor.

Though Dhavan said he was not seeking recusal of Justice Lalit, Justice Lalit conveyed to Chief Justice Gogoi and other members of the bench -- Justice SA&nbsp;Bobde, Justice NV&nbsp;Ramana, Justice DY&nbsp;Chandrchud -- of his reluctance to continue on the bench and recused himself.&nbsp;

Chief Justice Gogoi in his order said that under the Supreme Court rules in exercise of his administrative powers, it was his prerogative to decide the strength of the bench.

He said this while declining the submission by Dhawan that an earlier bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra had said that a hearing on the batch of petitions will be heard by a three-judge bench.

The court thereafter directed its registry to go through all the records relating to the Ayodhya case which are available with it and submit a report by January 29 as to how much time it would require for translating the documents and the case material which are in Persian, Arabic, Urdu and Gurmukhi languages.&nbsp;

However, when senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for one of the Hindu litigants, offered to assist the registry in the handling of the papers and their translations, Chief Justice Gogoi said that he will rely entirely on his own registry to do the job.&nbsp;

Having directed the secretary general of the Supreme Court to submit the report in 15 days the court directed that the reconstituted bench will hold the hearing on January 29.&nbsp;

The apex court has now finalised January 29 as the next date of hearing.&nbsp;

Hearing of the politically sensitive case of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute in Ayodhya was adjourned on Thursday after Justice UU Lalit recused himself from the case.

Hearing of the politically sensitive case of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute in Ayodhya was adjourned on Thursday after Justice UU Lalit recused himself from the case. Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi will constitute a fresh five-judge bench to hear the case. No sooner than the bench assembled, senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for a Muslim party, told a bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi that Justice Lalit appeared for former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh in 1994. Singh is currently the Rajasthan Governor. Though Dhavan said he was not seeking recusal of Justice Lalit, Justice Lalit conveyed to Chief Justice Gogoi and other members of the bench -- Justice SA Bobde, Justice NV Ramana, Justice DY Chandrchud -- of his reluctance to continue on the bench and recused himself. Chief Justice Gogoi in his order said that under the Supreme Court rules in exercise of his administrative powers, it was his prerogative to decide the strength of the bench. He said this while declining the submission by Dhawan that an earlier bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra had said that a hearing on the batch of petitions will be heard by a three-judge bench. The court thereafter directed its registry to go through all the records relating to the Ayodhya case which are available with it and submit a report by January 29 as to how much time it would require for translating the documents and the case material which are in Persian, Arabic, Urdu and Gurmukhi languages. However, when senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for one of the Hindu litigants, offered to assist the registry in the handling of the papers and their translations, Chief Justice Gogoi said that he will rely entirely on his own registry to do the job. Having directed the secretary general of the Supreme Court to submit the report in 15 days the court directed that the reconstituted bench will hold the hearing on January 29. The apex court has now finalised January 29 as the next date of hearing.

Ayodhya case: Hearing adjourned after judge recuses himself; new five-judge bench to be constituted

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/assembly-election-results-2018-pm-narendra-modi-lost-but-rahul-gandhi-did-not-win-183412">tore into Congress president Rahul Gandhi</a> for saying he made "a woman"&nbsp;defend him in Parliament over the Rafale deal, a reference to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, terming the remark as an insult to all women in the country.

Mounting a fresh offensive against the Congress as well as the SP and the BSP at rallies in Solapur in Maharashtra and Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Modi also called himself a chowkidar (watchman) who can pick out a wrongdoer even in darkness in his fight against corruption.

Modi said his "safai" (clean-up) mission to uproot corruption has made the opposition parties scared of the chowkidar that even arch-rivals SP and the BSP are coming together to throw him out of power. Modi referred to himself by the term 'chowkidar' Rahul Gandhi often uses while targeting the prime minister.

Calling Modi a prime minister who claimed to have a broad chest, Gandhi said he had "run away" from the debate in Parliament on the Rafale deal last week.

The watchman with a 56-inch chest ran away and told a woman, Sitharaman Ji, defend me. I won't be able to defend myself, defend me, Gandhi said at a farmers' rally in Jaipur.

In his public meeting a few hours later in Agra, Modi accused Congress leaders of insulting all women in the country.

Modi said Sitharaman had floored the Opposition in the Lok Sabha by coming up with "fact after fact" on the Rafale deal.

"They are bent upon insulting a woman defence minister," he said, without naming Gandhi.

"This is not an insult to a woman, but an insult to entire India's women power, for which these irresponsible leaders will have to pay the price."

The prime minister said it was a matter of pride that a woman had become defence minister for the first time in the country.

Targeting the Congress, Modi asked it to clarify what was driving its relentless allegations on the Rafale fighter jet procurement issue.

Modi also latched on to media reports that claimed that alleged middleman Christian Michel, arrested in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, was lobbying for French manufacturer Rafale's rivals in the multi-role aircraft deal.

"During the earlier (UPA) regime, the middlemen culture had become a part of the system. They had snatched the rights of the poor and also played with the security of the nation," Modi said, adding Michel was lobbying for "some other contender" as well.

"He (Michel) has made a shocking revelation. As per media reports, he was not just involved in the (AgustaWestland) chopper deal but also involved in the deal relating to the fighter planes (Rafale), when the earlier government was in power," Modi said.

"Media says that Michel was also lobbying for some other company. Congress should answer which leader of their party, now shouting about this (Rafale deal), has a connection with Michel. They should give an account of each and every penny spent," he said. Congress did not immediately react to Modi's remark.

He also said that 'Michel mama' the 'confidence' is in the custody of country and that the Congress is worried that he might reveal secrets.

"Do you support the chowkidar," Modi asked the crowd at the Solapur rally.&nbsp;

"Was the deal stopped then because of Michel mama's 'saudebaazi' (deals)," he said, apparently referring to the 126 jet plan that didn't materialise.

Calling himself a chowkidar, Modi said he has undertaken a "safai" (clean-up) mission to uproot corruption and that he cannot be bought or scared and will continue with his work relentlessly.

"Modi is made up of different mettle. He cannot be bought nor can anyone scare him. I will take an account of every single penny. This chowkidar doesn't sleep and can pick a wrongdoer even in darkness. They may continue abusing me but I will not stop my mission to uproot corruption," the prime minister said.

In Agra, Modi hit out at the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party(SP) and the Mayawati-headed Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP), which are in the process of tying up an alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, saying political rivals, who did not even like to look at each other, were now coming together just to oppose the BJP.

"Rivals are coming together just to oppose us. Political rivals, who didn't even like to look at each other, are now coming together just to oppose us," he told a public meeting after launching various projects worth Rs 3,907 crore.

"They fear the chowkidar, which is why they want to throw me out of power," Modi said, citing alleged scams in sand and gravel mining in Uttar Pradesh during the separate regimes of these two parties in the state earlier.

"The investigating agencies are seeking an answer from them of their misdeeds and so they are conspiring against the chowkidar...," Modi said, alleging they have now started a cooperation campaign in corruption,"...To hide their scams and corruption (they) are shaking hands...Those who were not ready to see eye to eye are shaking hands for petty political gains and are (also) ready to forget the shameful guest house case and other incidents," Modi said referring to the infamous state guest house incident in 1995. SP workers manhandled Mayawati in the state guest house in Lucknow on June 2, 1995, in a bid to obtain BSP's support for the party's coalition government.

"This is happening only because the chowkidar is awake and is standing in front of them with full honesty...To remove the chowkidar they are collecting all the 'tinkas' and 'tukdas'(straw and broken pieces)," he said.

Modi defended the introduction of the 10 per cent quota for the general category poor in jobs and education, adding the bill's passage in the Lok Sabha is a strong answer to those "spreading lies".

On the Lok Sabha's approval of the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill, seeking to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Modi assured people of Assam and the North-East their rights will not be curtailed in any way.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday tore into Congress president Rahul Gandhi for saying he made "a woman" defend him in Parliament over the Rafale deal, a reference to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, terming the remark as an insult to all women in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday tore into Congress president Rahul Gandhi for saying he made "a woman" defend him in Parliament over the Rafale deal, a reference to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, terming the remark as an insult to all women in the country. Mounting a fresh offensive against the Congress as well as the SP and the BSP at rallies in Solapur in Maharashtra and Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Modi also called himself a chowkidar (watchman) who can pick out a wrongdoer even in darkness in his fight against corruption. Modi said his "safai" (clean-up) mission to uproot corruption has made the opposition parties scared of the chowkidar that even arch-rivals SP and the BSP are coming together to throw him out of power. Modi referred to himself by the term 'chowkidar' Rahul Gandhi often uses while targeting the prime minister. Calling Modi a prime minister who claimed to have a broad chest, Gandhi said he had "run away" from the debate in Parliament on the Rafale deal last week. The watchman with a 56-inch chest ran away and told a woman, Sitharaman Ji, defend me. I won't be able to defend myself, defend me, Gandhi said at a farmers' rally in Jaipur. In his public meeting a few hours later in Agra, Modi accused Congress leaders of insulting all women in the country. Modi said Sitharaman had floored the Opposition in the Lok Sabha by coming up with "fact after fact" on the Rafale deal. "They are bent upon insulting a woman defence minister," he said, without naming Gandhi. "This is not an insult to a woman, but an insult to entire India's women power, for which these irresponsible leaders will have to pay the price." The prime minister said it was a matter of pride that a woman had become defence minister for the first time in the country. Targeting the Congress, Modi asked it to clarify what was driving its relentless allegations on the Rafale fighter jet procurement issue. Modi also latched on to media reports that claimed that alleged middleman Christian Michel, arrested in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, was lobbying for French manufacturer Rafale's rivals in the multi-role aircraft deal. "During the earlier (UPA) regime, the middlemen culture had become a part of the system. They had snatched the rights of the poor and also played with the security of the nation," Modi said, adding Michel was lobbying for "some other contender" as well. "He (Michel) has made a shocking revelation. As per media reports, he was not just involved in the (AgustaWestland) chopper deal but also involved in the deal relating to the fighter planes (Rafale), when the earlier government was in power," Modi said. "Media says that Michel was also lobbying for some other company. Congress should answer which leader of their party, now shouting about this (Rafale deal), has a connection with Michel. They should give an account of each and every penny spent," he said. Congress did not immediately react to Modi's remark. He also said that 'Michel mama' the 'confidence' is in the custody of country and that the Congress is worried that he might reveal secrets. "Do you support the chowkidar," Modi asked the crowd at the Solapur rally. "Was the deal stopped then because of Michel mama's 'saudebaazi' (deals)," he said, apparently referring to the 126 jet plan that didn't materialise. Calling himself a chowkidar, Modi said he has undertaken a "safai" (clean-up) mission to uproot corruption and that he cannot be bought or scared and will continue with his work relentlessly. "Modi is made up of different mettle. He cannot be bought nor can anyone scare him. I will take an account of every single penny. This chowkidar doesn't sleep and can pick a wrongdoer even in darkness. They may continue abusing me but I will not stop my mission to uproot corruption," the prime minister said. In Agra, Modi hit out at the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party(SP) and the Mayawati-headed Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP), which are in the process of tying up an alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, saying political rivals, who did not even like to look at each other, were now coming together just to oppose the BJP. "Rivals are coming together just to oppose us. Political rivals, who didn't even like to look at each other, are now coming together just to oppose us," he told a public meeting after launching various projects worth Rs 3,907 crore. "They fear the chowkidar, which is why they want to throw me out of power," Modi said, citing alleged scams in sand and gravel mining in Uttar Pradesh during the separate regimes of these two parties in the state earlier. "The investigating agencies are seeking an answer from them of their misdeeds and so they are conspiring against the chowkidar...," Modi said, alleging they have now started a cooperation campaign in corruption,"...To hide their scams and corruption (they) are shaking hands...Those who were not ready to see eye to eye are shaking hands for petty political gains and are (also) ready to forget the shameful guest house case and other incidents," Modi said referring to the infamous state guest house incident in 1995. SP workers manhandled Mayawati in the state guest house in Lucknow on June 2, 1995, in a bid to obtain BSP's support for the party's coalition government. "This is happening only because the chowkidar is awake and is standing in front of them with full honesty...To remove the chowkidar they are collecting all the 'tinkas' and 'tukdas'(straw and broken pieces)," he said. Modi defended the introduction of the 10 per cent quota for the general category poor in jobs and education, adding the bill's passage in the Lok Sabha is a strong answer to those "spreading lies". On the Lok Sabha's approval of the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill, seeking to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Modi assured people of Assam and the North-East their rights will not be curtailed in any way.

Modi slams Rahul for saying he made 'a woman' defend him in Parliament

National Commission for Women(NCW) <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rafael-deal-was-done-with-national-security-as-a-priority-nirmala-sitharaman-188252">today sent&nbsp;a notice</a> to Congress president Rahul Gandhi after he said&nbsp;at a rally in Jaipur that PM Modi had made a woman defend him in Parliament over the Rafale deal, referring to defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

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National Commission for Women (NCW) issues notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi over his statement "PM ran away &amp; asked a 'mahila' (Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman) to defend him" <a href="https://t.co/xTAyqNeXg1">pic.twitter.com/xTAyqNeXg1</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1083239622916886529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2019</a></blockquote>
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PM Modi hit back at a rally in Agra over&nbsp;Congress president's statement asserting that it was an "insult to all women in the country."

"They are bent upon insulting a woman defence minister," he said, without naming Rahul Gandhi.

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.<a href="https://twitter.com/NCWIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NCWIndia</a> will be sending a notice to <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RahulGandhi</a> regarding the statement in question. <a href="https://twitter.com/nsitharaman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nsitharaman</a> <a href="https://t.co/tJc6hzsdpF">https://t.co/tJc6hzsdpF</a>
— NCW (@NCWIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/NCWIndia/status/1082982924851527680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"This is not an insult to a woman, but an insult to entire India's women power, for which these irresponsible leaders will have to pay the price," the prime minister had said.

Rekha Sharma, chairperson NCW said: What is Rahul Gandhi trying to imply with his misogynistic statement? Does he think women are weak? The irony - calling an accomplished defence minister of the largest democracy a weak person."

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What is <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rahulgandhi</a> trying to imply with his misogynistic statement- “... ek mahila say kaha meri raksha kiijiye."? Does he think women are weak? The irony- calling an accomplished defence minister of the largest democracy a weak person. <a href="https://twitter.com/nsitharaman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nsitharaman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NCWIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ncwindia</a>
— rekha sharma (@sharmarekha) <a href="https://twitter.com/sharmarekha/status/1082981959381471234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman had attacked Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha during the Rafael deal declaring that he had lied about meeting French president Macron about the deal.

"We've asked explanation from Rahul Gandhi why he said what he said yesterday in his tweets. The statement was pathetic, sexist and misogynistic. That's why we've sent him a notice. He has to explain what does he mean when he is trying to talk low of women," Rekha Sharma said.

During the debate in Parliament, Sitharaman had said&nbsp;that it was a matter of “shame” that the Congress president was misleading the country on the Rafael issue. Sitharaman asked Rahul to apologise to the country from the floor of the House.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had alleged that the defence minister had “lied” in Parliament that government orders worth Rs one lakh crore were provided to HAL while demanding that she should either place the documents in support of her statement in the House or resign.

Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha in a heated reply that "doubts raised" over her statement on HAL contracts were "incorrect and misleading."

National Commission for Women(NCW) today sent a notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi after he said at a rally in Jaipur that PM Modi had made a woman defend him in Parliament over the Rafale deal, referring to defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

National Commission for Women(NCW) today sent a notice to Congress president Rahul Gandhi after he said at a rally in Jaipur that PM Modi had made a woman defend him in Parliament over the Rafale deal, referring to defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman. National Commission for Women (NCW) issues notice to Congress President Rahul Gandhi over his statement "PM ran away & asked a 'mahila' (Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman) to defend him" pic.twitter.com/xTAyqNeXg1 — ANI (@ANI) January 10, 2019 × PM Modi hit back at a rally in Agra over Congress president's statement asserting that it was an "insult to all women in the country." "They are bent upon insulting a woman defence minister," he said, without naming Rahul Gandhi. .@NCWIndia will be sending a notice to @RahulGandhi regarding the statement in question. @nsitharaman https://t.co/tJc6hzsdpF — NCW (@NCWIndia) January 9, 2019 × "This is not an insult to a woman, but an insult to entire India's women power, for which these irresponsible leaders will have to pay the price," the prime minister had said. Rekha Sharma, chairperson NCW said: What is Rahul Gandhi trying to imply with his misogynistic statement? Does he think women are weak? The irony - calling an accomplished defence minister of the largest democracy a weak person." What is @rahulgandhi trying to imply with his misogynistic statement- “... ek mahila say kaha meri raksha kiijiye."? Does he think women are weak? The irony- calling an accomplished defence minister of the largest democracy a weak person. @nsitharaman @narendramodi @ncwindia — rekha sharma (@sharmarekha) January 9, 2019 × Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman had attacked Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha during the Rafael deal declaring that he had lied about meeting French president Macron about the deal. "We've asked explanation from Rahul Gandhi why he said what he said yesterday in his tweets. The statement was pathetic, sexist and misogynistic. That's why we've sent him a notice. He has to explain what does he mean when he is trying to talk low of women," Rekha Sharma said. During the debate in Parliament, Sitharaman had said that it was a matter of “shame” that the Congress president was misleading the country on the Rafael issue. Sitharaman asked Rahul to apologise to the country from the floor of the House. Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had alleged that the defence minister had “lied” in Parliament that government orders worth Rs one lakh crore were provided to HAL while demanding that she should either place the documents in support of her statement in the House or resign. Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha in a heated reply that "doubts raised" over her statement on HAL contracts were "incorrect and misleading."

NCW sends notice to Rahul Gandhi over Nirmala Sitharaman remark

Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil dared on Thursday Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to walk out of the BJP-led state government following Amit Shah’s warning that the BJP can also thrash former allies in polls. Addressing a rally, Patil also claimed that while the Sena keeps attacking the BJP, Uddhav Thackeray met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at a city hotel two days ago. He sought to know what they discussed.

The Sena, though part of the BJP-led NDA, criticises the saffron party almost every day. In a veiled warning, BJP president Amit Shah had said last Sunday that if there was no alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP will “plonk down” (defeat) its former allies. Referring to Shah’s statement, Patil said, “The president of the other party (BJP) talks about plonking you down. If you have (late Shiv Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray’s blood running in your veins, show the courage to walk out of the state cabinet tomorrow morning.”

Patil also said there was “no wave” in the country now, suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP’s popularity was on the wane. “We have launched this Parivartan Yatra campaign to rid the country and state of the BJP,” he said. The NCP rally was also addressed by senior leaders Chhagan Bhujbal, Ajit Pawar, Dhananjay Munde and others. Ajit Pawar hit out at the Centre over the 10 per cent quota to the economically backward section in the general category. “You gave reservation to those who pay income tax, but not to the poor,” Pawar said.

Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil dared on Thursday Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to walk out of the BJP-led state government following Amit Shah’s warning that the BJP can also thrash former allies in polls.

Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil dared on Thursday Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to walk out of the BJP-led state government following Amit Shah’s warning that the BJP can also thrash former allies in polls. Addressing a rally, Patil also claimed that while the Sena keeps attacking the BJP, Uddhav Thackeray met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at a city hotel two days ago. He sought to know what they discussed. The Sena, though part of the BJP-led NDA, criticises the saffron party almost every day. In a veiled warning, BJP president Amit Shah had said last Sunday that if there was no alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP will “plonk down” (defeat) its former allies. Referring to Shah’s statement, Patil said, “The president of the other party (BJP) talks about plonking you down. If you have (late Shiv Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray’s blood running in your veins, show the courage to walk out of the state cabinet tomorrow morning.” Patil also said there was “no wave” in the country now, suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP’s popularity was on the wane. “We have launched this Parivartan Yatra campaign to rid the country and state of the BJP,” he said. The NCP rally was also addressed by senior leaders Chhagan Bhujbal, Ajit Pawar, Dhananjay Munde and others. Ajit Pawar hit out at the Centre over the 10 per cent quota to the economically backward section in the general category. “You gave reservation to those who pay income tax, but not to the poor,” Pawar said.

NCP cites Amit Shah’s warning, dares Shiv Sena to quit government

Facing widespread protests over the passing of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Thursday assured the indigenous people of the state that their interests will be protected by implementing clause 6 of the Assam Accord.&nbsp;

Earlier, speaking at a Fish Food festival here, the chief minister urged the people to keep faith on the government and maintain harmony. He said the indigenous people of the state should not feel threatened as the government was not going to allow anyone to harm their interests.

Sonowal said too many movements and agitations are hampering the growth of the state. He urged the people to start a positive movement to develop the state at a rapid pace. Asked by journalists about the Bill on the sidelines of the festival, Sonowal refused to comment but assured Clause 6 of the Assam Accord will be implemented to protect the interests of the indigenous people of the state. Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, signed on August 15, 1985, after a prolonged agitation from 1979 to 1985, envisaged that appropriate constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.

Speaking at the festival organised by the Assam Fisheries Development Corporation Limited, he said the fishery sector has immense potential and people must vigorously engage in it for deriving maximum benefits. “Assam is blessed with abundant water resources and we have the capacity to become biggest producer and exporter of fish in the country,” he said and emphasised on adoption of latest scientific technologies for augmenting fish production. Referring to the Act East Policy of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government, Sonowal urged the youth of the state to take up fishery as a profession and contribute to the cause of making the state self-reliant in fish production.

Saying countries like Vietnam have been able to sell fish imported from India at a higher rate by catering to the needs of the European consumers, Sonowal urged the people to adopt such practices to derive maximum benefits from the fish produced in the state. He also informed that cargo service has been launched recently in the state through which state’s farmers can export and sell their products in different parts of the country and the world and urged the fish producers to take advantage of the facility. The government is taking all steps to popularise farming among the youth as a respectable means of livelihood, he states.

Facing widespread protests over the passing of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Thursday assured the indigenous people of the state that their interests will be protected by implementing clause 6 of the Assam Accord.

Facing widespread protests over the passing of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Thursday assured the indigenous people of the state that their interests will be protected by implementing clause 6 of the Assam Accord. Earlier, speaking at a Fish Food festival here, the chief minister urged the people to keep faith on the government and maintain harmony. He said the indigenous people of the state should not feel threatened as the government was not going to allow anyone to harm their interests. Sonowal said too many movements and agitations are hampering the growth of the state. He urged the people to start a positive movement to develop the state at a rapid pace. Asked by journalists about the Bill on the sidelines of the festival, Sonowal refused to comment but assured Clause 6 of the Assam Accord will be implemented to protect the interests of the indigenous people of the state. Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, signed on August 15, 1985, after a prolonged agitation from 1979 to 1985, envisaged that appropriate constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people. Speaking at the festival organised by the Assam Fisheries Development Corporation Limited, he said the fishery sector has immense potential and people must vigorously engage in it for deriving maximum benefits. “Assam is blessed with abundant water resources and we have the capacity to become biggest producer and exporter of fish in the country,” he said and emphasised on adoption of latest scientific technologies for augmenting fish production. Referring to the Act East Policy of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government, Sonowal urged the youth of the state to take up fishery as a profession and contribute to the cause of making the state self-reliant in fish production. Saying countries like Vietnam have been able to sell fish imported from India at a higher rate by catering to the needs of the European consumers, Sonowal urged the people to adopt such practices to derive maximum benefits from the fish produced in the state. He also informed that cargo service has been launched recently in the state through which state’s farmers can export and sell their products in different parts of the country and the world and urged the fish producers to take advantage of the facility. The government is taking all steps to popularise farming among the youth as a respectable means of livelihood, he states.

Citizenship Bill: Sonowal says interests of indigenous people will be protected

In a stinging counter-attack on the Rafale issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday accused the Congress of stalling defence procurement if there was “no deal” for it. He also said the alleged middleman Christian Michel was close to the Congress first family and the people deserved to know the role played by him in the 10-year delay over the Rafale deal during UPA regime. Interacting with booth level BJP workers of Tamil Nadu through video-conferencing, he said many people think that the biggest failure of Congress was mismanagement of the economy and corruption. “But they did deep damage to our armed forces. Not many know how much damage Congress culture did to our defence sector for decades.

They had made the defence sector a den of Bofors and brokers and middlemen. “In their government, procurement would only happen if there was a deal. If there was no deal their approach was to simply stop buying anything for the armed forces,” Modi said in response to a question. Recalling Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement during the debate in Lok Sabha over the Rafale issue, Modi said when India’s neighbours were strengthening their forces with fourth and fifth generation fighters, the then Congress government stalled defence procurement. Recently, between 2004-15, one of India’s neighbours added 400 aircraft while another doubled the air force fleet strength with many of these being fourth and fifth generation fighters, he said.

“What was the Congress government doing at that time? It stalled Defence procurement for want of its deal while our neighbours increased capacity. Congress actually decreased ours. Such huge damage to the defence forces, all for the sake of a deal,” Modi alleged. Referring to negotiations to purchase 126 Rafale fighter jets during the UPA regime, Modi claimed Michel, being probed over the AgustaWestland chopper deal, had access to inside information like the timing of a cabinet meet on security and a government file on a related matter.

“Do you know who this middleman is close to? This middleman is close to the current first family of the Congress.” The reported revelations by the middleman raise several questions and people had a right to know what role did Michel “play in delaying the procurement of Rafale for 10 long years… in putting national security in danger,” he said. “The people of the country deserve to know how did middleman Michel know about the time of a meeting of the Cabinet (committee) on security…,” he said. Similarly, people should know how Michel knew about the status of a government file and how he “managed” the leadership of a party to get the deal. The prime minister’s offensive comes amid the escalating attack by Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who has been posing a series of questions to Modi over the Rafale deal for purchase of 36 fighter jets from the French manufacturer.

Modi said he knew that there would be relentless attacks against him and his reputation as he as he had stopped so many people’s “corrupt businesses,” asserting that he would happily “take all the mud” thrown at him if he can strengthen the hands of soldiers. He asked if it was not the duty of the government to aid the soldiers by providing them with weapons and equipment. “…These are extremely powerful people… they have their people everywhere. That is why you see such attacks against us today. But when it comes to national security, I always say India first,” Modi said. “I will take all the mud thrown at me happily if I can strengthen the hands of the soldiers. When a government is clean and not waiting for a deal to seal a defence procurement, things will move faster. I hope this answers your question,” he added.

In a stinging counter-attack on the Rafale issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday accused the Congress of stalling defence procurement if there was “no deal” for it.

In a stinging counter-attack on the Rafale issue, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday accused the Congress of stalling defence procurement if there was “no deal” for it. He also said the alleged middleman Christian Michel was close to the Congress first family and the people deserved to know the role played by him in the 10-year delay over the Rafale deal during UPA regime. Interacting with booth level BJP workers of Tamil Nadu through video-conferencing, he said many people think that the biggest failure of Congress was mismanagement of the economy and corruption. “But they did deep damage to our armed forces. Not many know how much damage Congress culture did to our defence sector for decades. They had made the defence sector a den of Bofors and brokers and middlemen. “In their government, procurement would only happen if there was a deal. If there was no deal their approach was to simply stop buying anything for the armed forces,” Modi said in response to a question. Recalling Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement during the debate in Lok Sabha over the Rafale issue, Modi said when India’s neighbours were strengthening their forces with fourth and fifth generation fighters, the then Congress government stalled defence procurement. Recently, between 2004-15, one of India’s neighbours added 400 aircraft while another doubled the air force fleet strength with many of these being fourth and fifth generation fighters, he said. “What was the Congress government doing at that time? It stalled Defence procurement for want of its deal while our neighbours increased capacity. Congress actually decreased ours. Such huge damage to the defence forces, all for the sake of a deal,” Modi alleged. Referring to negotiations to purchase 126 Rafale fighter jets during the UPA regime, Modi claimed Michel, being probed over the AgustaWestland chopper deal, had access to inside information like the timing of a cabinet meet on security and a government file on a related matter. “Do you know who this middleman is close to? This middleman is close to the current first family of the Congress.” The reported revelations by the middleman raise several questions and people had a right to know what role did Michel “play in delaying the procurement of Rafale for 10 long years… in putting national security in danger,” he said. “The people of the country deserve to know how did middleman Michel know about the time of a meeting of the Cabinet (committee) on security…,” he said. Similarly, people should know how Michel knew about the status of a government file and how he “managed” the leadership of a party to get the deal. The prime minister’s offensive comes amid the escalating attack by Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who has been posing a series of questions to Modi over the Rafale deal for purchase of 36 fighter jets from the French manufacturer. Modi said he knew that there would be relentless attacks against him and his reputation as he as he had stopped so many people’s “corrupt businesses,” asserting that he would happily “take all the mud” thrown at him if he can strengthen the hands of soldiers. He asked if it was not the duty of the government to aid the soldiers by providing them with weapons and equipment. “…These are extremely powerful people… they have their people everywhere. That is why you see such attacks against us today. But when it comes to national security, I always say India first,” Modi said. “I will take all the mud thrown at me happily if I can strengthen the hands of the soldiers. When a government is clean and not waiting for a deal to seal a defence procurement, things will move faster. I hope this answers your question,” he added.

Rafale deal: PM Modi launches stinging counter-attack, questions middleman Michel’s role

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha member Shikhar Agarwal, a key suspect in the mob violence in Bulandshahr's Siyana, was arrested early Thursday, police said.

Agarwal was held from the adjoining Hapur district by the Bulandshahr police, a senior official said.

"He was arrested this morning. We are interrogating him and produce him in the local court later today," Additional Superintendent of Police (Bulandhshahr city) Atul Kumar Srivastava told.

Police Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, 44, and civilian Sumit Kumar, 20, were killed of bullet shots during the mob violence on December 3.

An FIR against 27 named people and 50 to 60 unidentified people was registered at the Siyana Police Station for the violence that was witnessed at Chingrawathi police post after cattle carcasses were found strewn outside nearby Mahaw village.

On January 3, the police had arrested local Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, also a key suspect in the case.

A separate FIR was lodged by the police for cow slaughter on a complaint by Yogesh Raj.

So far, over 35 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, including Army jawan Jeetender Malik, Prashant Nat who allegedly shot the inspector dead and Kalua who had attacked him with an axe, the police said.&nbsp;

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha member Shikhar Agarwal, a key suspect in the mob violence in Bulandshahr's Siyana, was arrested early Thursday, police said. Agarwal was held from the adjoining Hapur district by the Bulandshahr police, a senior official said.

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha member Shikhar Agarwal, a key suspect in the mob violence in Bulandshahr's Siyana, was arrested early Thursday, police said. Agarwal was held from the adjoining Hapur district by the Bulandshahr police, a senior official said. "He was arrested this morning. We are interrogating him and produce him in the local court later today," Additional Superintendent of Police (Bulandhshahr city) Atul Kumar Srivastava told. Police Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, 44, and civilian Sumit Kumar, 20, were killed of bullet shots during the mob violence on December 3. An FIR against 27 named people and 50 to 60 unidentified people was registered at the Siyana Police Station for the violence that was witnessed at Chingrawathi police post after cattle carcasses were found strewn outside nearby Mahaw village. On January 3, the police had arrested local Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, also a key suspect in the case. A separate FIR was lodged by the police for cow slaughter on a complaint by Yogesh Raj. So far, over 35 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, including Army jawan Jeetender Malik, Prashant Nat who allegedly shot the inspector dead and Kalua who had attacked him with an axe, the police said.

Bulandshahr violence: Key suspect Shikhar Agarwal arrested, say police

Gravitas: Tonight's Political pulse

Alok Verma sacked as CBI chief by PM Modi-led selection panel

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Wednesday opened its official account on Facebook paving the way for&nbsp;Commuters to connect with the Delhi Metro on the social networking site&nbsp;too.

According to a senior official of the DMRC&nbsp;said this was yet another step to reach out to riders and vice versa.

"We already have a Twitter handle and now we are on Facebook too -- www.Facebook.Com/officialdmrc -- and, soon we want to make a debut on Instagram too. We look forward to valuable feedback from people," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The DMRC has nearly 4,300 followers on Twitter where it had officially launched an account on December 20 last year.&nbsp;

"Opening new doors! Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is now on Facebook," the DMRC wrote in a post on the social networking site.

The current operational length of the Delhi Metro is 327 km with 236 stations, with an average daily ridership of about 28 lakh.&nbsp;

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Wednesday opened its official account on Facebook paving the way for Commuters to connect with the Delhi Metro on the social networking site too.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Wednesday opened its official account on Facebook paving the way for Commuters to connect with the Delhi Metro on the social networking site too. According to a senior official of the DMRC said this was yet another step to reach out to riders and vice versa. "We already have a Twitter handle and now we are on Facebook too -- www.Facebook.Com/officialdmrc -- and, soon we want to make a debut on Instagram too. We look forward to valuable feedback from people," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. The DMRC has nearly 4,300 followers on Twitter where it had officially launched an account on December 20 last year. "Opening new doors! Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is now on Facebook," the DMRC wrote in a post on the social networking site. The current operational length of the Delhi Metro is 327 km with 236 stations, with an average daily ridership of about 28 lakh.

Delhi Metro opens account on Facebook, next stop Instagram

In a major blow to West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee ahead of Lok Sabha elections, party MP Saumitra Khan on Wednesday joined the BJP.

Khan's induction is being seen as upping of its offensive by the BJP with ex-Trinamool heavyweight Mukul Roy, who had himself joined its fold in 2017 after a bitter fallout with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying it was just a beginning and many more may follow, reported news agency PTI.

Within hours of Khan, a young turk considered close to Roy, joining the BJP in the national capital, Trinamool announced his expulsion, as also that of another young MP Anupam Hazra.

Khan is a Lok Sabha member from the Bishnupur seat in Bankura, while Hazra represents the Bolpur seat in the Birbhum district.

Following this, the strength of the TMC in Lok Sabha has reduced from 34 to 32.

The BJP has identified West Bengal as one of the priority states and party chief Amit Shah had set a target of 22 seats. It had won two of the state's 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2014.&nbsp;

In a major blow to West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee ahead of Lok Sabha elections, party MP Saumitra Khan on Wednesday joined the BJP.

In a major blow to West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee ahead of Lok Sabha elections, party MP Saumitra Khan on Wednesday joined the BJP. Khan's induction is being seen as upping of its offensive by the BJP with ex-Trinamool heavyweight Mukul Roy, who had himself joined its fold in 2017 after a bitter fallout with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying it was just a beginning and many more may follow, reported news agency PTI. Within hours of Khan, a young turk considered close to Roy, joining the BJP in the national capital, Trinamool announced his expulsion, as also that of another young MP Anupam Hazra. Khan is a Lok Sabha member from the Bishnupur seat in Bankura, while Hazra represents the Bolpur seat in the Birbhum district. Following this, the strength of the TMC in Lok Sabha has reduced from 34 to 32. The BJP has identified West Bengal as one of the priority states and party chief Amit Shah had set a target of 22 seats. It had won two of the state's 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2014.

Blow to Mamata Banerjee as Trinamool lawmaker joins BJP, more to follow suit

A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Thursday the politically sensitive case of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute in Ayodhya.&nbsp;

The bench will be headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and also comprise of Justices S A Bobde, N V Ramana, U U Lalit and D Y Chandrachud. A three-judge bench of the top court had on September 27 last year, by 2:1 majority, refused to refer to a five-judge constitution bench for reconsideration of the observations in its 1994 judgement that a mosque was not integral to Islam.

The matter had arisen during the hearing of the Ayodhya land dispute. When the matter was last taken up on January 4, there was no indication that the case would be referred to a constitution bench as the apex court had simply said that further orders in the matter would be passed on January 10 by “the appropriate bench, as may be constituted”. The newly set up five-judge bench comprises not only the incumbent CJI but the four judges who are in line to be CJI in the future. Justice Gogoi’s successor would be Justice Bobde followed by Justices Ramana, Lalit and Chandrachud.

As many as 14 appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgement, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land is partitioned equally among the three parties — the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. The apex court on October 29 last year had fixed the matter in the first week of January before the “appropriate bench”. Later, an application was moved for according an urgent hearing by advancing the date, but the top court had refused the plea, saying it had already passed an order on October 29 relating to the hearing of the matter.

The plea for early hearing was moved by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) which is one of the respondents in the appeal filed by legal heirs of M Siddiq, one of the original litigants in the case. Various Hindutva organisations have been demanding an ordinance on early construction of Ram temple at the disputed site. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested that any decision on an ordinance on Ram temple in Ayodhya can happen only after the completion of the judicial process.

Modi’s comments had come amidst heightened demands by Hindutva organisations, including the RSS, for an ordinance for early construction of the temple. “Let the judicial process take its own course. Don’t weigh it in political terms. Let the judicial process be over. After the judicial process is over, whatever be our responsibility as a government, we are ready to make all efforts,” the prime minister had said during an interview, broadcast by several TV channels.

A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Thursday the politically sensitive case of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute in Ayodhya.

A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Thursday the politically sensitive case of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute in Ayodhya. The bench will be headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and also comprise of Justices S A Bobde, N V Ramana, U U Lalit and D Y Chandrachud. A three-judge bench of the top court had on September 27 last year, by 2:1 majority, refused to refer to a five-judge constitution bench for reconsideration of the observations in its 1994 judgement that a mosque was not integral to Islam. The matter had arisen during the hearing of the Ayodhya land dispute. When the matter was last taken up on January 4, there was no indication that the case would be referred to a constitution bench as the apex court had simply said that further orders in the matter would be passed on January 10 by “the appropriate bench, as may be constituted”. The newly set up five-judge bench comprises not only the incumbent CJI but the four judges who are in line to be CJI in the future. Justice Gogoi’s successor would be Justice Bobde followed by Justices Ramana, Lalit and Chandrachud. As many as 14 appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgement, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land is partitioned equally among the three parties — the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. The apex court on October 29 last year had fixed the matter in the first week of January before the “appropriate bench”. Later, an application was moved for according an urgent hearing by advancing the date, but the top court had refused the plea, saying it had already passed an order on October 29 relating to the hearing of the matter. The plea for early hearing was moved by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) which is one of the respondents in the appeal filed by legal heirs of M Siddiq, one of the original litigants in the case. Various Hindutva organisations have been demanding an ordinance on early construction of Ram temple at the disputed site. Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested that any decision on an ordinance on Ram temple in Ayodhya can happen only after the completion of the judicial process. Modi’s comments had come amidst heightened demands by Hindutva organisations, including the RSS, for an ordinance for early construction of the temple. “Let the judicial process take its own course. Don’t weigh it in political terms. Let the judicial process be over. After the judicial process is over, whatever be our responsibility as a government, we are ready to make all efforts,” the prime minister had said during an interview, broadcast by several TV channels.

Supreme Court 5-judge Constitution bench to hear Ayodhya case today

The 10th India-Japan Foreign Minister-level Strategic Dialogue was held between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Japanese counterpart Tarō Kōno on Monday in New Delhi.

During the Strategic Dialogue, India and Japan agreed that Kōno's visit to India provides an opportunity for the nations to identify agendas in bilateral relations in 2019.

He was on an official three-day visit to India from January 7 to January 9.

Speaking to former Indian ambassador to the US Arun K Singh on WION's 'The Diplomacy Show', Kono said, "India has a huge potential and it is a growing economy with a young population. So it's good to have a very friendly relationship with India and Japan and India could be a natural ally in terms of our economy and defence and security."

WION:&nbsp;You are visiting India and is this the first time you have come to India or you've been here before?&nbsp;

Kōno: Well, this is the first time as a Foreign Minister. But, I have been to New Delhi and Mumbai before. Your government kindly invited my wife and I two years ago. So I visited New Delhi and Mumbai and before that, I attended a conference on energy policy. So it's good to be back.

WION:&nbsp;So you have had an engagement with India from before and although you've been Foreign Minister for a little over a year. And you'd have interacted with Indian leaders, I think you hosted the Indian Foreign Minister in Japan last year. &nbsp;

Kōno: Yes. &nbsp;

WION:The Indian Prime Minister was there in October but this is your first time as the Foreign Minister. Dealing with the relationship in that capacity and visiting India, what are the impressions you have formed. Where are we in the relationship? &nbsp;

Kōno: Well, India has a huge potential and it is a growing economy with a young population. So it's good to have a very friendly relationship with India and Japan and India could be a natural ally in terms of our economy and defence and security. So I'm very glad to be able to visit India as a Foreign Minister. &nbsp;

WION:Both countries have now described the relationship as a special strategic and global partnership. Is that designation justified?

Kōno: I think so. India is the largest democracy on this planet and India and Japan share many common values, democracy, human rights, rule of law and we are strategically, I think aligned very nicely. So I think we need to work hard to develop this special strategic relationship into the future. &nbsp;

WION:&nbsp;In the statement that has been put out by the Japanese Foreign Ministry after your meetings here with your counterpart; the Foreign Minister and the Prime Minister. It has been said that India is the most important partner for Japan in the context of the free and open Indo-Pacific. Why is that?&nbsp;

Kōno: Well, India is the largest recipient of our ODA (Official Development Assistance) and Japan is now the third largest investor in India. More than fifteen hundred Japanese companies are now very active in the Indian market and India as well and I think keeping free and open sea lines of communication is vital to the economic prosperity in not only Asia but for Africa, the Middle East, all the way across the Pacific to the western coast of the United States and we share common values of this free and open Indo-Pacific vision and India is the most important partner to making it happen. We need to work on connectivity for economic prosperity and also we need to work together to keep the law enforcement capacity of the countries along the coast and we can work together on this issue as well. So this relationship needs to be stronger and I think it is natural to say this is the most important partnership to make a 'free and open Indo-Pacific' happen.&nbsp;

WION:&nbsp;You referred to the important investment by the Japanese companies in India, the large number of Japanese companies present here, but if you look at the trade relationship and the total trade seems to be in the order of about 16 billion dollars. What more can we do to enhance our trading partnership?&nbsp;

Kōno: Well, we are now working on RCEP. We hope to conclude this negotiation by the end of 2019. Also, we concluded TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) negotiations and India is welcome to join TPP. So now there is a lot of protectionism rising all over the world. But I think we can work to keep free and open trade and I think that is beneficial for India and Japan as well.&nbsp;

WION:&nbsp;Defence is one area where India and Japan are looking at doing more and more. We have now agreed to hold the two plus two dialogue of foreign and defence ministers. There is a defence policy dialogue. We do a large number of exercises including the Malabar series of exercises.&nbsp;

What can be done in terms of enhancing defence cooperation in terms of trade in defence or technology partnership? What's your sense of what are the obstacles there?&nbsp;

Kōno: When Prime Minister Modi visited Japan last year, we agreed to start two plus two ministerial meeting process and we are holding a dialogue on cyber, dialogue on space. As you mentioned, the Japanese Maritime Self-defence Force are participating officially in Malabar exercise and Indian Army-Air Force is working with Japanese self-defence forces in joint exercises. So there is a lot of cooperation between our Self-defence Force and Indian armed forces.&nbsp;

At the same time there are a lot of things we can do to get the defence industry going and so there is a lot of potential and creating very strong relationship between Japan and India or plus the US or even Australia will bring stability in this Indo-Pacific region and I think stability is a cornerstone for the economic prosperity of this region. So having a good, stable relationship between Japan and India, we can build on a lot of things on this fundamentals.&nbsp;

WION:Certainly, and in the context of the Indo-Pacific; we have the trilateral meetings between India, US and Japan and I think you along with your US and Indian colleague had a meeting in New York and the Indian and the Japanese Prime Minister had a meeting with President Trump recently in the framework of the G-20. So, how are you seeing the potential for the trilateral partnership in the context to Indo-Pacific and the Quadrilateral involving Australia?&nbsp;

Kōno: We had a summit meeting among the three countries in Buenos Aires at &nbsp;G-20 and probably this year in Osaka during the G-20 summit, there's gonna be another trilateral summit meeting. So, this trilateral relationship will be getting stronger and we can coordinate defence and security policy, we can coordinate economic policy as well and plus we are now having DG (Director General) level meeting including Australia.

WION:Okay.&nbsp;

Kōno: So, this is a new mechanism for this region to keep this free and open trade, free and open sea lines of communication. So it could be a good vehicle to build a multilateral relationship.

WION:As countries are looking at new frameworks for interaction, new architectures for security and other forms of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Clearly, they're also looking at the rise of China; the economic, the technological, the military rise of China, its assertiveness be it in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Senkaku Islands. How are you looking at the challenge from the rise of China as far as Japan is concerned and in terms of Japan's interests and globally how should the world react and deal with that?&nbsp;

Kōno: Well for last 40 years, the Japanese government, as well as Japanese private sector, helped the Chinese economy to grow. I think a stable growth of the Chinese economy according to the existing international order will give great opportunity for many other economies to prosper. But unfortunately, there is some disagreement with China such as protecting intellectual property right or industrial subsidies or sort of - forced technology transfer.&nbsp;

So, we need to get China to play the game according to the international rule; but if China comes back to stable growth and they play the same game, it will provide a lot of opportunity for the region. At the same time, they are violating our territorial water in the East China Sea and their action in the South China Sea needs to be corrected. So on those fundamental issues, Japan has no intention to concede. I think we need to get China engaged in the International framework and try to get China to play according to the international rules. So, it is important to cooperate among US, Japan, India or another country and get China to play within their existing liberal international order, that will create a lot of opportunity.&nbsp;

WION:Many have argued that the fact that the Chinese economic system is essentially based on state-owned enterprises and therefore; the manner in which they compete with private sector-led economies does not quite meet the WTO (World Trade Organisation) framework and rules and norms. So how can one deal with that challenge?&nbsp;

Kōno: Well, a lot of economic issues need to be solved within the framework of WTO. We are trying to get US, Europe, Japan, and another like-minded country to modernize the WTO. I think we need to address the issue of e-commerce and all those things need to be addressed within the framework of WTO. So, at the same time, we need to modernize WTO better. We need to ask each country; China, US, and others to play the game according to the WTO rules.&nbsp;

WION:&nbsp;The relations with the United States are a very critical relationship for Japan since the Second World War. It's a very important security partner for Japan but of late there are voices emerging from the US; challenging or questioning US commitment to its allies, partners, security commitment. Given that, has that caused some anxiety concern in Japan about how the US is looking at its evolving role in the global context, in the context of the Asia-Pacific?&nbsp;

Kōno: Well, I think the alliance between Japan and the United States is the cornerstone for security policy of Japan and President Trump and his administration's commitment to Asia or the Asia Pacific is still very strong in terms of security and defence policy. It is unfortunate that Washington left TPP and we are still hoping for the US to come back to TPP. But I think in general, in terms of security; the US is very committed to the region. So, we are not really worried about it and for example the issue of North Korea; I think the trilateral commitment among US, Japan and South Korea is very solid and we are working on North Korea to change the policy. So, I think the Trump administration; well there are a lot of issues but when it comes to the Asia Pacific or when it comes to the relationship between Japan and the United States, I think it's very stable and their commitment is real.&nbsp;

WION: In the context of North Korea, the US seems to have taken some very unprecedented steps and decisions in terms of President Trump agreeing to a meeting with Chairman Kim and there's talk now for a second meeting and for Japan, clearly whatever happens around North Korea is of deep interest including the issue of abduction of Japanese personnel and security concerns. Are you comfortable that the US has kept you fully informed about what they're doing with North Korea and how they're planning the next step?&nbsp;

Kōno: Yes, Secretary Pompeo and the Foreign Minister Kang of South Korea and myself get together regularly and exchange the views and we are very solid and I think if North Korea makes right decisions, there is going to be a bright future for that country. So, a lot of things is now up to Mr. Kim Jong-un. If he makes the right decision for his country, Japan is ready to normalise the relationship with North Korea once they solve the issue of missile nuclear and abduction issues. We are ready to provide economic assistance to North Korea just like we did to South Korea in the past. So we are all waiting for his decisions and we are very grateful for the international community is united behind the U.N. Security Council resolution. So, I think President Trump is taking very strong leadership on this issue and we are waiting for their second summit meeting, it will be another breakthrough in this issue.&nbsp;

WION:Europe is another very important leg in the Western alliance system and Europe at the moment seems to be going through its own challenges. There is Brexit happening, For a long time, Germany and Angela Merkel were seen as leaders for Europe, setting the norms. She seems to have been weakened. The French President Macron who was seen at one stage as emerging as the new voice in Europe, he seems to have been weakened domestically. So, is there concern in Japan about the strength of the voice from Europe including because of the rise of right-wing forces, authoritarian tendencies in some countries. How are you seeing that and how is Japan looking at dealing with that challenge?

Kōno: Well, Europe is for democracy, rule of law, basic human rights. We share a lot of common values, you know. Europe, Japan, India; we are in the same boat I think and we welcome strongly united Europe. The Brexit and the possible no-deal Brexit worries us. It's true, but we hope that they could take care of that issue and I think it's time for Japan, Europe, India, and other democratic countries to share a little bit more burden to keep this liberal international order going. I think we have sort of relied on US bit too much, too long. Now the US is asking for some help, I think it's time for us to get a little bit more burden on our shoulder and EU and Japan conclude EPA and Strategic partnership agreement. So EU-Japan EPA is another signal that we are standing firm with the free trade regime and would like to convey the strong signal to the whole world. So, strong Europe, united Europe is welcome and we are for expansion of EU to the Balkan countries. So, I think Europe with a long history of democracy could take care of those issues and stand united.&nbsp;

WION:Expansion of Europe, expansion of NATO, of course, causes a lot of concern to Russia and Russia is an important political and defence partner of India. Japan has an important relationship with Russia. There's the issue of the islands since the Second World War. What's your sense of what can be done to improve really the situation between US and Russia, Western Europe and Russia so as to lessen Russia's increasing dependence on China which would be in the interest of neither the US nor Europe nor Japan and India?&nbsp;

Kōno: Well since the end of the Cold War, Russia is no longer a security threat in East Asia and Russia could offer a lot of energy to Japan. Natural gas, electricity and all those things. So, Russia and Japan could be a natural partner in some area and Russia is a good friend of India for many years so there are probably a lot of things we can do together trilaterally and I'm very much looking forward to that. Now Prime Minister Abe has agreed with President Putin to expedite the process of concluding the peace treaty. 70 years after the war, we still haven't got a peace treaty with Russia. Now, I'm actually going to Moscow next week to start a new round of peace treaty negotiations and there are a lot of things we could invest in, especially Siberia Far East and there are a lot of things we can do together. So, I think it's good to have Russia on our side and I'm very optimistic.&nbsp;

WION:Well, I wish you good luck for your visit and the negotiations and as our discussion showed; there is a lot of convergence between India and Japan including because of our shared values and interests. I want to thank you for the effort you are making for advancing this relationship and thank you for joining this show.&nbsp;

Kōno: Thank you very much.

The 10th India-Japan Foreign Minister-level Strategic Dialogue was held between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Japanese counterpart Tarō Kōno on Monday in New Delhi.

The 10th India-Japan Foreign Minister-level Strategic Dialogue was held between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Japanese counterpart Tarō Kōno on Monday in New Delhi. During the Strategic Dialogue, India and Japan agreed that Kōno's visit to India provides an opportunity for the nations to identify agendas in bilateral relations in 2019. He was on an official three-day visit to India from January 7 to January 9. Speaking to former Indian ambassador to the US Arun K Singh on WION's 'The Diplomacy Show', Kono said, "India has a huge potential and it is a growing economy with a young population. So it's good to have a very friendly relationship with India and Japan and India could be a natural ally in terms of our economy and defence and security." WION: You are visiting India and is this the first time you have come to India or you've been here before? Kōno: Well, this is the first time as a Foreign Minister. But, I have been to New Delhi and Mumbai before. Your government kindly invited my wife and I two years ago. So I visited New Delhi and Mumbai and before that, I attended a conference on energy policy. So it's good to be back. WION: So you have had an engagement with India from before and although you've been Foreign Minister for a little over a year. And you'd have interacted with Indian leaders, I think you hosted the Indian Foreign Minister in Japan last year. Kōno: Yes. WION:The Indian Prime Minister was there in October but this is your first time as the Foreign Minister. Dealing with the relationship in that capacity and visiting India, what are the impressions you have formed. Where are we in the relationship? Kōno: Well, India has a huge potential and it is a growing economy with a young population. So it's good to have a very friendly relationship with India and Japan and India could be a natural ally in terms of our economy and defence and security. So I'm very glad to be able to visit India as a Foreign Minister. WION:Both countries have now described the relationship as a special strategic and global partnership. Is that designation justified? Kōno: I think so. India is the largest democracy on this planet and India and Japan share many common values, democracy, human rights, rule of law and we are strategically, I think aligned very nicely. So I think we need to work hard to develop this special strategic relationship into the future. WION: In the statement that has been put out by the Japanese Foreign Ministry after your meetings here with your counterpart; the Foreign Minister and the Prime Minister. It has been said that India is the most important partner for Japan in the context of the free and open Indo-Pacific. Why is that? Kōno: Well, India is the largest recipient of our ODA (Official Development Assistance) and Japan is now the third largest investor in India. More than fifteen hundred Japanese companies are now very active in the Indian market and India as well and I think keeping free and open sea lines of communication is vital to the economic prosperity in not only Asia but for Africa, the Middle East, all the way across the Pacific to the western coast of the United States and we share common values of this free and open Indo-Pacific vision and India is the most important partner to making it happen. We need to work on connectivity for economic prosperity and also we need to work together to keep the law enforcement capacity of the countries along the coast and we can work together on this issue as well. So this relationship needs to be stronger and I think it is natural to say this is the most important partnership to make a 'free and open Indo-Pacific' happen. WION: You referred to the important investment by the Japanese companies in India, the large number of Japanese companies present here, but if you look at the trade relationship and the total trade seems to be in the order of about 16 billion dollars. What more can we do to enhance our trading partnership? Kōno: Well, we are now working on RCEP. We hope to conclude this negotiation by the end of 2019. Also, we concluded TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) negotiations and India is welcome to join TPP. So now there is a lot of protectionism rising all over the world. But I think we can work to keep free and open trade and I think that is beneficial for India and Japan as well. WION: Defence is one area where India and Japan are looking at doing more and more. We have now agreed to hold the two plus two dialogue of foreign and defence ministers. There is a defence policy dialogue. We do a large number of exercises including the Malabar series of exercises. What can be done in terms of enhancing defence cooperation in terms of trade in defence or technology partnership? What's your sense of what are the obstacles there? Kōno: When Prime Minister Modi visited Japan last year, we agreed to start two plus two ministerial meeting process and we are holding a dialogue on cyber, dialogue on space. As you mentioned, the Japanese Maritime Self-defence Force are participating officially in Malabar exercise and Indian Army-Air Force is working with Japanese self-defence forces in joint exercises. So there is a lot of cooperation between our Self-defence Force and Indian armed forces. At the same time there are a lot of things we can do to get the defence industry going and so there is a lot of potential and creating very strong relationship between Japan and India or plus the US or even Australia will bring stability in this Indo-Pacific region and I think stability is a cornerstone for the economic prosperity of this region. So having a good, stable relationship between Japan and India, we can build on a lot of things on this fundamentals. WION:Certainly, and in the context of the Indo-Pacific; we have the trilateral meetings between India, US and Japan and I think you along with your US and Indian colleague had a meeting in New York and the Indian and the Japanese Prime Minister had a meeting with President Trump recently in the framework of the G-20. So, how are you seeing the potential for the trilateral partnership in the context to Indo-Pacific and the Quadrilateral involving Australia? Kōno: We had a summit meeting among the three countries in Buenos Aires at G-20 and probably this year in Osaka during the G-20 summit, there's gonna be another trilateral summit meeting. So, this trilateral relationship will be getting stronger and we can coordinate defence and security policy, we can coordinate economic policy as well and plus we are now having DG (Director General) level meeting including Australia. WION:Okay. Kōno: So, this is a new mechanism for this region to keep this free and open trade, free and open sea lines of communication. So it could be a good vehicle to build a multilateral relationship. WION:As countries are looking at new frameworks for interaction, new architectures for security and other forms of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Clearly, they're also looking at the rise of China; the economic, the technological, the military rise of China, its assertiveness be it in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Senkaku Islands. How are you looking at the challenge from the rise of China as far as Japan is concerned and in terms of Japan's interests and globally how should the world react and deal with that? Kōno: Well for last 40 years, the Japanese government, as well as Japanese private sector, helped the Chinese economy to grow. I think a stable growth of the Chinese economy according to the existing international order will give great opportunity for many other economies to prosper. But unfortunately, there is some disagreement with China such as protecting intellectual property right or industrial subsidies or sort of - forced technology transfer. So, we need to get China to play the game according to the international rule; but if China comes back to stable growth and they play the same game, it will provide a lot of opportunity for the region. At the same time, they are violating our territorial water in the East China Sea and their action in the South China Sea needs to be corrected. So on those fundamental issues, Japan has no intention to concede. I think we need to get China engaged in the International framework and try to get China to play according to the international rules. So, it is important to cooperate among US, Japan, India or another country and get China to play within their existing liberal international order, that will create a lot of opportunity. WION:Many have argued that the fact that the Chinese economic system is essentially based on state-owned enterprises and therefore; the manner in which they compete with private sector-led economies does not quite meet the WTO (World Trade Organisation) framework and rules and norms. So how can one deal with that challenge? Kōno: Well, a lot of economic issues need to be solved within the framework of WTO. We are trying to get US, Europe, Japan, and another like-minded country to modernize the WTO. I think we need to address the issue of e-commerce and all those things need to be addressed within the framework of WTO. So, at the same time, we need to modernize WTO better. We need to ask each country; China, US, and others to play the game according to the WTO rules. WION: The relations with the United States are a very critical relationship for Japan since the Second World War. It's a very important security partner for Japan but of late there are voices emerging from the US; challenging or questioning US commitment to its allies, partners, security commitment. Given that, has that caused some anxiety concern in Japan about how the US is looking at its evolving role in the global context, in the context of the Asia-Pacific? Kōno: Well, I think the alliance between Japan and the United States is the cornerstone for security policy of Japan and President Trump and his administration's commitment to Asia or the Asia Pacific is still very strong in terms of security and defence policy. It is unfortunate that Washington left TPP and we are still hoping for the US to come back to TPP. But I think in general, in terms of security; the US is very committed to the region. So, we are not really worried about it and for example the issue of North Korea; I think the trilateral commitment among US, Japan and South Korea is very solid and we are working on North Korea to change the policy. So, I think the Trump administration; well there are a lot of issues but when it comes to the Asia Pacific or when it comes to the relationship between Japan and the United States, I think it's very stable and their commitment is real. WION: In the context of North Korea, the US seems to have taken some very unprecedented steps and decisions in terms of President Trump agreeing to a meeting with Chairman Kim and there's talk now for a second meeting and for Japan, clearly whatever happens around North Korea is of deep interest including the issue of abduction of Japanese personnel and security concerns. Are you comfortable that the US has kept you fully informed about what they're doing with North Korea and how they're planning the next step? Kōno: Yes, Secretary Pompeo and the Foreign Minister Kang of South Korea and myself get together regularly and exchange the views and we are very solid and I think if North Korea makes right decisions, there is going to be a bright future for that country. So, a lot of things is now up to Mr. Kim Jong-un. If he makes the right decision for his country, Japan is ready to normalise the relationship with North Korea once they solve the issue of missile nuclear and abduction issues. We are ready to provide economic assistance to North Korea just like we did to South Korea in the past. So we are all waiting for his decisions and we are very grateful for the international community is united behind the U.N. Security Council resolution. So, I think President Trump is taking very strong leadership on this issue and we are waiting for their second summit meeting, it will be another breakthrough in this issue. WION:Europe is another very important leg in the Western alliance system and Europe at the moment seems to be going through its own challenges. There is Brexit happening, For a long time, Germany and Angela Merkel were seen as leaders for Europe, setting the norms. She seems to have been weakened. The French President Macron who was seen at one stage as emerging as the new voice in Europe, he seems to have been weakened domestically. So, is there concern in Japan about the strength of the voice from Europe including because of the rise of right-wing forces, authoritarian tendencies in some countries. How are you seeing that and how is Japan looking at dealing with that challenge? Kōno: Well, Europe is for democracy, rule of law, basic human rights. We share a lot of common values, you know. Europe, Japan, India; we are in the same boat I think and we welcome strongly united Europe. The Brexit and the possible no-deal Brexit worries us. It's true, but we hope that they could take care of that issue and I think it's time for Japan, Europe, India, and other democratic countries to share a little bit more burden to keep this liberal international order going. I think we have sort of relied on US bit too much, too long. Now the US is asking for some help, I think it's time for us to get a little bit more burden on our shoulder and EU and Japan conclude EPA and Strategic partnership agreement. So EU-Japan EPA is another signal that we are standing firm with the free trade regime and would like to convey the strong signal to the whole world. So, strong Europe, united Europe is welcome and we are for expansion of EU to the Balkan countries. So, I think Europe with a long history of democracy could take care of those issues and stand united. WION:Expansion of Europe, expansion of NATO, of course, causes a lot of concern to Russia and Russia is an important political and defence partner of India. Japan has an important relationship with Russia. There's the issue of the islands since the Second World War. What's your sense of what can be done to improve really the situation between US and Russia, Western Europe and Russia so as to lessen Russia's increasing dependence on China which would be in the interest of neither the US nor Europe nor Japan and India? Kōno: Well since the end of the Cold War, Russia is no longer a security threat in East Asia and Russia could offer a lot of energy to Japan. Natural gas, electricity and all those things. So, Russia and Japan could be a natural partner in some area and Russia is a good friend of India for many years so there are probably a lot of things we can do together trilaterally and I'm very much looking forward to that. Now Prime Minister Abe has agreed with President Putin to expedite the process of concluding the peace treaty. 70 years after the war, we still haven't got a peace treaty with Russia. Now, I'm actually going to Moscow next week to start a new round of peace treaty negotiations and there are a lot of things we could invest in, especially Siberia Far East and there are a lot of things we can do together. So, I think it's good to have Russia on our side and I'm very optimistic. WION:Well, I wish you good luck for your visit and the negotiations and as our discussion showed; there is a lot of convergence between India and Japan including because of our shared values and interests. I want to thank you for the effort you are making for advancing this relationship and thank you for joining this show. Kōno: Thank you very much.

India a growing economy with a young population and huge potential: Japan Foreign Minister on WION's The Diplomacy Show

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala will be the party's candidate for the by-election in Haryana's Jind Assembly constituency, reported news agency PTI.

An announcement in this connection was made by the Congress party on Wednesday.&nbsp;

The bypoll to the Jind Assembly seat would be held on January 28 and the results will be out on January 31, according to Election Commission.

The filing of nominations began on January 3 and end on January 10.

Surjewala is a sitting MLA from Haryana's Kaithal.&nbsp;

The BJP's nominee for the seat is Krishan Middha, the son of late Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA Hari Chand Middha while the INLD is yet to announce its candidate for the bypoll.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala will be the party's candidate for the by-election in Haryana's Jind Assembly constituency, reported news agency PTI.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala will be the party's candidate for the by-election in Haryana's Jind Assembly constituency, reported news agency PTI. An announcement in this connection was made by the Congress party on Wednesday. The bypoll to the Jind Assembly seat would be held on January 28 and the results will be out on January 31, according to Election Commission. The filing of nominations began on January 3 and end on January 10. Surjewala is a sitting MLA from Haryana's Kaithal. The BJP's nominee for the seat is Krishan Middha, the son of late Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA Hari Chand Middha while the INLD is yet to announce its candidate for the bypoll.

Randeep Surjewala Congress candidate for Haryana's Jind Assembly bypoll

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-hopes-north-korea-and-us-meet-each-other-halfway-president-xi-to-kim-189285">China hopes North Korea and </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-hopes-north-korea-and-us-meet-each-other-halfway-president-xi-to-kim-189285">US</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-hopes-north-korea-and-us-meet-each-other-halfway-president-xi-to-kim-189285"> meet each other halfway: President Xi to Kim</a>

&nbsp;North Korea's state media KCNA reported today that Kim Jong-un's visit to China led to in-depth discussions with President Xi on how to "jointly study and steer" the situation on the Korean peninsula and denuclearisation talks.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-walks-out-of-meeting-on-border-wall-says-bye-bye-to-schumer-pelosi-189287">Trump walks out of </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-walks-out-of-meeting-on-border-wall-says-bye-bye-to-schumer-pelosi-189287">meeting</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-walks-out-of-meeting-on-border-wall-says-bye-bye-to-schumer-pelosi-189287"> on </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-walks-out-of-meeting-on-border-wall-says-bye-bye-to-schumer-pelosi-189287">border</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-walks-out-of-meeting-on-border-wall-says-bye-bye-to-schumer-pelosi-189287"> wall, says 'bye-bye' to Schumer, Pelosi</a>

President Donald Trump said "bye-bye" and stormed out of negotiations Wednesday on funding a US-Mexico border wall when Democratic opponents refused to agree to the project.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/amazon-founder-jeff-bezos-to-divorce-wife-mackenzie-189291">Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to divorce wife MacKenzie</a>

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, rated the world's wealthiest person, announced Wednesday on Twitter that he and his wife MacKenzie Bezos were divorcing after a long separation.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/kim-trump-second-summit-imminent-south-korea-president-moon-189300">Kim, Trump second summit imminent: South Korea President Moon</a>

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's trip to China this week is a sign that a second summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump is "imminent", the South Korea President Moon Jae-in said Thursday.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-appeals-to-myanmar-for-peaceful-solution-amid-troop-build-up-in-rakhine-state-189298">UN appeals to Myanmar for </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-appeals-to-myanmar-for-peaceful-solution-amid-troop-build-up-in-rakhine-state-189298">peaceful</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-appeals-to-myanmar-for-peaceful-solution-amid-troop-build-up-in-rakhine-state-189298"> solution amid troop build-up in Rakhine state&nbsp;</a>

Major fighting in Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state has so far been avoided, a top UN humanitarian official there said following some clashes between armed rebels and national security forces who are increasing the number of troops there. 
&nbsp;

China hopes North Korea and US meet each other halfway: President Xi to Kim North Korea's state media KCNA reported today that Kim Jong-un's visit to China led to in-depth discussions with President Xi on how to "jointly study and steer" the situation on the Korean peninsula and denuclearisation talks.

China hopes North Korea and US meet each other halfway: President Xi to Kim North Korea's state media KCNA reported today that Kim Jong-un's visit to China led to in-depth discussions with President Xi on how to "jointly study and steer" the situation on the Korean peninsula and denuclearisation talks. Trump walks out of meeting on border wall, says 'bye-bye' to Schumer, Pelosi President Donald Trump said "bye-bye" and stormed out of negotiations Wednesday on funding a US-Mexico border wall when Democratic opponents refused to agree to the project. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to divorce wife MacKenzie Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, rated the world's wealthiest person, announced Wednesday on Twitter that he and his wife MacKenzie Bezos were divorcing after a long separation. Kim, Trump second summit imminent: South Korea President Moon North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's trip to China this week is a sign that a second summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump is "imminent", the South Korea President Moon Jae-in said Thursday. UN appeals to Myanmar for peaceful solution amid troop build-up in Rakhine state Major fighting in Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state has so far been avoided, a top UN humanitarian official there said following some clashes between armed rebels and national security forces who are increasing the number of troops there.

News brief: Big stories of the day

Actor Prakash Raj, who recently announced he would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here Thursday, with the latter saying that his Aam Aadmi Party “fully supports” him.&nbsp;

The actor, who has been vocal about his views on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre, met the chief minister at his official residence in the Civil Lines.&nbsp;

Last week, Raj had said that he would contest the upcoming general elections from the Bengaluru Central constituency as an independent candidate.

“We need people like Prakash Raj to enter Parliament. Prakash ji, it was great meeting u today. AAP fully supports u and we agree wid ur decision to fight as an independent candidate. We need independent and non-partisan voices too in Parliament,” Kejriwal tweeted. According to Raj, he discussed ways with the chief minister to address various issues.

“Met Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal thanked him and @AamAadmiParty for the support in my political journey. Discussed and requested to share various ways to address issues which his team has commendably done…#bengalurucentral #citizensvoice in parliament #justasking in parliament too (sic),” Raj tweeted after the meeting.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Met delhi CM <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArvindKejriwal</a> thanked him and <a href="https://twitter.com/AamAadmiParty?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AamAadmiParty</a> for the support in my political journey. Discussed and requested to share various ways to address issues which his team has commendably done.. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bengalurucentral?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bengalurucentral</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/citizensvoice?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#citizensvoice</a> in parliament <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/justasking?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#justasking</a> in parliament too <a href="https://t.co/FJu4OirGWW">pic.twitter.com/FJu4OirGWW</a>
— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) <a href="https://twitter.com/prakashraaj/status/1083285854649532421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Raj has also been one of those seeking justice for his friend and senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot outside her residence in September 2017.

Actor Prakash Raj, who recently announced he would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here Thursday, with the latter saying that his Aam Aadmi Party “fully supports” him.

Actor Prakash Raj, who recently announced he would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal here Thursday, with the latter saying that his Aam Aadmi Party “fully supports” him. The actor, who has been vocal about his views on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre, met the chief minister at his official residence in the Civil Lines. Last week, Raj had said that he would contest the upcoming general elections from the Bengaluru Central constituency as an independent candidate. “We need people like Prakash Raj to enter Parliament. Prakash ji, it was great meeting u today. AAP fully supports u and we agree wid ur decision to fight as an independent candidate. We need independent and non-partisan voices too in Parliament,” Kejriwal tweeted. According to Raj, he discussed ways with the chief minister to address various issues. “Met Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal thanked him and @AamAadmiParty for the support in my political journey. Discussed and requested to share various ways to address issues which his team has commendably done…#bengalurucentral #citizensvoice in parliament #justasking in parliament too (sic),” Raj tweeted after the meeting. Met delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal thanked him and @AamAadmiParty for the support in my political journey. Discussed and requested to share various ways to address issues which his team has commendably done.. #bengalurucentral #citizensvoice in parliament #justasking in parliament too pic.twitter.com/FJu4OirGWW — Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) January 10, 2019 × Raj has also been one of those seeking justice for his friend and senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot outside her residence in September 2017.

Prakash Raj meets Arvind Kejriwal; AAP extends support for his political journey

Just wanted to pray, not chase history, say women who defied temple ban in India

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/no-change-on-the-ground-under-pakistan-pm-imran-khan-army-chief-bipin-rawat-189394">No change on the ground under Pakistan PM Imran Khan: Army Chief Bipin Rawat</a>

He assured that the army has managed the situation both at the western and northern border and there is "no cause for concern."

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/referendum-not-a-good-way-to-decide-on-brexit-spain-foreign-minister-to-wion-189392">Referendum not a good way to decide on Brexit: Spain foreign minister to WION</a>

In an exclusive interview to WION, Spain's foreign minister Josep Borrell said that India is a remarkable example of unity in diversity and that it has an important role to play together with the western democracies in combating terrorism.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/seek-assurance-from-india-on-currency-notes-of-higher-denomination-nepal-foreign-minister-to-wion-189396">Seek assurance from India on currency notes of higher denomination: Nepal foreign minister to WION</a>

Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali, who is in India, spoke to WION's Siddhant Sibal on the ban on Indian currency notes and a host of other issues. He also called for reactivation of the Southeast Association of Regional Cooperation or Saarc.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/no-indian-content-to-be-aired-in-the-country-as-it-damages-our-culture-says-pak-chief-justice-189398">No Indian content to be aired in the country as it 'damages our culture', says Pak Chief Justice</a>

The Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar has said that the country's Supreme Court will not allow Indian shows to be aired on Pakistani TV channels. The court has stated that the shows damage the country's culture.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/ranveer-singh-vicky-kaushal-alia-bhatt-and-others-feature-in-selfie-of-the-year-with-pm-modi-189416">Ranveer Singh, Vicky Kaushal, Alia Bhatt and others feature in selfie of the year with PM Modi</a>

The meeting was facilitated by Karan Johar and had leading Bollywood stars like Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Vicky Kaushal, Ayushmann Khurrana, Alia Bhatt, Bhumi Pednekar, Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra in attendance. Ekta Kapoor, directors Rohit Shetty and Ashwini Iyer Tiwari were also part of the delegation.

No change on the ground under Pakistan PM Imran Khan: Army Chief Bipin Rawat He assured that the army has managed the situation both at the western and northern border and there is "no cause for concern.

No change on the ground under Pakistan PM Imran Khan: Army Chief Bipin Rawat He assured that the army has managed the situation both at the western and northern border and there is "no cause for concern." Referendum not a good way to decide on Brexit: Spain foreign minister to WION In an exclusive interview to WION, Spain's foreign minister Josep Borrell said that India is a remarkable example of unity in diversity and that it has an important role to play together with the western democracies in combating terrorism. Seek assurance from India on currency notes of higher denomination: Nepal foreign minister to WION Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali, who is in India, spoke to WION's Siddhant Sibal on the ban on Indian currency notes and a host of other issues. He also called for reactivation of the Southeast Association of Regional Cooperation or Saarc. No Indian content to be aired in the country as it 'damages our culture', says Pak Chief Justice The Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar has said that the country's Supreme Court will not allow Indian shows to be aired on Pakistani TV channels. The court has stated that the shows damage the country's culture. Ranveer Singh, Vicky Kaushal, Alia Bhatt and others feature in selfie of the year with PM Modi The meeting was facilitated by Karan Johar and had leading Bollywood stars like Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Vicky Kaushal, Ayushmann Khurrana, Alia Bhatt, Bhumi Pednekar, Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra in attendance. Ekta Kapoor, directors Rohit Shetty and Ashwini Iyer Tiwari were also part of the delegation.

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Gravitas: Tonight's Political pulse

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India a growing economy with a young population and huge potential: Japan Foreign Minister on WION's The Diplomacy Show

Randeep Surjewala Congress candidate for Haryana's Jind Assembly bypoll

News brief: Big stories of the day

Prakash Raj meets Arvind Kejriwal; AAP extends support for his political journey

Just wanted to pray, not chase history, say women who defied temple ban in India

News brief: Big stories of the day