<p>When Narendra Modi was elected in early 2014, the media declared him &ldquo;India&rsquo;s<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e347de5c-e088-11e3-9534-00144feabdc0"> first </a>social<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e347de5c-e088-11e3-9534-00144feabdc0"> </a>media<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e347de5c-e088-11e3-9534-00144feabdc0"> </a>prime<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e347de5c-e088-11e3-9534-00144feabdc0"> </a>minister&rdquo; and compared his approach to technology to that of former<a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/tech/internet/on-social-media-can-pm-narendra-modi-displace-his-good-friend-us-president-barack-obama/articleshow/53565939.cms"> </a>US<a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/tech/internet/on-social-media-can-pm-narendra-modi-displace-his-good-friend-us-president-barack-obama/articleshow/53565939.cms"> </a>president<a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/tech/internet/on-social-media-can-pm-narendra-modi-displace-his-good-friend-us-president-barack-obama/articleshow/53565939.cms"> </a>Barack<a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/tech/internet/on-social-media-can-pm-narendra-modi-displace-his-good-friend-us-president-barack-obama/articleshow/53565939.cms"> </a>Obama. In 2016, Time<a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-modi-on-times-most-influential-people-on-internet-for-second-year"> </a>magazine<a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-modi-on-times-most-influential-people-on-internet-for-second-year"> </a>named<a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-modi-on-times-most-influential-people-on-internet-for-second-year"> </a>Modi one of the 30 most influential people on the internet.</p>

<p>Today, he is the most followed world leader on social media, with more than 40 million Facebook followers. Needless to say, with a social media superstar at the helm, the Indian government was expected to bloom online.</p>

<figure class="align-right "><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160173/original/image-20170309-21030-eq0hgc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" />
<figcaption>
<p><span class="caption">Modi&rsquo;s profile, March 9 2017.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Facebook</span></span></p>

<p>But this idea should be advanced cautiously, as certain facts belie the assumption. According to the<a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/07/some-americans-dont-use-the-internet-who-are-they"> </a>Pew<a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/07/some-americans-dont-use-the-internet-who-are-they"> </a>Research<a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/07/some-americans-dont-use-the-internet-who-are-they"> </a>Center, 87% American adults use the internet, while<a href="http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/trai-releases-data-on-internet-usage-subscription-has-grown-9-72-percent-over-previous-year-353824.html"> </a>only<a href="http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/trai-releases-data-on-internet-usage-subscription-has-grown-9-72-percent-over-previous-year-353824.html"> </a>27<a href="http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/trai-releases-data-on-internet-usage-subscription-has-grown-9-72-percent-over-previous-year-353824.html">% of</a> Indians<a href="http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/trai-releases-data-on-internet-usage-subscription-has-grown-9-72-percent-over-previous-year-353824.html"> </a>do. And <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/06/global-tech-companies-see-indias-vast-offline-population-as-untapped-market">only </a>two<a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/06/global-tech-companies-see-indias-vast-offline-population-as-untapped-market"> in</a> ten<a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/06/global-tech-companies-see-indias-vast-offline-population-as-untapped-market"> </a>Indians regularly use social media platforms, whereas <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/social-media">seven in ten Americans</a> do.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>

<p><strong>&lsquo;Digital India&rsquo; to connect all citizens</strong></p>

<p>One of the government&rsquo;s priorities main is to get more Indians connected to the web. New Delhi&rsquo;s new programme, &ldquo;Digital India&rdquo;, unifies information and communication technology (ICT) initiatives under one umbrella.</p>

<figure><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_EuwrPIzkcg?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440"></iframe>

<figcaption>
<p><span class="caption">Narendra Modi&rsquo;s first 3D holographic projection speech, November 2012.</span></p>

<p>The process of building ICTs into governance involves the automation of routine administration jobs such as online passport registration or school application, providing requisite information to citizens, and citizen engagement in policy-making.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>

<p>The Digital India initiative has seen some significant successes. It has connected<a href="http://www.governancenow.com/views/interview/250000-gram-panchayats-two-year-tall-order"> </a>all<a href="http://www.governancenow.com/views/interview/250000-gram-panchayats-two-year-tall-order"> </a>250,000<a href="http://www.governancenow.com/views/interview/250000-gram-panchayats-two-year-tall-order"> </a><em>Gram</em><a href="http://www.governancenow.com/views/interview/250000-gram-panchayats-two-year-tall-order"><em> Panchayats</em></a> (local administrative clusters of villages) with fibre optic cables, established<a href="http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/tele-talk/digital-india-making-villages-smart/719"> </a>wifi<a href="http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/tele-talk/digital-india-making-villages-smart/719"> </a>villages<a href="http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/tele-talk/digital-india-making-villages-smart/719"> </a>and<a href="http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/tele-talk/digital-india-making-villages-smart/719"> </a>smart<a href="http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/tele-talk/digital-india-making-villages-smart/719"> </a>cities and created an <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/security-tech/technology/aadhaar-playing-a-huge-role-in-contributing-to-digital-india-programme-neel-ratan-pwc/articleshow/57074193.cms">ecosystem for Aadhaar</a>, India&rsquo;s national biometric identification system. It has also encouraged electronic banking through mobile<a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/spend/demonetisation-ussd-technology-to-pay-digitally-without-internet/articleshow/55574701.cms"> </a>payments.</p>

<figure><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5ndIt6hBP4M?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440"></iframe>

<figcaption>
<p><span class="caption">A commercial announcing India&rsquo;s first high-speed broadband internet in Idukki, Kerala.</span></p>

<p>The government also launched an exclusive citizen engagement platform, <a href="https://www.mygov.in/">mygov.in</a>, which currently boasts 4 million registrations, 1.8 million submissions across 599 tasks and 35 million comments.</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>

<p>Given India&rsquo;s infrastructure inadequacies and weak private-public partnerships, these are laudable efforts.</p>

<p><strong>Ministries are letting Modi down</strong></p>

<p>Modi <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/politics/social-modi-all-ministers-to-use-facebook-twitter-to-reach-out-1548135.html">has pushed</a> his ministers to adopt social media platforms as a part of their job. Many agencies have invited the experts and representatives from Facebook, Twitter and Google to attend <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2016/dec/24/facebook-gets-over-6000-data-requests-from-india-in-first-half-of-2016-1552667.html">consultation meetings</a> (some of which I have attended) and also made data requests.</p>

<p>Today, the Election Commission of India uses<a href="http://www.news18.com/news/tech/election-commission-of-india-partners-with-facebook-to-register-voters-1298951.html"> </a>Facebook<a href="http://www.news18.com/news/tech/election-commission-of-india-partners-with-facebook-to-register-voters-1298951.html"> </a>to<a href="http://www.news18.com/news/tech/election-commission-of-india-partners-with-facebook-to-register-voters-1298951.html"> </a>engage potential and present voters with the democratic process, and most ministry and agency websites are integrated with various digital platforms. It is also common<a href="http://www.livemint.com/Politics/AD4cwD62glIdmqHMdVZ2KN/Agriculture-ministry-scouts-for-a-social-media-manager.html"> to </a>see<a href="http://www.livemint.com/Politics/AD4cwD62glIdmqHMdVZ2KN/Agriculture-ministry-scouts-for-a-social-media-manager.html"> </a>government<a href="http://www.livemint.com/Politics/AD4cwD62glIdmqHMdVZ2KN/Agriculture-ministry-scouts-for-a-social-media-manager.html"> </a>agencies<a href="http://www.livemint.com/Politics/AD4cwD62glIdmqHMdVZ2KN/Agriculture-ministry-scouts-for-a-social-media-manager.html"> </a>advertising to hire social<a href="http://www.disabilityaffairs.gov.in/upload/5678f2a4c6e8cAdvt.%20for%20Social%20Media%20Consultant.pdf"> </a>media<a href="http://www.disabilityaffairs.gov.in/upload/5678f2a4c6e8cAdvt.%20for%20Social%20Media%20Consultant.pdf"> </a>firms in national newspapers.</p>

<p>Social media platforms are part of the larger e-governance effort. At a minimum, the government uses them to get information to citizens and, more gradually, to <a href="https://www.mygov.in/group-issue/public-consultation-e-governance-service-maturity-model/">include user-generated content</a> in governance.</p>

<p>But at present, despite these various actions, social media acts primarily a mere extension of agency homepages. Evidently, many ministries and departments are hesitant to use the pages and accounts they&rsquo;ve started.</p>

<p>Real-time updates are few. Those that occur are thanks to a few savvy <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/modi-sarkar2-who-are-the-most-social-media-savvy-ministers-in-the-modi-cabinet/articleshow/52271864.cms">ministers</a>, including Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External affairs, Piyush Goyal, Minster of Power, and Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Railways.</p>

<p>Some of Twitter interactions have been impressive. Take, for example, the time <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/sushma-swaraj-helps-woman-who-was-mugged-in-tanzania-this-time-without-even-being-asked-4505980">Sushma Swaraj directly helped</a> an Indian citizen who was mugged in Tanzania.</p>

<p>However, government social media usage starts to fail when ministers are questioned or criticised by users. It took Modi &ndash; who usually uses Twitter daily &ndash; ten days to tweet about <a href="http://www.dailyo.in/politics/dadri-murder-narendra-modi-twitter-bihar-polls-mann-ki-baat-rss-bjp-muslims-manmohan-singh/story/1/6703.html">the communal violence in Dadri</a>, where a Muslim man <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/Communal-tension-in-Dadri-after-rumours-of-cow-slaughtering/articleshow/49148923.cms">was lynched by a Hindu mob</a> on suspicion of slaughtering a cow.</p>

<p><strong>Lack of credibility</strong></p>

<p>Quickly voicing concerns to other users and trading in genuine uncensored content are major features of social media. If these activities are shaken, either by blocking criticisms or through non-responsiveness, trust and credibility are lost.</p>

<p>If a minister responds to, say, a tweet about <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/churchgate-train-crash-suresh-prabhu-panned-for-late-probe-order/story-qcvtA0PLLklbG56iLxYCaP.html">the lack of baby diapers</a> on railway platforms but does not immediately respond to queries about a recent accident, or if <a href="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/maneka-gandhis-silence-on-jallikattu-row-continues/1/864075.html">a minister keeps mum</a> on violence when she is expected <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pm-tweets-on-everything-but-silent-on-indians-attacked-in-us-congress/story-PZ9MedhRyfh98kKE3PrsPJ.html">to speak out</a>, the real value that social media could bring to governance is lost.</p>

<p>Citizens may stop following the ministers, or troll them. Both hurt efficiency in e-governance.</p>

<figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160188/original/image-20170309-21030-101omth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160188/original/image-20170309-21030-101omth.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" /></a>

<figcaption>
<p><span class="caption">MapBox&rsquo;s open-source flood information.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mapbox/23381596151/">Mapbox/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
</figcaption>
</figure>

<p>Despite its social media presence, Modi&rsquo;s government has largely failed to move beyond simply disseminating information. In 2015, <a href="http://itra.medialabasia.in/img/Chennai%20Floods-Rapid%20Assessment%20Report-May%2023,%202016.pdf">the </a>Chennai<a href="http://itra.medialabasia.in/img/Chennai%20Floods-Rapid%20Assessment%20Report-May%2023,%202016.pdf"> </a>floods left thousands homeless and killed<a href="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/northeast-monsoon-claimed-470-lives-in-tamil-nadu-jayalalithaa/article8064661.ece"> </a>almost<a href="http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/northeast-monsoon-claimed-470-lives-in-tamil-nadu-jayalalithaa/article8064661.ece"> </a>500. Well before the government responded, civil society organisations and citizens used social media <a href="https://qz.com/563397/chennai-floods-once-again-social-media-is-helping-indians-while-the-government-flounders">to create live-updated maps</a> of affected areas and tell residents about safe houses and transportation.</p>

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160187/original/image-20170309-21056-14cqjxo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" />
<figcaption><span class="caption">Flood waters in Nandanam, Chennai, 2015.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Chennai_flood_water_logging_near_ofice_nandanam5.jpg">Vijayingarsal/Wikimedia</a></span></figcaption>
</figure>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Of censorship, trolls and &lsquo;</strong><em><strong>bhakts</strong></em><strong>&rsquo;</strong></p>

<p>The government is also concerned about its own employees criticising policy initiatives or &ldquo;liking&rdquo; anti-government views. Recently, civil servants <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/no-criticism-of-government-by-officials-on-social-media-proposed-rules/articleshow/53282029.cms">were advised</a> to follow a social media code of conduct (though this <a href="http://meity.gov.in/sites/upload_files/dit/files/Approved%20Social%20Media%20Framework%20and%20Guidelines%20_2_.pdf">framework</a> appears outdated and incomplete).</p>

<p>Government social media use is also co-opted by political party supporters. Called &ldquo;<a href="http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/The-underage-optimist/anatomy-of-an-internet-troll-how-social-media-birthed-a-strange-new-phenomenon-in-india-the-bhakts/"><em>bhakts</em></a>&rdquo;, or henchmen, these ardent supporters of Modi or of other right-wing political movements have sidetracked any possibilities of healthy discussion. And they are equally matched by their more liberal opponents.</p>

<p><em>Bhakts</em> are not public officials. But their online activities have blurred the lines between the roles played by political party head and prime minister, reducing the potential positive outcomes of the government&rsquo;s fledgling social media efforts.</p>

<p><strong>To regulate and to serve</strong></p>

<p>There are two main ways that a democratic government approaches the social media sphere: regulation and service provision. Modi&rsquo;s government is in the nascent stages of both.</p>

<p>As a regulator, governments should monitor online activity, policing content and its creators (if needed) without damaging freedom of expression. The Modi administration&rsquo;s regulatory role is being hijacked by partisan trolls who lack training and legitimacy.</p>

<p>As a digital public-service provider, governments should treat online citizens like customers, seeking feedback on services or extending post-service support. When Twitter may be <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/brand-equity/twitter-banking-ground-breaking-or-gimmicky/articleshow/52202088.cms">explored as an e-banking platform</a>, for example, why not use it to book a ticket on India&rsquo;s state-run railroad or apply for a passport?</p>

<p><img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/73656/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />Without better guidelines on playing this role, however, Modi&rsquo;s government agencies will continue to struggle to provide citizen services. As an individual, Prime Minister Modi may be an exceptional social media influencer. But, for now, the same cannot be said about his government.</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The </a>Conversation. Read the original<a href="https://theconversation.com/narendra-modi-indias-social-media-star-struggles-to-get-government-online-73656"> </a>article.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).</em></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Modi has pushed his ministers to adopt social media platforms as a part of their job.

When Narendra Modi was elected in early 2014, the media declared him “India’s first social media prime minister” and compared his approach to technology to that of former US president Barack Obama. In 2016, Time magazine named Modi one of the 30 most influential people on the internet. Today, he is the most followed world leader on social media, with more than 40 million Facebook followers. Needless to say, with a social media superstar at the helm, the Indian government was expected to bloom online. Modi’s profile, March 9 2017. Facebook But this idea should be advanced cautiously, as certain facts belie the assumption. According to the Pew Research Center, 87% American adults use the internet, while only 27% of Indians do. And only two in ten Indians regularly use social media platforms, whereas seven in ten Americans do. ‘Digital India’ to connect all citizens One of the government’s priorities main is to get more Indians connected to the web. New Delhi’s new programme, “Digital India”, unifies information and communication technology (ICT) initiatives under one umbrella. Narendra Modi’s first 3D holographic projection speech, November 2012. The process of building ICTs into governance involves the automation of routine administration jobs such as online passport registration or school application, providing requisite information to citizens, and citizen engagement in policy-making. The Digital India initiative has seen some significant successes. It has connected all 250,000 Gram Panchayats (local administrative clusters of villages) with fibre optic cables, established wifi villages and smart cities and created an ecosystem for Aadhaar, India’s national biometric identification system. It has also encouraged electronic banking through mobile payments. A commercial announcing India’s first high-speed broadband internet in Idukki, Kerala. The government also launched an exclusive citizen engagement platform, mygov.in, which currently boasts 4 million registrations, 1.8 million submissions across 599 tasks and 35 million comments. Given India’s infrastructure inadequacies and weak private-public partnerships, these are laudable efforts. Ministries are letting Modi down Modi has pushed his ministers to adopt social media platforms as a part of their job. Many agencies have invited the experts and representatives from Facebook, Twitter and Google to attend consultation meetings (some of which I have attended) and also made data requests. Today, the Election Commission of India uses Facebook to engage potential and present voters with the democratic process, and most ministry and agency websites are integrated with various digital platforms. It is also common to see government agencies advertising to hire social media firms in national newspapers. Social media platforms are part of the larger e-governance effort. At a minimum, the government uses them to get information to citizens and, more gradually, to include user-generated content in governance. But at present, despite these various actions, social media acts primarily a mere extension of agency homepages. Evidently, many ministries and departments are hesitant to use the pages and accounts they’ve started. Real-time updates are few. Those that occur are thanks to a few savvy ministers, including Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External affairs, Piyush Goyal, Minster of Power, and Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Railways. Some of Twitter interactions have been impressive. Take, for example, the time Sushma Swaraj directly helped an Indian citizen who was mugged in Tanzania. However, government social media usage starts to fail when ministers are questioned or criticised by users. It took Modi – who usually uses Twitter daily – ten days to tweet about the communal violence in Dadri, where a Muslim man was lynched by a Hindu mob on suspicion of slaughtering a cow. Lack of credibility Quickly voicing concerns to other users and trading in genuine uncensored content are major features of social media. If these activities are shaken, either by blocking criticisms or through non-responsiveness, trust and credibility are lost. If a minister responds to, say, a tweet about the lack of baby diapers on railway platforms but does not immediately respond to queries about a recent accident, or if a minister keeps mum on violence when she is expected to speak out, the real value that social media could bring to governance is lost. Citizens may stop following the ministers, or troll them. Both hurt efficiency in e-governance. MapBox’s open-source flood information. Mapbox/Flickr, CC BY-SA Despite its social media presence, Modi’s government has largely failed to move beyond simply disseminating information. In 2015, the Chennai floods left thousands homeless and killed almost 500. Well before the government responded, civil society organisations and citizens used social media to create live-updated maps of affected areas and tell residents about safe houses and transportation. Flood waters in Nandanam, Chennai, 2015. Vijayingarsal/Wikimedia Of censorship, trolls and ‘bhakts’ The government is also concerned about its own employees criticising policy initiatives or “liking” anti-government views. Recently, civil servants were advised to follow a social media code of conduct (though this framework appears outdated and incomplete). Government social media use is also co-opted by political party supporters. Called “bhakts”, or henchmen, these ardent supporters of Modi or of other right-wing political movements have sidetracked any possibilities of healthy discussion. And they are equally matched by their more liberal opponents. Bhakts are not public officials. But their online activities have blurred the lines between the roles played by political party head and prime minister, reducing the potential positive outcomes of the government’s fledgling social media efforts. To regulate and to serve There are two main ways that a democratic government approaches the social media sphere: regulation and service provision. Modi’s government is in the nascent stages of both. As a regulator, governments should monitor online activity, policing content and its creators (if needed) without damaging freedom of expression. The Modi administration’s regulatory role is being hijacked by partisan trolls who lack training and legitimacy. As a digital public-service provider, governments should treat online citizens like customers, seeking feedback on services or extending post-service support. When Twitter may be explored as an e-banking platform, for example, why not use it to book a ticket on India’s state-run railroad or apply for a passport? Without better guidelines on playing this role, however, Modi’s government agencies will continue to struggle to provide citizen services. As an individual, Prime Minister Modi may be an exceptional social media influencer. But, for now, the same cannot be said about his government. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: How digital India is finding fruition through social media

<p>The hard work done by RSS in the civil society continues to pay dividends to BJP across the country. The best example of it is the marriage of civil society interests and political ambition in North East where RSS has been working from the 1970s.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is because of this investment of time with civil society issues by RSS, that BJP has been able to build a political network in areas which is culturally and socially different to the ideological thinking of the RSS.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is the confluence of social and cultural networking of RSS with BJP&rsquo;s political and electoral machine which explains the rise of BJP as an important party in the North East.</p>

<p>A similar investment was made by the Congress Party during the freedom struggle. The political action was only one part of the Congress activity, the party was involved in hundreds of other civil society issues. From nation building to character building, the Congress worked on a myriad of issues, almost crafting the mindset of the Indians. It is this mental world which has been challenged by the RSS-BJP combine in the last 50 years.</p>

<p>To understand the success, it is important to understand the work done by the RSS in North East. To start with Arunachal Pradesh, RSS runs Arunachal Vikas Parishad in Arunachal Pradesh which in other states is known as Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram. It runs schools and maintains hostels for the students. There are thousands of RSS affiliated schools in the state alone.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The RSS runs National Integration programmes which allow students from the North East to stay with different families in different parts of India. Apart from the BJP, more than 4000 trained &lsquo;sevaks&rsquo; work in Arunachal Pradesh who run Shakhas and other programmes which works at the level of social but impact the political mood. Apart from it, affiliated organisations run Civil Service Orientation Services.</p>

<p>There are programmes dedicated to students who require engineering coaching. On top of it, new Yoga Centres have also come up which focus on individual character building. Additional to this is the massive network of Bal Bari schools. Though RSS insists that it has nothing to do with the BJP but the fact is that RSS, unquestionably, has laid the ground for BJP in the North East. Central to this social action are the faceless pracharaks who devote their lives to an ideology that also ends up shaping civil society sentiments on a number of political issues.</p>

<p>The special focus is imparting lessons on cultural nationalism (which is debatable) and national integration which provides an alternative discourse to the civil society.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Unlike Congress of the 50&rsquo;s and 60&rsquo;s which was then the sole repository of nationalism, the RSS-BJP combine has shifted the axis by claiming nationalism as its own domain. Today, they claim to be the sole repository of nationalism. It has allowed them to combine culturally and socially different voices into one, like pre-colonial Congress. Congress refashioned the dominant discourse of the nation into its own image. It started before independence but was institutionalised after independence.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Earlier, the RSS-BJP too wanted to refashion the discourse of nationalism into its own image but only succeeded in the last 25 years. It is this shift which is finding an imprint in our electoral history cutting across regions. It is this worldview, aided by rapid urbanisation and consolidation of a larger Indian national identity, that is emerging as the main opposition to highly volatile, violent, dominant and majoritarian global Islam.</p>

<p>RSS-BJP&rsquo;s intensive interaction with the civil society has also succeeded in underlining its role as the only party which unites and keep India united.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Assam result broke this very myth of geographical and ideological limitations of BJP. It made them local and national at the same time.</p>

<p>Such has been the impact of the effort that the issue of food habit has been kept aside in the North East, and prayer houses have been built for local communities who worship elements of nature in the state.</p>

<p>&nbsp;Despite having an acrimonious relationship with Christian Missionary establishment all across India, RSS has worked both ends in the North East. It has organised non-Christian communities in their cultural realm preventing conversions and also engaged the existing non-Hindu religious establishment by sharing political space with them.</p>

<p>The North East also remains one of the few states where the RSS ensured that most of the pracharaks have a local tribal background. Arun Anand, a scholar who has worked on the RSS says, &quot;RSS has helped BJP identify local issues. It is for this that BJP does not look alien to the people and senior leaders go a mile to accommodate local junior leaders.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Speaking to WION, Sunil Mohanty, the RSS in charge of Arunachal Pradesh said, &quot;What we are worried about is the dilution of the living boundary. Tribals living near the border are migrating to the district headquarter for lack of amenities which is not good. Living boundary is as important as the physical boundary.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Such has been the compulsion borne out of this interaction, that the BJP had to work out suitable state-related issues against various parties.</p>

<p>&nbsp;It created space in states, such as Tripura where Congress has not been able to unseat the Left for past 15 years. The BJP also hijacked the issue of illegal migration and consolidated votes in Assam on this issue, making minority votes irrelevant. For Congress to come back today, it cannot harp on the issue of alienism of BJP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>BJP has become as indigenous as Congress in the North East. RSS-BJP combine might rest on national integrity, focusing on local issues and threat which it faces from migrant populations which can change the local political axis.</p>

<p>Though Congress recently started a Professional Congress, it still needs people who can create a daily ritual of interaction between the worker, leader and civil society. It is through this interaction that social opinion in conjunction with political action translates into mass politics. Most of its departments are defunct today and have not functioned properly for years.</p>

<p>Various frontal organisations of the Congress have an episodic and politico-electoral relationship with the civil society where intimate bond with the organisation is missing. The absence of this bond further dilutes ideological underpinning of an individual. It should worry the Congress. It is for this reason that despite a massive anti-incumbency, BJP was able to retain Gujarat by a thin margin. At the end, personal bond infused with ideology does work.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).</em></p>


It is the confluence of social and cultural networking of RSS with BJP?s political and electoral machine which explains the rise of BJP as an important party in the North East.

The hard work done by RSS in the civil society continues to pay dividends to BJP across the country. The best example of it is the marriage of civil society interests and political ambition in North East where RSS has been working from the 1970s. It is because of this investment of time with civil society issues by RSS, that BJP has been able to build a political network in areas which is culturally and socially different to the ideological thinking of the RSS. It is the confluence of social and cultural networking of RSS with BJP’s political and electoral machine which explains the rise of BJP as an important party in the North East. A similar investment was made by the Congress Party during the freedom struggle. The political action was only one part of the Congress activity, the party was involved in hundreds of other civil society issues. From nation building to character building, the Congress worked on a myriad of issues, almost crafting the mindset of the Indians. It is this mental world which has been challenged by the RSS-BJP combine in the last 50 years. To understand the success, it is important to understand the work done by the RSS in North East. To start with Arunachal Pradesh, RSS runs Arunachal Vikas Parishad in Arunachal Pradesh which in other states is known as Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram. It runs schools and maintains hostels for the students. There are thousands of RSS affiliated schools in the state alone. The RSS runs National Integration programmes which allow students from the North East to stay with different families in different parts of India. Apart from the BJP, more than 4000 trained ‘sevaks’ work in Arunachal Pradesh who run Shakhas and other programmes which works at the level of social but impact the political mood. Apart from it, affiliated organisations run Civil Service Orientation Services. There are programmes dedicated to students who require engineering coaching. On top of it, new Yoga Centres have also come up which focus on individual character building. Additional to this is the massive network of Bal Bari schools. Though RSS insists that it has nothing to do with the BJP but the fact is that RSS, unquestionably, has laid the ground for BJP in the North East. Central to this social action are the faceless pracharaks who devote their lives to an ideology that also ends up shaping civil society sentiments on a number of political issues. The special focus is imparting lessons on cultural nationalism (which is debatable) and national integration which provides an alternative discourse to the civil society. Unlike Congress of the 50’s and 60’s which was then the sole repository of nationalism, the RSS-BJP combine has shifted the axis by claiming nationalism as its own domain. Today, they claim to be the sole repository of nationalism. It has allowed them to combine culturally and socially different voices into one, like pre-colonial Congress. Congress refashioned the dominant discourse of the nation into its own image. It started before independence but was institutionalised after independence. Earlier, the RSS-BJP too wanted to refashion the discourse of nationalism into its own image but only succeeded in the last 25 years. It is this shift which is finding an imprint in our electoral history cutting across regions. It is this worldview, aided by rapid urbanisation and consolidation of a larger Indian national identity, that is emerging as the main opposition to highly volatile, violent, dominant and majoritarian global Islam. RSS-BJP’s intensive interaction with the civil society has also succeeded in underlining its role as the only party which unites and keep India united. Assam result broke this very myth of geographical and ideological limitations of BJP. It made them local and national at the same time. Such has been the impact of the effort that the issue of food habit has been kept aside in the North East, and prayer houses have been built for local communities who worship elements of nature in the state. Despite having an acrimonious relationship with Christian Missionary establishment all across India, RSS has worked both ends in the North East. It has organised non-Christian communities in their cultural realm preventing conversions and also engaged the existing non-Hindu religious establishment by sharing political space with them. The North East also remains one of the few states where the RSS ensured that most of the pracharaks have a local tribal background. Arun Anand, a scholar who has worked on the RSS says, "RSS has helped BJP identify local issues. It is for this that BJP does not look alien to the people and senior leaders go a mile to accommodate local junior leaders.” Speaking to WION, Sunil Mohanty, the RSS in charge of Arunachal Pradesh said, "What we are worried about is the dilution of the living boundary. Tribals living near the border are migrating to the district headquarter for lack of amenities which is not good. Living boundary is as important as the physical boundary.” Such has been the compulsion borne out of this interaction, that the BJP had to work out suitable state-related issues against various parties. It created space in states, such as Tripura where Congress has not been able to unseat the Left for past 15 years. The BJP also hijacked the issue of illegal migration and consolidated votes in Assam on this issue, making minority votes irrelevant. For Congress to come back today, it cannot harp on the issue of alienism of BJP. BJP has become as indigenous as Congress in the North East. RSS-BJP combine might rest on national integrity, focusing on local issues and threat which it faces from migrant populations which can change the local political axis. Though Congress recently started a Professional Congress, it still needs people who can create a daily ritual of interaction between the worker, leader and civil society. It is through this interaction that social opinion in conjunction with political action translates into mass politics. Most of its departments are defunct today and have not functioned properly for years. Various frontal organisations of the Congress have an episodic and politico-electoral relationship with the civil society where intimate bond with the organisation is missing. The absence of this bond further dilutes ideological underpinning of an individual. It should worry the Congress. It is for this reason that despite a massive anti-incumbency, BJP was able to retain Gujarat by a thin margin. At the end, personal bond infused with ideology does work. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: How RSS helped BJP to win India's North East

<p>The results of the Arunachal Pradesh bypolls&nbsp;which released on Sunday demonstrated yet another victory of the BJP over&nbsp;the Congress party.</p>

<p>The BJP in Arunachal Pradesh snatched two assembly seats, Pakke-Kessang and Likabali, from the Congress.</p>

<p>Terming the victory as a &quot;perfect Christmas gift&quot; for BJP, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has promised to return the gesture.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said that the people of the two constituencies have shown that they are with good governance and development.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;By electing BJP nominees they (people) foresee the accelerated development of their respective regions,&quot; the chief minister said.</p>

<p>Candidates BR Waghe and Kardo Nyigyor fought the bypolls from the BJP tickets.</p>

<p>Prime Minister thanked the people of the two constituencies for placing their faith in the BJP.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I thank the people of Likabali and Pakke Kesang in Arunachal Pradesh for reposing their faith in BJP. We derive immense strength from this affection and remain committed to transforming the Northeast. <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4Arunachal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BJP4Arunachal</a></p>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/944917903081488384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The BJP in Arunachal Pradesh snatched two assembly seats, Pakke-Kessang and Likabali, from the Congress

The results of the Arunachal Pradesh bypolls which released on Sunday demonstrated yet another victory of the BJP over the Congress party. The BJP in Arunachal Pradesh snatched two assembly seats, Pakke-Kessang and Likabali, from the Congress. Terming the victory as a "perfect Christmas gift" for BJP, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has promised to return the gesture. He said that the people of the two constituencies have shown that they are with good governance and development. "By electing BJP nominees they (people) foresee the accelerated development of their respective regions," the chief minister said. Candidates BR Waghe and Kardo Nyigyor fought the bypolls from the BJP tickets. Prime Minister thanked the people of the two constituencies for placing their faith in the BJP. I thank the people of Likabali and Pakke Kesang in Arunachal Pradesh for reposing their faith in BJP. We derive immense strength from this affection and remain committed to transforming the Northeast. @BJP4Arunachal — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 24, 2017 ×

BJP wins bypolls in Arunachal Pradesh

<p>Marking&nbsp;another victory, the Bharatiya Janata Party has managed to hold the Sikandra Assembly seat in the Uttar Pradesh by-elections.</p>

<p>BJP&nbsp;candidate Ajit Singh Pal has secured 44.86 per cent votes against the Samajwadi Party rival Seema Sachan who bagged 37.60 per cent votes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The BJP candidate won by a margin of over 11,861 votes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While the BJP candidate secured 73,284 votes, Congress candidate secured 19,084 and Samajwadi&nbsp;Party&#39;s candidate 61,423 votes.</p>

<p>The Samajwadi and the Congress party claimed that the seals of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were broken. They alleged that the authorities had tampered with the machines for ensuring the victory of the BJP.</p>

<p>The&nbsp;Superintendent of Police (SP) Ratan Kant Pandey, however, clarified that there were three seals and they&nbsp;were intact.</p>

<p>The elections in the region were conducted after the death of its sitting BJP MLA, Mathura Prasad Pal on July 22.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Over 53 per cent people had exercised their franchise in the bypolls&nbsp;on December 21.</p>

<p>Prime minister Narendra Modi expressed his gratitude to the people of Sikandra for extending their support to the party.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">My gratitude to the people of Sikandra for once again supporting BJP. Our commitment to serving India&#39;s villages and taking them to new heights of progress is unwavering. I congratulate CM <a href="https://twitter.com/myogiadityanath?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@myogiadityanath</a> Ji and the <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4UP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BJP4UP</a> Team for their stupendous efforts.</p>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/944916937171132417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 24, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


BJP's candidate Ajit Singh Pal has secured 44.86 per cent votes against the Samajwadi Party rival Seema Sachan who bagged 37.60 per cent votes

Marking another victory, the Bharatiya Janata Party has managed to hold the Sikandra Assembly seat in the Uttar Pradesh by-elections. BJP candidate Ajit Singh Pal has secured 44.86 per cent votes against the Samajwadi Party rival Seema Sachan who bagged 37.60 per cent votes. The BJP candidate won by a margin of over 11,861 votes. While the BJP candidate secured 73,284 votes, Congress candidate secured 19,084 and Samajwadi Party's candidate 61,423 votes. The Samajwadi and the Congress party claimed that the seals of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were broken. They alleged that the authorities had tampered with the machines for ensuring the victory of the BJP. The Superintendent of Police (SP) Ratan Kant Pandey, however, clarified that there were three seals and they were intact. The elections in the region were conducted after the death of its sitting BJP MLA, Mathura Prasad Pal on July 22. Over 53 per cent people had exercised their franchise in the bypolls on December 21. Prime minister Narendra Modi expressed his gratitude to the people of Sikandra for extending their support to the party. My gratitude to the people of Sikandra for once again supporting BJP. Our commitment to serving India's villages and taking them to new heights of progress is unwavering. I congratulate CM @myogiadityanath Ji and the @BJP4UP Team for their stupendous efforts. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 24, 2017 ×

BJP retains power in Sikandra, wins UP bypoll

<p>Narendra Modi clinched a victory for BJP in Gujarat. He ensured it by consolidating his party&rsquo;s base in urban India. He has given a new political mantra for his party to function:&nbsp;hope and fear. Evidently, Indian politics has the potential to behave as T20 match and Test cricket at the same time. Gujarat result is an example in case.</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi despite the loss, took away the sheen from BJP&rsquo;s victory. Under his leadership, the Congress brought the BJP&nbsp;down to a two-digit victory, making him the Man of the Match. Narendra Modi, however, remains the Man of the Series when it comes to elections. Modi proved, again, that he is the only one who has the stamina to either change the public mood or arrest a tsunami.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/opinion-in-spite-of-gst-how-modi-won-gujarat-27077"><strong>Also read: In spite of GST, how Modi won Gujarat</strong></a></p>

<p>Gujarat election changes a&nbsp;couple of things in the political narrative. It proves that Narendra Modi will not shy away from taking the battle to any level, provided it led to victory. Clearly, he is the only one in Indian politics who has the capacity to shape the mood of the voters if not completely shift them. It shows that Modi treats elections like a battle to be won at all the cost, and rest of the issues are shoved at the periphery.</p>

<p>Whether it is the dinner diplomacy gaffe or Mani-Kapil&#39;s quick mistakes between the wickets, the urban audience in Gujarat reacted positively to Modi&rsquo;s jibe. Urban Gujarat chose Modi despite economic distress. Ultimately, the Prime Minister is their original poster boy. To take him down would mean taking one&rsquo;s own down.</p>

<p>On the day Rahul Gandhi took over as the Congress President, the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke of politics of hope and fear. He said that hope must triumph over fear. The results in Gujarat show&nbsp;that for urban India the hope and fear do not exist in a binary but are intermeshed.</p>

<p>It was best reflected by the speeches of the prime minister on the &#39;neech&#39; comment, dinner and temple issue. Both fear and hope were stoked at the same time. The hope was in the assertion of majoritarian politics and the fear was the return to a state where minority voice mattered.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/opinion-rahul-the-only-winner-in-gujarat-election-27045"><strong>Also read: Rahul, Hardik run out BJP at 99</strong></a></p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi did neutralise his anti-Hindu stance which he inherited during 2014 elections but the political memories of hard secularism came flushing back into the electoral arena because of the mistakes committed by Congress leaders and activists. It is not to say that BJP supporters don&rsquo;t use abusive language. In fact, the correct picture is that twitter handles of far-right supporters have been far more abusive and rest seems to be only catching up now.</p>

<p>The challenge for Rahul Gandhi is to break this matrix put in place by the BJP which thrives on hard Hindutva during elections, and once the race is won it goes back to <i>sabka saath sabka vikas</i>. It works on fear and hope at the same time. It is also married to new and some repackaged government schemes which are all attributable to Narendra Modi.</p>

<p>The only thing attributable to Rahul Gandhi today is the extension of NREGA throughout India. However, it is a distant memory today. It is this politics of hope and fear which Rahul Gandhi has to battle as it is enmeshed with fear of the return of massive corruption and minority politics. The hope is pinned on assertive India sitting on the stool of identity.</p>

<p>Rahul played the match well and lost. The vote share difference was again 8 per cent but rural Gujarat supported Congress. It reinforces the image of Congress as a party which takes up agrarian issues more than BJP. He won admiration from both his own party and other regional players. This has happened for the first time. He has received sympathy and grudging respect. To borrow it from &quot;The Last Jedi&quot;, the BJP should hope that Rahul doesn&rsquo;t become the spark which fires up the entire Opposition, which today is in the doghouse, lying straight on the ground.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/opinion-what-bjp-and-congress-learned-from-gujarat-elections-27138"><strong>Also read: What BJP and Congress learned from Gujarat elections</strong></a></p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).</em></p>


The challenge for Rahul Gandhi is to break this matrix put in place by the BJP which thrives on hard Hindutva during elections, and once the race is won it goes back to sabka saath sabka vikas.

Narendra Modi clinched a victory for BJP in Gujarat. He ensured it by consolidating his party’s base in urban India. He has given a new political mantra for his party to function: hope and fear. Evidently, Indian politics has the potential to behave as T20 match and Test cricket at the same time. Gujarat result is an example in case. Rahul Gandhi despite the loss, took away the sheen from BJP’s victory. Under his leadership, the Congress brought the BJP down to a two-digit victory, making him the Man of the Match. Narendra Modi, however, remains the Man of the Series when it comes to elections. Modi proved, again, that he is the only one who has the stamina to either change the public mood or arrest a tsunami. Also read: In spite of GST, how Modi won Gujarat Gujarat election changes a couple of things in the political narrative. It proves that Narendra Modi will not shy away from taking the battle to any level, provided it led to victory. Clearly, he is the only one in Indian politics who has the capacity to shape the mood of the voters if not completely shift them. It shows that Modi treats elections like a battle to be won at all the cost, and rest of the issues are shoved at the periphery. Whether it is the dinner diplomacy gaffe or Mani-Kapil's quick mistakes between the wickets, the urban audience in Gujarat reacted positively to Modi’s jibe. Urban Gujarat chose Modi despite economic distress. Ultimately, the Prime Minister is their original poster boy. To take him down would mean taking one’s own down. On the day Rahul Gandhi took over as the Congress President, the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke of politics of hope and fear. He said that hope must triumph over fear. The results in Gujarat show that for urban India the hope and fear do not exist in a binary but are intermeshed. It was best reflected by the speeches of the prime minister on the 'neech' comment, dinner and temple issue. Both fear and hope were stoked at the same time. The hope was in the assertion of majoritarian politics and the fear was the return to a state where minority voice mattered. Also read: Rahul, Hardik run out BJP at 99 Rahul Gandhi did neutralise his anti-Hindu stance which he inherited during 2014 elections but the political memories of hard secularism came flushing back into the electoral arena because of the mistakes committed by Congress leaders and activists. It is not to say that BJP supporters don’t use abusive language. In fact, the correct picture is that twitter handles of far-right supporters have been far more abusive and rest seems to be only catching up now. The challenge for Rahul Gandhi is to break this matrix put in place by the BJP which thrives on hard Hindutva during elections, and once the race is won it goes back to sabka saath sabka vikas. It works on fear and hope at the same time. It is also married to new and some repackaged government schemes which are all attributable to Narendra Modi. The only thing attributable to Rahul Gandhi today is the extension of NREGA throughout India. However, it is a distant memory today. It is this politics of hope and fear which Rahul Gandhi has to battle as it is enmeshed with fear of the return of massive corruption and minority politics. The hope is pinned on assertive India sitting on the stool of identity. Rahul played the match well and lost. The vote share difference was again 8 per cent but rural Gujarat supported Congress. It reinforces the image of Congress as a party which takes up agrarian issues more than BJP. He won admiration from both his own party and other regional players. This has happened for the first time. He has received sympathy and grudging respect. To borrow it from "The Last Jedi", the BJP should hope that Rahul doesn’t become the spark which fires up the entire Opposition, which today is in the doghouse, lying straight on the ground. Also read: What BJP and Congress learned from Gujarat elections (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Rahul is the Man of the Match. Modi is the Man of the Series

<p>&quot;Our rescue efforts will never fall short,&quot; Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the families of the people still missing because of Cyclone Ockhi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Government of India is with you in every way, our rescue efforts will never fall short and we will help you in every way, I am here to assure you about this. We pray that all those missing, can return home before Christmas,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Modi was speaking in Poonthura, Kerala.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Gov of India is with you in every way, our rescue efforts will never fall short &amp; we will help you in every way, I am here to assure you about this. We pray that all those missing, can return home before Christmas: PM Modi in Kerala&#39;s Poonthura <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneOckhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CycloneOckhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/jzxU5aEOSP">pic.twitter.com/jzxU5aEOSP</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/943088380639789056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">PM Narendra Modi meets families affected by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneOckhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CycloneOckhi</a> in Kerala&#39;s Poonthura, says, &#39;govt will do everything possible to bring back the missing people&#39; <a href="https://t.co/oqR0Ix35FW">pic.twitter.com/oqR0Ix35FW</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/943087229496311810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>Modi also reviewed relief operations in Thiruvananthapuram along with&nbsp;Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">PM Narendra Modi reviews relief operations in Kerala&#39;s Thiruvananthapuram. CM Pinarayi Vijayan also present, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneOckhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CycloneOckhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zy5PKEi0fI">pic.twitter.com/Zy5PKEi0fI</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/943098265045626880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>Modi had previously visited Kanyakumari,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cyclone-ockhi-over-180-people-rescued-off-lakshadweep-coast-26206">Lakshadweep</a> and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/the-wrath-of-cyclone-ockhi-at-least-18-killed-in-tamil-nadu-kerala-7117">Tamil Nadu</a> to meet families affected and take note of the situation.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">PM Narendra Modi meets cyclone affected fishermen in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kanyakumari?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kanyakumari</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneOckhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CycloneOckhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/ak41YOrj4j">pic.twitter.com/ak41YOrj4j</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/943056253374181376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Prime Minister Narendra Modi met families of victims affected by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneOckhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CycloneOckhi</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lakshadweep?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Lakshadweep</a>&#39;s Kavaratti <a href="https://t.co/Nbgb1Cne1N">pic.twitter.com/Nbgb1Cne1N</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/943030486917455872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="in">PM Narendra Modi reviews <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneOckhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CycloneOckhi</a> relief operations in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kanyakumari?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kanyakumari</a> . Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami also present <a href="https://t.co/dQk1x8N3H7">pic.twitter.com/dQk1x8N3H7</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/943051382210170880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>Cyclone Ockhi recently hit the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-at-least-16-dead-several-missing-as-cyclone-ockhi-nears-lakshadweep-sri-lanka-25598">southern half of the country</a>, leaving a number of people dead and several missing.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also&nbsp;read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/30-died-due-to-cyclone-ockhi-report-25771">30 died due to Cyclone </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/30-died-due-to-cyclone-ockhi-report-25771">Ockhi</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/30-died-due-to-cyclone-ockhi-report-25771"> :</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/30-died-due-to-cyclone-ockhi-report-25771"> Report</a></p>

<p>A search and rescue operation was launched by the Indian Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.</p>

<p>As of December 14, 700 fishermen had been rescued. They included five Sri Lankan nationals.&nbsp;</p>


"Our rescue efforts will never fall short," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the families of the people still missing because of Cyclone Ockhi. "Government of India is with you in every way, our rescue efforts will never fall short and we will help you in every way, I am here to assure you about this. We pray that all those missing, can return home before Christmas," he said. Modi was speaking in Poonthura, Kerala. Gov of India is with you in every way, our rescue efforts will never fall short & we will help you in every way, I am here to assure you about this. We pray that all those missing, can return home before Christmas: PM Modi in Kerala's Poonthura #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/jzxU5aEOSP — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017 × PM Narendra Modi meets families affected by #CycloneOckhi in Kerala's Poonthura, says, 'govt will do everything possible to bring back the missing people' pic.twitter.com/oqR0Ix35FW — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017 × Modi also reviewed relief operations in Thiruvananthapuram along with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. PM Narendra Modi reviews relief operations in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram. CM Pinarayi Vijayan also present, #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/Zy5PKEi0fI — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017 × Modi had previously visited Kanyakumari, Lakshadweep and Tamil Nadu to meet families affected and take note of the situation. PM Narendra Modi meets cyclone affected fishermen in #Kanyakumari #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/ak41YOrj4j — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017 × Prime Minister Narendra Modi met families of victims affected by #CycloneOckhi in #Lakshadweep's Kavaratti pic.twitter.com/Nbgb1Cne1N — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017 × . PM Narendra Modi reviews #CycloneOckhi relief operations in #Kanyakumari . Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami also present pic.twitter.com/dQk1x8N3H7 — ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2017 × Cyclone Ockhi recently hit the southern half of the country, leaving a number of people dead and several missing. Also read: 30 died due to Cyclone Ockhi : Report A search and rescue operation was launched by the Indian Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. As of December 14, 700 fishermen had been rescued. They included five Sri Lankan nationals.

'Our rescue efforts will never fall short,' PM Modi tells Ockhi-affected families

<p>New Congress President Rahul Gandhi has his work cut out for him.</p>

<p>Following the election results in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh on Monday, the Congress -- the country&#39;s &quot;grand old party&quot; -- is now left in power in only four states in the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The four states are Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya, and Mizoram.</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/election-results-bjp-wins-gujaratand-himachal-27098">Election results prove country ready for reform: Modi after Gujarat win</a></p>

<p>Since coming to power at the Centre -- Modi had at the time promised to deliver a &quot;Congress- mukt Bharat&quot; -- the BJP has wrested Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Assam, and Manipur from the Congress.</p>

<p>The Congress had ruled Maharashtra for over 15 years, and Assam for over 10.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/it-is-a-temporary-and-face-saving-win-for-bjp-says-mamata-banerjee-27094">It is a temporary and face-saving win for BJP, says Mamata Banerjee</a></p>

<p>The next battleground will be Karnataka, which is expected to go to the polls sometime in April or May next year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Victory in Gujarat and Himachal shows people have once again accepted PM Modi, his policies and Gujarat model. They&#39;ve voted for development and against corrupt Congress. It&#39;ll have positive impact in Karnataka,&quot; Karnataka BJP President said Monday after the BJP won Gujarat and HImachal.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Sunday, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had attacked Karnataka&#39;s Congress government over what he said was the deteriorating law and order situation.</p>

<p>He cited the murder of the&nbsp;journalist Gauri Lankesh, saying if&nbsp;the&nbsp;BJP came to power in the state it would catch her killers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There have also been killings of members of right-wing Hindu groups in Karnataka in recent months.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Singh also accused the&nbsp;Siddaramaiah government of trying to &quot;divide&quot;&nbsp;society, saying the state government should have refrained from celebrating Tipu Sultan&#39;s birthday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The &quot;divide&quot; though is really between two different forms of nationalism.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Karnataka has been mulling the adoption of a state flag and there have been protests in the state against Hindi signboards.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Commentators say&nbsp;Siddaramaiah will deploy this &quot;sub-nationalism&quot; to counter Modi and the BJP&#39;s exhortation of &quot;nationalism&quot;.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The four states are Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya, and Mizoram

New Congress President Rahul Gandhi has his work cut out for him. Following the election results in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh on Monday, the Congress -- the country's "grand old party" -- is now left in power in only four states in the country. The four states are Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya, and Mizoram. Also read: Election results prove country ready for reform: Modi after Gujarat win Since coming to power at the Centre -- Modi had at the time promised to deliver a "Congress- mukt Bharat" -- the BJP has wrested Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Assam, and Manipur from the Congress. The Congress had ruled Maharashtra for over 15 years, and Assam for over 10. Also read: It is a temporary and face-saving win for BJP, says Mamata Banerjee The next battleground will be Karnataka, which is expected to go to the polls sometime in April or May next year. "Victory in Gujarat and Himachal shows people have once again accepted PM Modi, his policies and Gujarat model. They've voted for development and against corrupt Congress. It'll have positive impact in Karnataka," Karnataka BJP President said Monday after the BJP won Gujarat and HImachal. On Sunday, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had attacked Karnataka's Congress government over what he said was the deteriorating law and order situation. He cited the murder of the journalist Gauri Lankesh, saying if the BJP came to power in the state it would catch her killers. There have also been killings of members of right-wing Hindu groups in Karnataka in recent months. Singh also accused the Siddaramaiah government of trying to "divide" society, saying the state government should have refrained from celebrating Tipu Sultan's birthday. The "divide" though is really between two different forms of nationalism. Karnataka has been mulling the adoption of a state flag and there have been protests in the state against Hindi signboards. Commentators say Siddaramaiah will deploy this "sub-nationalism" to counter Modi and the BJP's exhortation of "nationalism".

After Himachal loss, Congress left in power in only four states

<p>Two persons died after an&nbsp;under-renovation building collapsed in Mumbai&#39;s Zaveri Bazaar on Friday afternoon.</p>

<p>Four workers are currently trapped under the debris.</p>

<p>Earlier, media reports had said that at least nine workers were trapped, of which seven were rescued.</p>

<p>The fire brigade and police officials had reached the spot and rescue operation was underway.</p>

<p>No one is reported to be injured so far.</p>

<p>The back portion of the building collapsed when the repair work was going on.</p>

<p>Zaveri Bazaar is a major hub of the jewellery business in Mumbai.</p>

<p>(With inputs from ANI, PTI)</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Earlier this month, the UP government announced their decision to double farmers' income by 2022 and to take contract farming as a part of their strategy to uplift the income after a number of failed attempts

Two persons died after an under-renovation building collapsed in Mumbai's Zaveri Bazaar on Friday afternoon. Four workers are currently trapped under the debris. Earlier, media reports had said that at least nine workers were trapped, of which seven were rescued. The fire brigade and police officials had reached the spot and rescue operation was underway. No one is reported to be injured so far. The back portion of the building collapsed when the repair work was going on. Zaveri Bazaar is a major hub of the jewellery business in Mumbai. (With inputs from ANI, PTI)

Adityanath promises roof over every head by 2022

<p>Going by the outcome of Gujarat exit polls, pollsters are indicating a clear majority for BJP in the state. It gives a fair assessment of the outcome, none denying the fact that BJP is set to form the government in Gandhinagar. Many political pundits and politicians who doubted BJP&rsquo;s victory are bound to be surprised with these projections. The perception was and is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fighting the toughest electoral battle of his life to retain Gujarat, to maintain &ldquo;Gujarat Model&rdquo; which he sold to win over elections after election since 2014 General Elections. This was not a battle between Congress and BJP, it was Modi vs the rest.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>This was not a battle between Congress and BJP, it was Modi vs the rest.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=This was not a battle between Congress and BJP, it was Modi vs the rest.


" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p><strong>Angry Gujarat</strong></p>

<p>No doubt, there was anger amongst different sections of Gujaratis&rsquo;. The state population largely linked to the trader community, got shock&nbsp;after shock in the policies of Demonetisation and then rolling out of GST. When it hurts Gujarati&rsquo;s pocket, they are bound to be angry. Though Patel&rsquo;s which comprise 12 percent of Electorate traditionally vote for BJP. Even the tallest of their leader Keshubhai Patel who formed his own outfit, &ldquo;Gujarat Parivartan Party&rdquo; couldn&rsquo;t wean them away from the BJP.</p>

<p>In the current context, mishandling of Patel movement for reservation by Anandiben Patel and later by Vijay Rupani Government did alienate young population of the community. Una incident of attack on four Dalits skinning the carcasses of dead cow in Mota Samadhiyala village of Gir Somnath district did hurt 7 percent of caste population as many of them were in the business of skinning dead animals for a living. On the leaderless soil of politically fertile castes, anger translated into the emergence of new Turks Hardik Patel a Patidar leader, Jignesh Mewani a Dalit leader and Alpesh Thakor, a Rajput and OBC leader. They became the symbol of anger of their respective communities and, thus, raged a war against BJP.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>On the leaderless soil of politically fertile castes, anger translated into the emergence of new Turks Hardik Patel a Patidar leader, Jignesh Mewani a Dalit leader and Alpesh Thakor, a Rajput and OBC leader.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=On the leaderless soil of politically fertile castes, anger translated into the emergence of new Turks Hardik Patel a Patidar leader, Jignesh Mewani a Dalit leader and Alpesh Thakor, a Rajput and OBC leader. " target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p><strong>Congress virtual strategy a</strong><strong> me too</strong></p>

<p>The opposition Congress built their strategies around these scenarios.&nbsp;Cyber army of Congress IT cell camping at Ahmedabad closely monitored by 15 AICC office bearers were trying to do what BJP did in 2014 General elections on social media, create content, pass on to volunteers share and flood the cyberspace. They picked up from a Facebook post by one of Hardik Patel&rsquo;s supporter, engineering student Sagar Savaliya, who wrote: &ldquo;Vikas Gando Thayo Che&rdquo; (with the photo of wheels behind a crashed bus) meaning Development has gone crazy. This created a great traction on social media and thus became the theme of Congress campaign in Gujarat.</p>

<p>They didn&rsquo;t stop here, made Rahul Gandhi ask a question to Modi in the last leg of the campaign. Made him fly passenger class like a normal citizen standing in a queue, eat lots of Fafda&rsquo;s and Jalebi at roadside Dhaba&rsquo;s and above all, pronounced him as &ldquo;Janeudhari Brahmin&rdquo; by temple pilgrimages during the campaign. Not talking about likes of Mani Shankar Iyer as for one they do not mind their language. Congress made two major mistakes, propagating caste and adopting soft Hindutva in the run-up to Gujarat polling. It was a major shift in the grand old party which has been a victim of new cast based regional parties blocking the re-emergence of Congress to reclaim its base.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Congress made two major mistakes, propagating caste and adopting soft Hindutva in the run-up to Gujarat polling.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Congress made two major mistakes, propagating caste and adopting soft Hindutva in the run-up to Gujarat polling." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p><strong>Modi&rsquo;s art of turning anger into sympathy</strong></p>

<p>It was natural for Narendra Modi to give lesser attention to his home state Gujarat compared to when he was the chief minister before 2014 because of his larger role as Prime Minister of the country. He never lost the base with state though. Hosting Chinese President Xi-Jinping and recently Japanese PM Shinzo Abe at Ahmedabad and increasing the Hight of Sardar Sarovar Dam. Prime Minister started focusing on Gujarat post-September this year with inauguration of Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speed (Bullet) train with the assistance of his friend Abe. Congress made a joke out of it and termed it a waste of money.</p>

<p>During his visit to Ahmedabad for this ceremony, Modi noticed potholes around the city, though administration patched roads taken By Modi and Abe during their stay. Narendra Modi gave 48 hours&rsquo; time to the administration for making roads pothole free which they did. Sensing the anger Modi made Finance Minister Arun Jaitley make amendments in GST to make it easy for traders and SMSE&rsquo;s. He got CM Vijay Rupani to decrease VAT on petrol and diesel to give relief to commuters. To the Congress charges of &ldquo;Vikas Gando Thayo Che&rdquo; Modi touched the emotional chord by declaring &ldquo;Hun Vikas chum&rdquo; meaning I am development.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>To the Congress charges of &ldquo;Vikas Gando Thayo Che&rdquo; Modi touched the emotional chord by declaring &ldquo;Hun Vikas chum&rdquo; meaning I am development.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=To the Congress charges of ?Vikas Gando Thayo Che? Modi touched the emotional chord by declaring ?Hun Vikas chum? meaning I am development." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Launched 31-km long RoRo ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej that cut travel time from eight hours to one and half hour will benefit people working in the diamond-cutting and polishing hub of Surat. The first phase of voting was over by now. Congress was claiming the lead in this phase and few BJP leaders also were apprehensive. Before the second round of voting, Modi asked, &ldquo;What did I do to deserve this&rdquo; on Mani Shankar Iyer&rsquo;s &ldquo;Neech&rdquo; comment during his campaign. Throughout he spoke in Gujarati. Reminded people how he used to be part of that area when he was in Gujarat. Made that connect with the masses of Gujarat. On congress&rsquo;s &ldquo;Janeudhari Brahmin&rdquo; tactic Modi raked up Mani Shankar Iyer dinner with former Pakistani former Foreign Secretary and other diplomats.</p>

<p>Former PM Manmohan Singh and Former COAS Deepak Kumar were in presence in this dinner meeting. This was the kind of the first instance wherein Prime Minister accused other nation, Pakistan of muddling in Gujarat elections. Pakistan had to clarify officially that they do not have any role in domestic politics of India, but it played well. Many in Gujarat did not perceive it well for Congress. End of the campaign was the most dramatic. Denied permission for a road show in Ahmedabad, Modi holding the door bar of Seaplane did a River Show on Sabarmati Riverfront.</p>

<p>Any Amdavadi, Gujarati or for that matter Indian would have felt proud to see this happening on Sabarmati which use to be a nullah of drains till 2005, emotionally. On polling Day standing in the queue after dedicating INS Kalvari to the nation in Arabian sea Mumbai. Taking a walk near the poll station and while returning waving to crowd from his SUV, inviting Congress to charge Chief Election commissioner working as Prime Ministers PS. This war will go on but Gujarat chapter is closed for now. Those in doubts will be clearer on 18th December by 10:30 AM.</p>

<p>One thing is clear, Modi&rsquo;s magic or Modi Election Winning machine is still intact. He is the leader who knows the pulse of people, engage with them through social media, Mann Ki Baat, Namo App, speeches. He knows when to Bow as he did after demonetisation, seek time for hardships. It is that connect which makes Modi the leader whom people relate, trust and believe.</p>

<p><em>&nbsp;(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>


Narendra Modi is the leader who knows the pulse of people. His magic and election winning spree is still intact.

Going by the outcome of Gujarat exit polls, pollsters are indicating a clear majority for BJP in the state. It gives a fair assessment of the outcome, none denying the fact that BJP is set to form the government in Gandhinagar. Many political pundits and politicians who doubted BJP’s victory are bound to be surprised with these projections. The perception was and is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fighting the toughest electoral battle of his life to retain Gujarat, to maintain “Gujarat Model” which he sold to win over elections after election since 2014 General Elections. This was not a battle between Congress and BJP, it was Modi vs the rest. This was not a battle between Congress and BJP, it was Modi vs the rest. × Angry Gujarat No doubt, there was anger amongst different sections of Gujaratis’. The state population largely linked to the trader community, got shock after shock in the policies of Demonetisation and then rolling out of GST. When it hurts Gujarati’s pocket, they are bound to be angry. Though Patel’s which comprise 12 percent of Electorate traditionally vote for BJP. Even the tallest of their leader Keshubhai Patel who formed his own outfit, “Gujarat Parivartan Party” couldn’t wean them away from the BJP. In the current context, mishandling of Patel movement for reservation by Anandiben Patel and later by Vijay Rupani Government did alienate young population of the community. Una incident of attack on four Dalits skinning the carcasses of dead cow in Mota Samadhiyala village of Gir Somnath district did hurt 7 percent of caste population as many of them were in the business of skinning dead animals for a living. On the leaderless soil of politically fertile castes, anger translated into the emergence of new Turks Hardik Patel a Patidar leader, Jignesh Mewani a Dalit leader and Alpesh Thakor, a Rajput and OBC leader. They became the symbol of anger of their respective communities and, thus, raged a war against BJP. On the leaderless soil of politically fertile castes, anger translated into the emergence of new Turks Hardik Patel a Patidar leader, Jignesh Mewani a Dalit leader and Alpesh Thakor, a Rajput and OBC leader. × Congress virtual strategy a me too The opposition Congress built their strategies around these scenarios. Cyber army of Congress IT cell camping at Ahmedabad closely monitored by 15 AICC office bearers were trying to do what BJP did in 2014 General elections on social media, create content, pass on to volunteers share and flood the cyberspace. They picked up from a Facebook post by one of Hardik Patel’s supporter, engineering student Sagar Savaliya, who wrote: “Vikas Gando Thayo Che” (with the photo of wheels behind a crashed bus) meaning Development has gone crazy. This created a great traction on social media and thus became the theme of Congress campaign in Gujarat. They didn’t stop here, made Rahul Gandhi ask a question to Modi in the last leg of the campaign. Made him fly passenger class like a normal citizen standing in a queue, eat lots of Fafda’s and Jalebi at roadside Dhaba’s and above all, pronounced him as “Janeudhari Brahmin” by temple pilgrimages during the campaign. Not talking about likes of Mani Shankar Iyer as for one they do not mind their language. Congress made two major mistakes, propagating caste and adopting soft Hindutva in the run-up to Gujarat polling. It was a major shift in the grand old party which has been a victim of new cast based regional parties blocking the re-emergence of Congress to reclaim its base. Congress made two major mistakes, propagating caste and adopting soft Hindutva in the run-up to Gujarat polling. × Modi’s art of turning anger into sympathy It was natural for Narendra Modi to give lesser attention to his home state Gujarat compared to when he was the chief minister before 2014 because of his larger role as Prime Minister of the country. He never lost the base with state though. Hosting Chinese President Xi-Jinping and recently Japanese PM Shinzo Abe at Ahmedabad and increasing the Hight of Sardar Sarovar Dam. Prime Minister started focusing on Gujarat post-September this year with inauguration of Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speed (Bullet) train with the assistance of his friend Abe. Congress made a joke out of it and termed it a waste of money. During his visit to Ahmedabad for this ceremony, Modi noticed potholes around the city, though administration patched roads taken By Modi and Abe during their stay. Narendra Modi gave 48 hours’ time to the administration for making roads pothole free which they did. Sensing the anger Modi made Finance Minister Arun Jaitley make amendments in GST to make it easy for traders and SMSE’s. He got CM Vijay Rupani to decrease VAT on petrol and diesel to give relief to commuters. To the Congress charges of “Vikas Gando Thayo Che” Modi touched the emotional chord by declaring “Hun Vikas chum” meaning I am development. To the Congress charges of “Vikas Gando Thayo Che” Modi touched the emotional chord by declaring “Hun Vikas chum” meaning I am development. × Launched 31-km long RoRo ferry service between Ghogha and Dahej that cut travel time from eight hours to one and half hour will benefit people working in the diamond-cutting and polishing hub of Surat. The first phase of voting was over by now. Congress was claiming the lead in this phase and few BJP leaders also were apprehensive. Before the second round of voting, Modi asked, “What did I do to deserve this” on Mani Shankar Iyer’s “Neech” comment during his campaign. Throughout he spoke in Gujarati. Reminded people how he used to be part of that area when he was in Gujarat. Made that connect with the masses of Gujarat. On congress’s “Janeudhari Brahmin” tactic Modi raked up Mani Shankar Iyer dinner with former Pakistani former Foreign Secretary and other diplomats. Former PM Manmohan Singh and Former COAS Deepak Kumar were in presence in this dinner meeting. This was the kind of the first instance wherein Prime Minister accused other nation, Pakistan of muddling in Gujarat elections. Pakistan had to clarify officially that they do not have any role in domestic politics of India, but it played well. Many in Gujarat did not perceive it well for Congress. End of the campaign was the most dramatic. Denied permission for a road show in Ahmedabad, Modi holding the door bar of Seaplane did a River Show on Sabarmati Riverfront. Any Amdavadi, Gujarati or for that matter Indian would have felt proud to see this happening on Sabarmati which use to be a nullah of drains till 2005, emotionally. On polling Day standing in the queue after dedicating INS Kalvari to the nation in Arabian sea Mumbai. Taking a walk near the poll station and while returning waving to crowd from his SUV, inviting Congress to charge Chief Election commissioner working as Prime Ministers PS. This war will go on but Gujarat chapter is closed for now. Those in doubts will be clearer on 18th December by 10:30 AM. One thing is clear, Modi’s magic or Modi Election Winning machine is still intact. He is the leader who knows the pulse of people, engage with them through social media, Mann Ki Baat, Namo App, speeches. He knows when to Bow as he did after demonetisation, seek time for hardships. It is that connect which makes Modi the leader whom people relate, trust and believe. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: 'Modi-fied' Gujarat Polls 'Trumps' all

<p>Exit polls in the country have gone terribly wrong in the past. They have either underestimated the projected loser or overestimated the predicted winner. At times, these findings have even underestimated the numbers the eventual winner got, and the recent Uttar Pradesh Assembly election is the most recent example of that. On the other hand, exit polls have also been straws in the wind, showcasing a general trend that gets reflected in the actual results. In any case, there is nothing but these numbers one can debate upon until the votes are counted.</p>

<p>Even the stock market goes by the temporary numbers; the Sensex opened on a high on Friday. On Thursday, half a dozen exit polls conducted by psephologists on Gujarat for television news channels were in agreement that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party would gain at least a simple majority and return to power. The margin of victory fluctuated, though. The reaction of the Congress and the BJP was interestingly similar. Both said the outcome on December 18 would be better than predicted, in their respective interests.</p>

<p>Simplistically put, there are two ways to interpret the exit poll results. The first is from the Congress&rsquo;s angle and the other is from the BJP&rsquo;s perspective. Most pollsters have projected an improved performance by the Congress as compared to its 2012 showing. This is reflected in the number of seats and vote-share. The Congress can claim that it gave a real fight to the BJP this time around under Rahul Gandhi&rsquo;s leadership. The party can also gloat that it could wean away a sizeable section of the Patidar community, who have for decades staunchly supported the BJP, to its side. The Congress can also say that it succeeded in busting the &lsquo;myth&rsquo; of the Gujarat Model, which is especially reflected in the support the party has received in rural Gujarat.</p>

<p>None of the above is an entirely empty boast. By most exit poll estimates, the Congress did manage to split Patidar votes in its favour; its vote share and seats have gone up since 2012, and it has done well in the rural belt of Gujarat riding on discontent over farmer&#39;s distress. However, despite all this tailwind and the formation of a novel caste- grouping comprising the Other Backward Class, the Scheduled Castes and the Patidar community, the best that one exit pollster gave the Congress was 82 seats out of a total 182.</p>

<p>Compare this to the worst that the BJP has been projected to end up with - 99 seats - and it becomes obvious that the Congress&rsquo;s best falls way short of the requirement. Besides, if this is all that the party can manage after having invested everything it had in the election, and with the starting advantage of more than two decades of anti-incumbency that the BJP ought to have faced, then by all objective reasoning the country&rsquo;s oldest political party has failed. And, for the record, the best that the BJP has been given by an exit poll agency is 135 seats &mdash; with the prospect of a higher eventual number.</p>

<p>If the exit poll results hold on December 18, the Congress will need to find suitable scapegoats. Perhaps the process has been put into motion. The Electronic Voting Machine is a prime suspect, and so is the institution of the Election Commission of India &mdash; against whom Congress supporters agitated on the streets in an unprecedented show of hostility. A Congress spokesperson even went to the extent of calling the ECI a &ldquo;puppet&rdquo; of the Union Government. The Congress is also likely to attribute its loss to the &ldquo;divisive&rdquo; campaign the BJP and launched and for having &ldquo;misled&rdquo; the people. It should not be imagined even in the wildest dreams that the newly minted Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be held accountable for the defeat.</p>

<p>From the BJP&rsquo;s view, the exit poll results are a source of comfort. If they are reflected on December 18, it would mean that the party has overpowered anti-incumbency for two decades. But more importantly, it would have successfully neutralised the Patidar agitation against it, which had threatened to unseat the party. Exit poll findings have shown that the BJP has done well to retain a significant section of the Patidar votes across the State, including in Saurashtra and north Gujarat where the community has a dominant presence in electoral terms. True, it has lost ground in the region according the poll projections, to the Hardik Patel factor which worked in the Congress&rsquo;s favour, but not to the extent of staring at a catastrophe.</p>

<p>Going by the exit poll findings, the BJP has not just contained the Patidar damage but also managed to compensate for the loss by winning over a majority of the tribal and OBC votes. In the run-up to the two-phased election, commentators had observed that the party could work on the discontent among the OBCs over the Congress&rsquo;s support to Patidar reservation. This it seems to have done with results that offer a measure of self-satisfaction. According to one exit poll finding, even a significant section of the Thakore community to which OBC leader and Congressman Alpesh Thakore belongs, voted for the BJP. In sum, the Congress, in its desire to run after the Patidar votes, has lost the tribal and the OBC voters &mdash; all of whom the BJP gratefully lapped up.</p>

<p>Having outwitted the Congress in caste calculation &mdash; the major plank on which for the Congress was overly dependent to snatch power &mdash; the BJP was left with no real challenge. The &lsquo;lack of development&rsquo; narrative against the BJP simply did not work for the Congress. The Congress&rsquo;s other offensives, such as personal attacks by its senior leaders and allies on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the after-thought of &lsquo;me-too Hindu&rsquo; campaign by Rahul Gandhi, served to weaken the opposition party&rsquo;s narrative. If the exit poll results get vindicated on December 18, Rahul Gandhi will have begun his innings as president on a dismal note.</p>

<p>The impact could be cascading; Assembly elections are due for a clutch of important States in the next year, including in Karnataka &mdash; the only major State besides Punjab where the Congress is in power. And there is the Lok Sabha poll, which is less than two years away. If indeed the Congress is the vanquished one, come Monday, there is one lesson that it must learn at all costs: It does not pay to outsource leadership. It had paid the price in Uttar Pradesh where it placed its future at Akhilesh Yadav&rsquo;s doorstep. It did the same in Gujarat, depending more on the HAJ factor (Hardik-Alpesh- Jignesh) rather than on its core strengths and issues which it alone had the credibility to raise.</p>

<p>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).</p>


The BJP has not just contained the Patidar damage but also managed to compensate for the loss by winning over a majority of the tribal and OBC votes

Exit polls in the country have gone terribly wrong in the past. They have either underestimated the projected loser or overestimated the predicted winner. At times, these findings have even underestimated the numbers the eventual winner got, and the recent Uttar Pradesh Assembly election is the most recent example of that. On the other hand, exit polls have also been straws in the wind, showcasing a general trend that gets reflected in the actual results. In any case, there is nothing but these numbers one can debate upon until the votes are counted. Even the stock market goes by the temporary numbers; the Sensex opened on a high on Friday. On Thursday, half a dozen exit polls conducted by psephologists on Gujarat for television news channels were in agreement that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party would gain at least a simple majority and return to power. The margin of victory fluctuated, though. The reaction of the Congress and the BJP was interestingly similar. Both said the outcome on December 18 would be better than predicted, in their respective interests. Simplistically put, there are two ways to interpret the exit poll results. The first is from the Congress’s angle and the other is from the BJP’s perspective. Most pollsters have projected an improved performance by the Congress as compared to its 2012 showing. This is reflected in the number of seats and vote-share. The Congress can claim that it gave a real fight to the BJP this time around under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. The party can also gloat that it could wean away a sizeable section of the Patidar community, who have for decades staunchly supported the BJP, to its side. The Congress can also say that it succeeded in busting the ‘myth’ of the Gujarat Model, which is especially reflected in the support the party has received in rural Gujarat. None of the above is an entirely empty boast. By most exit poll estimates, the Congress did manage to split Patidar votes in its favour; its vote share and seats have gone up since 2012, and it has done well in the rural belt of Gujarat riding on discontent over farmer's distress. However, despite all this tailwind and the formation of a novel caste- grouping comprising the Other Backward Class, the Scheduled Castes and the Patidar community, the best that one exit pollster gave the Congress was 82 seats out of a total 182. Compare this to the worst that the BJP has been projected to end up with - 99 seats - and it becomes obvious that the Congress’s best falls way short of the requirement. Besides, if this is all that the party can manage after having invested everything it had in the election, and with the starting advantage of more than two decades of anti-incumbency that the BJP ought to have faced, then by all objective reasoning the country’s oldest political party has failed. And, for the record, the best that the BJP has been given by an exit poll agency is 135 seats — with the prospect of a higher eventual number. If the exit poll results hold on December 18, the Congress will need to find suitable scapegoats. Perhaps the process has been put into motion. The Electronic Voting Machine is a prime suspect, and so is the institution of the Election Commission of India — against whom Congress supporters agitated on the streets in an unprecedented show of hostility. A Congress spokesperson even went to the extent of calling the ECI a “puppet” of the Union Government. The Congress is also likely to attribute its loss to the “divisive” campaign the BJP and launched and for having “misled” the people. It should not be imagined even in the wildest dreams that the newly minted Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be held accountable for the defeat. From the BJP’s view, the exit poll results are a source of comfort. If they are reflected on December 18, it would mean that the party has overpowered anti-incumbency for two decades. But more importantly, it would have successfully neutralised the Patidar agitation against it, which had threatened to unseat the party. Exit poll findings have shown that the BJP has done well to retain a significant section of the Patidar votes across the State, including in Saurashtra and north Gujarat where the community has a dominant presence in electoral terms. True, it has lost ground in the region according the poll projections, to the Hardik Patel factor which worked in the Congress’s favour, but not to the extent of staring at a catastrophe. Going by the exit poll findings, the BJP has not just contained the Patidar damage but also managed to compensate for the loss by winning over a majority of the tribal and OBC votes. In the run-up to the two-phased election, commentators had observed that the party could work on the discontent among the OBCs over the Congress’s support to Patidar reservation. This it seems to have done with results that offer a measure of self-satisfaction. According to one exit poll finding, even a significant section of the Thakore community to which OBC leader and Congressman Alpesh Thakore belongs, voted for the BJP. In sum, the Congress, in its desire to run after the Patidar votes, has lost the tribal and the OBC voters — all of whom the BJP gratefully lapped up. Having outwitted the Congress in caste calculation — the major plank on which for the Congress was overly dependent to snatch power — the BJP was left with no real challenge. The ‘lack of development’ narrative against the BJP simply did not work for the Congress. The Congress’s other offensives, such as personal attacks by its senior leaders and allies on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the after-thought of ‘me-too Hindu’ campaign by Rahul Gandhi, served to weaken the opposition party’s narrative. If the exit poll results get vindicated on December 18, Rahul Gandhi will have begun his innings as president on a dismal note. The impact could be cascading; Assembly elections are due for a clutch of important States in the next year, including in Karnataka — the only major State besides Punjab where the Congress is in power. And there is the Lok Sabha poll, which is less than two years away. If indeed the Congress is the vanquished one, come Monday, there is one lesson that it must learn at all costs: It does not pay to outsource leadership. It had paid the price in Uttar Pradesh where it placed its future at Akhilesh Yadav’s doorstep. It did the same in Gujarat, depending more on the HAJ factor (Hardik-Alpesh- Jignesh) rather than on its core strengths and issues which it alone had the credibility to raise. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Exit poll comforts BJP; Congress may have to look for scapegoats

<p>A crack has been found in a Japanese &quot;bullet train&quot; that could have caused a derailment, officials said today, in the first-ever &quot;serious incident&quot; for the iconic mode of transport.</p>

<p>Crew aboard a &quot;shinkansen&quot; bullet train reported a burning smell and strange noises when it pulled out of a station in southern Japan on Monday.</p>

<p>The train stopped for checks at Nagoya station in central Japan and inspectors discovered a crack in the chassis under one carriage as well as an oil leak.</p>

<p>If the train had continued to run, the crack could have caused it to derail in the worst-case scenario, transport officials said.</p>

<p>About 1,000 passengers aboard were unhurt and they continued their journey on fresh trains.</p>

<p>&quot;We recognise it as a &#39;serious incident&#39; as it was an extraordinary case... It could have led to an accident,&quot; said an official at the Japan Transport Safety Board.</p>

<p>It is the first such &quot;serious incident&quot; since the predecessor to the safety board was created in 2001, she said.</p>

<p>&quot;We have sent three inspectors (to Nagoya) to find out the cause. Their report will include measures to prevent a recurrence,&quot; said the official, who declined to be named.</p>

<p>Japanese shinkansens have been derailed before due to earthquakes but no-one has been hurt.</p>


If the train had continued to run, the crack could have caused it to derail in the worst-case scenario, transport officials said

A crack has been found in a Japanese "bullet train" that could have caused a derailment, officials said today, in the first-ever "serious incident" for the iconic mode of transport. Crew aboard a "shinkansen" bullet train reported a burning smell and strange noises when it pulled out of a station in southern Japan on Monday. The train stopped for checks at Nagoya station in central Japan and inspectors discovered a crack in the chassis under one carriage as well as an oil leak. If the train had continued to run, the crack could have caused it to derail in the worst-case scenario, transport officials said. About 1,000 passengers aboard were unhurt and they continued their journey on fresh trains. "We recognise it as a 'serious incident' as it was an extraordinary case... It could have led to an accident," said an official at the Japan Transport Safety Board. It is the first such "serious incident" since the predecessor to the safety board was created in 2001, she said. "We have sent three inspectors (to Nagoya) to find out the cause. Their report will include measures to prevent a recurrence," said the official, who declined to be named. Japanese shinkansens have been derailed before due to earthquakes but no-one has been hurt.

First 'serious incident' for Japan bullet train as crack found

<p>While Prime Minister Modi finalised the last day&nbsp;before the second phase of election in Gujarat by visiting the Ambaji temple, Congress President Rahul Gandhi paid a visit to Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="et"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a>: Congress President Rahul Gandhi visits Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad <a href="https://t.co/SoqixFK74a">pic.twitter.com/SoqixFK74a</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940446313283330048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="et"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a>: Congress President Rahul Gandhi visits Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad <a href="https://t.co/Rxv33VdI0i">pic.twitter.com/Rxv33VdI0i</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940447432357191681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>PM Modi&nbsp;boarded a seaplane to reach the Sabarmati Front, and from there&nbsp;road to reach the temple.&nbsp;His seaplane visit drew much attention and was called a &quot;historic&quot; move by his party leaders.</p>

<p>In over one month of the Election campaign in the state, Rahul Gandhi had paid visit to several temples including Shree Ranchhodji Temple in Kheda&#39;s Dakor, Somnath temple,&nbsp;Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar,&nbsp; Ambaji temple.</p>

<p>His frequent visit to the temples had attracted huge criticism from the opposition.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A controversy over his&nbsp;religion erupted after Gandhi visited the Somnath temple in Gujarat.</p>

<p>In a recent attack, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has said that the Gujarat polls have taught Rahul Gandhi &quot;visiting temples&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He also added that the polls have also taught Manmohan Singh to speak up.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Gujarat ki janta ne do kaam iss chunaav mein achhe se kara diye. Dr Manmohan Singh ji ka mooh khulwa diya, aur doosra Rahul Gandhi ko mandir jaana sikha diya: UP CM Yogi Adityanath <a href="https://t.co/Db3plqEFSQ">pic.twitter.com/Db3plqEFSQ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940458188469497856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


In over one month of the Election campaign in the state, Rahul Gandhi has paid the visit to several temples including Shree Ranchhodji Temple in Kheda's Dakor, Somnath temple,?Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar,? Ambaji temple

While Prime Minister Modi finalised the last day before the second phase of election in Gujarat by visiting the Ambaji temple, Congress President Rahul Gandhi paid a visit to Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad. #Gujarat: Congress President Rahul Gandhi visits Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad pic.twitter.com/SoqixFK74a — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 × #Gujarat: Congress President Rahul Gandhi visits Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad pic.twitter.com/Rxv33VdI0i — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 × PM Modi boarded a seaplane to reach the Sabarmati Front, and from there road to reach the temple. His seaplane visit drew much attention and was called a "historic" move by his party leaders. In over one month of the Election campaign in the state, Rahul Gandhi had paid visit to several temples including Shree Ranchhodji Temple in Kheda's Dakor, Somnath temple, Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, Ambaji temple. His frequent visit to the temples had attracted huge criticism from the opposition. A controversy over his religion erupted after Gandhi visited the Somnath temple in Gujarat. In a recent attack, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has said that the Gujarat polls have taught Rahul Gandhi "visiting temples". He also added that the polls have also taught Manmohan Singh to speak up. Gujarat ki janta ne do kaam iss chunaav mein achhe se kara diye. Dr Manmohan Singh ji ka mooh khulwa diya, aur doosra Rahul Gandhi ko mandir jaana sikha diya: UP CM Yogi Adityanath pic.twitter.com/Db3plqEFSQ — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 ×

Before final phase of Gujarat election, Rahul Gandhi visits Jagannath temple

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi will conclude the last of the election&nbsp;campaign in Gujarat with a visit to Ambaji Mata temple.</p>

<p>While addressing a press conference BJP President Amit Shah said that&nbsp;PM Modi will visit Ambaji temple on 12 December.</p>

<p>He added that his&nbsp;visit will be done uniquely to promote tourism.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said, &quot;Modi will take off in a seaplane&nbsp;from Sabarmati riverfront, land in Dharoi dam&#39;s pond and will proceed to the temple by road.&quot;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="it"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a>: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane, shortly <a href="https://t.co/GWjrVO5Sgz">pic.twitter.com/GWjrVO5Sgz</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940429243011317761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Visuals</a> of sea plane Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling in, from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam shortly <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a> <a href="https://t.co/C8mqgzm1LA">pic.twitter.com/C8mqgzm1LA</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940432703161110529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>Amit Shah&#39;s clarification came after<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gujarat-elections-gujarat-police-denies-permission-to-pm-modi-rahul-for-roadshow-26431" target="_blank"> the state police denied the request for a&nbsp;road show</a> on the last day of the election campaign in Gujarat.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Since admn asked to not conduct road show of PM Modi on 12th he&#39;ll go to Ambaji Mata temple tomorrow. It&#39;ll be done uniquely. To promote Gujarat tourism, he&#39;ll take off in a sea plane from Sabarmati river front, land in Dharoi dam&#39;s pond &amp; will go to temple by road: Amit Shah <a href="https://t.co/5L7Tam3AMD">pic.twitter.com/5L7Tam3AMD</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940264089737076742?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>The Gujarat police had turned down the request made by political parties for conducting a road show in the state.</p>

<p>BJP and Congress had requested for a roadshow to be conducted on Tuesday, however, the state police rejected their request citing law and order situation.</p>

<p>The state will undergo the second phase of elections on December 14&nbsp;for 93 seats in North and Central Gujarat.&nbsp;</p>

<article data-scribe="component:card" dir="ltr">
<p>The counting of votes is scheduled for December 18.&nbsp;</p>
</article>


The Gujarat police turned down the request made by political parties for conducting a road show in the state on the last day of election campaign

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will conclude the last of the election campaign in Gujarat with a visit to Ambaji Mata temple. While addressing a press conference BJP President Amit Shah said that PM Modi will visit Ambaji temple on 12 December. He added that his visit will be done uniquely to promote tourism. He said, "Modi will take off in a seaplane from Sabarmati riverfront, land in Dharoi dam's pond and will proceed to the temple by road." #Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to travel from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam via sea plane, shortly pic.twitter.com/GWjrVO5Sgz — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 × #WATCH: #Visuals of sea plane Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling in, from Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad to Dharoi Dam shortly #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/C8mqgzm1LA — ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2017 × Amit Shah's clarification came after the state police denied the request for a road show on the last day of the election campaign in Gujarat. Since admn asked to not conduct road show of PM Modi on 12th he'll go to Ambaji Mata temple tomorrow. It'll be done uniquely. To promote Gujarat tourism, he'll take off in a sea plane from Sabarmati river front, land in Dharoi dam's pond & will go to temple by road: Amit Shah pic.twitter.com/5L7Tam3AMD — ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2017 × The Gujarat police had turned down the request made by political parties for conducting a road show in the state. BJP and Congress had requested for a roadshow to be conducted on Tuesday, however, the state police rejected their request citing law and order situation. The state will undergo the second phase of elections on December 14 for 93 seats in North and Central Gujarat. The counting of votes is scheduled for December 18.

Gujarat elections: On last day of election campaign PM Modi to visit Ambaji Temple via seaplane

<p>The Gujarat police have turned down the request made by political parties for conducting a road show in the state.</p>

<p>BJP and Congress had requested for a roadshow to be conducted on Tuesday, however, the state police rejected their request citing law and order situation.</p>

<p>Police Commissioner Anup Kumar Singh said that the request was turned down due to security, law and order reasons and to avoid public inconvenience.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Request by BJP &amp; Congress for conducting PM Modi &amp; Rahul Gandhi&#39;s road show tomorrow, turned down by Police due to security, law &amp; order reasons &amp; to avoid public inconvenience : Anup Kumar Singh, Police Commissioner <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ahmedabad?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ahmedabad</a> to ANI <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/qaNr7lbdYL">pic.twitter.com/qaNr7lbdYL</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/940079236823400450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi were to address the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat assembly elections on Tuesday, December 12.</p>

<p>The state will undergo the second phase of elections on December 14&nbsp;for 93 seats in North and Central Gujarat.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The voting for the first phase of election in Gujarat was conducted on 9 December which saw a voter turnout of 68 per cent. The first phase elections were conducted on 89 seats of Saurashtra and South region.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The counting of votes is scheduled for December 18.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


BJP and Congress had requested for a roadshow to be conducted on Tuesday, however, the state police rejected their request citing law and order situation

The Gujarat police have turned down the request made by political parties for conducting a road show in the state. BJP and Congress had requested for a roadshow to be conducted on Tuesday, however, the state police rejected their request citing law and order situation. Police Commissioner Anup Kumar Singh said that the request was turned down due to security, law and order reasons and to avoid public inconvenience. Request by BJP & Congress for conducting PM Modi & Rahul Gandhi's road show tomorrow, turned down by Police due to security, law & order reasons & to avoid public inconvenience : Anup Kumar Singh, Police Commissioner #Ahmedabad to ANI #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/qaNr7lbdYL — ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2017 × PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi were to address the last day of campaigning for the Gujarat assembly elections on Tuesday, December 12. The state will undergo the second phase of elections on December 14 for 93 seats in North and Central Gujarat. The voting for the first phase of election in Gujarat was conducted on 9 December which saw a voter turnout of 68 per cent. The first phase elections were conducted on 89 seats of Saurashtra and South region. The counting of votes is scheduled for December 18.

Gujarat elections: Police denies permission to PM Modi, Rahul for election roadshow

<p>&nbsp;While addressing a rally in Palanpur, Gujarat Prime Minister Modi has asked that why the military intelligence from Pakistan was putting forward the name of Ahmed Patel for chief minister.</p>

<p>He said &quot;why people who previously held high posts in military -intelligence establishment of Pakistan&nbsp;writing that we should help make Ahmed Patel the CM?&quot;</p>

<p>He said that the Mani Shankar Aiyar who insulted Gujarat held secret meetings with Pakistan High Commissioner.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier PM Modi had said in at a rally said&nbsp;that&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/poster-congratulating-rahul-gandhi-for-suspending-mani-shankar-aiyar-goes-viral-26213">Mani Shankar Aiyar</a>&nbsp;had told people when he visited Pakistan to &quot;remove Modi&quot;&nbsp;from the way and then see what happens to India-Pakistan peace.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Modi had then responded to him saying &quot;What did he mean by removing me from the way? And what is my crime? That I have blessings of the people?&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mani Shankar&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/neech-row-both-congress-and-i-want-mani-shankar-aiyar-to-apologise-says-rahul-gandhi-26147">Aiyar was suspended&nbsp;</a>from primary membership of the Congress after his &quot;neech&quot; comment on PM Modi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had also demanded an apology from&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/neech-row-i-am-ready-to-accept-any-punishment-that-the-congress-wants-to-give-me-says-mani-shankar-aiyar-26240">Aiyar</a>&nbsp;to PM Modi.</p>

<p>The Prime Minister and several BJP leaders went on to target the Congress veteran in BJP rallies and official events.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The same Mani Shankar Aiyar, who insulted Gujarat, held secret meetings with Pakistan High Commissioner. What was the reason? Why are people who previously held high posts in military-intelligence establishment of Pak writing that we should help make Ahmed Patel the CM?: PM Modi <a href="https://t.co/lc9G57NlKI">pic.twitter.com/lc9G57NlKI</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/939754507952472064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


PM Modi said 'why people who previously held high posts in military -intelligence establishment of Pakistan?writing that we should help make Ahmed Patel the CM?'

While addressing a rally in Palanpur, Gujarat Prime Minister Modi has asked that why the military intelligence from Pakistan was putting forward the name of Ahmed Patel for chief minister. He said "why people who previously held high posts in military -intelligence establishment of Pakistan writing that we should help make Ahmed Patel the CM?" He said that the Mani Shankar Aiyar who insulted Gujarat held secret meetings with Pakistan High Commissioner. Earlier PM Modi had said in at a rally said that Mani Shankar Aiyar had told people when he visited Pakistan to "remove Modi" from the way and then see what happens to India-Pakistan peace. Modi had then responded to him saying "What did he mean by removing me from the way? And what is my crime? That I have blessings of the people?" Mani Shankar Aiyar was suspended from primary membership of the Congress after his "neech" comment on PM Modi. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had also demanded an apology from Aiyar to PM Modi. The Prime Minister and several BJP leaders went on to target the Congress veteran in BJP rallies and official events. The same Mani Shankar Aiyar, who insulted Gujarat, held secret meetings with Pakistan High Commissioner. What was the reason? Why are people who previously held high posts in military-intelligence establishment of Pak writing that we should help make Ahmed Patel the CM?: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/lc9G57NlKI — ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2017 ×

Why Pakistan military intelligence wants Ahmed Patel as Gujarat CM? asks Modi

<p>Around 11 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the initial two hours during polling on 89 seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions in the first phase of the crucial Gujarat assembly polls.</p>

<p>After the polling process began at 8 am, people could be seen stepping out of their homes despite cold weather and queuing up to exercise their franchise at the polling stations.</p>

<p>According to officials, around 11 per cent voting has been recorded in the first two hours.</p>

<p>Although there were reports of technical glitches in EVMs in Surat and some other centres, the polling process resumed after the machines were replaced, officials of the Election Commission said.</p>

<p>In the first two hours, several important leaders and candidates cast their votes, including Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, his opponent on Rajkot-West seat Indranil Rajyaguru, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, Gujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani and Congress MLA of Amreli seat Paresh Dhanan, among others.</p>

<p>Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara also cast his vote in Rajkot.</p>

<p>A total of 89 seats out of 182 -- spanning the Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions -- are up for grabs in the first phase with 977 candidates in the fray.</p>

<p>Prominent candidates for today&#39;s battle include Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who is contesting from Rajkot (West), Congress&#39; Shaktisinh Gohil (Mandvi) and Paresh Dhanani (Amreli).</p>

<p>The election is being viewed as a prestige battle for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a litmus test for the leadership of soon-to-be Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. The election is a crucial battleground for the Congress and the BJP before 2019 Lok Sabha elections.</p>

<p>The poll campaign shaped up as a duel between Modi and Gandhi, and often turned personal.</p>

<p>The Congress, in the political wilderness in Gujarat for nearly 22 years, is desperate to break the jinx. It has raised issues such as the BJP&#39;s &quot;hollow development model&quot;, besides demonetisation and GST.</p>

<p>Gandhi emerged as the Congress&#39; pivot to take on the might of the prime minister on his home turf.</p>

<p>While Modi addressed about 15 rallies, Gandhi spent more than seven days in Saurashtra and south Gujarat, addressing a number of meetings.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Around 11 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the initial two hours during polling on 89 seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions in the first phase of the crucial Gujarat assembly polls

Around 11 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the initial two hours during polling on 89 seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions in the first phase of the crucial Gujarat assembly polls. After the polling process began at 8 am, people could be seen stepping out of their homes despite cold weather and queuing up to exercise their franchise at the polling stations. According to officials, around 11 per cent voting has been recorded in the first two hours. Although there were reports of technical glitches in EVMs in Surat and some other centres, the polling process resumed after the machines were replaced, officials of the Election Commission said. In the first two hours, several important leaders and candidates cast their votes, including Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, his opponent on Rajkot-West seat Indranil Rajyaguru, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, Gujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani and Congress MLA of Amreli seat Paresh Dhanan, among others. Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara also cast his vote in Rajkot. A total of 89 seats out of 182 -- spanning the Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions -- are up for grabs in the first phase with 977 candidates in the fray. Prominent candidates for today's battle include Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who is contesting from Rajkot (West), Congress' Shaktisinh Gohil (Mandvi) and Paresh Dhanani (Amreli). The election is being viewed as a prestige battle for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a litmus test for the leadership of soon-to-be Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. The election is a crucial battleground for the Congress and the BJP before 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The poll campaign shaped up as a duel between Modi and Gandhi, and often turned personal. The Congress, in the political wilderness in Gujarat for nearly 22 years, is desperate to break the jinx. It has raised issues such as the BJP's "hollow development model", besides demonetisation and GST. Gandhi emerged as the Congress' pivot to take on the might of the prime minister on his home turf. While Modi addressed about 15 rallies, Gandhi spent more than seven days in Saurashtra and south Gujarat, addressing a number of meetings.

Gujarat elections: 11 per cent voter turnout in first two hours

<p>Demonisation may have been adopted with an aim to banish black money, counter-terror financing and remove counterfeit currency, but it wasn&#39;t long before fake currency notes of Rs. 2,000 started circulating around the nation after just 53 days of its commencement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to data released by National Crime Records Bureau&rsquo;s (NCRB) on November 30, around 2,272 fake notes of Rs. 2,000 were seized in 2016, shortly after demonetization was implemented.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Around 1,300 notes were seized from Gujarat, 548 from Punjab, 254 from Karnataka, 114 from Telangana, 27 from Maharashtra, 8 from Madhya Pradesh, 6 from Rajasthan and 3 from Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Haryana each.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala accounted for two fake notes each. One such note was seized in Manipur as well as in Odisha.</p>

<p>No fake note was recovered from Chhattisgarh, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu as well as Lakshadweep, the NCRB data says.</p>

<p>The data said a total of 1,172 FIRs were registered and 1,107 people arrested for their involvement in the illegal trade.</p>


The Rs 2,000 notes were part of the 281,839 fake notes of various denominations recovered from different locations across India

Demonisation may have been adopted with an aim to banish black money, counter-terror financing and remove counterfeit currency, but it wasn't long before fake currency notes of Rs. 2,000 started circulating around the nation after just 53 days of its commencement. According to data released by National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) on November 30, around 2,272 fake notes of Rs. 2,000 were seized in 2016, shortly after demonetization was implemented. Around 1,300 notes were seized from Gujarat, 548 from Punjab, 254 from Karnataka, 114 from Telangana, 27 from Maharashtra, 8 from Madhya Pradesh, 6 from Rajasthan and 3 from Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Haryana each. Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala accounted for two fake notes each. One such note was seized in Manipur as well as in Odisha. No fake note was recovered from Chhattisgarh, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu as well as Lakshadweep, the NCRB data says. The data said a total of 1,172 FIRs were registered and 1,107 people arrested for their involvement in the illegal trade.

Fake Rs 2,000 currency notes surfaced 53 days after demonetisation: NCRB

<p>Continuing his trail of attacks on PM Modi, Dr Manmohan Sigh on Thursday questioned his demonetization scheme once again, claiming that he has betrayed the trust of fellow &#39;Gujratis&#39;.</p>

<p>While talking to the crowd in Gujrat&#39;s Rajkot, the former PM said: &quot;The people of Rajkot and Gujarat trusted the Prime Minister and believed in the policy of demonetisation in the hope that their sacrifice would benefit India. Their faith and hopes have been shattered. Modiji has betrayed the trust that Gujaratis had reposed in him&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He has also urged people to ask officials to present documents related to demonetisation.</p>

<p>&quot;We must demand the government to release all the documents related to demonetisation in public domain for scrutiny&quot;, he said.</p>

<p>&quot;99% of the demonetised currency came back to the banks. It is clear that a lot of black money got converted to white and corruption continues to flourish. One immediate impact of demonetisation has been on job sector. Therefore, demonetisation was an uninformed attack and a disastrous decision for our economy,&quot; he further added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He previously also commented on <a href="http://www.wionews.com/preview/article/26119">Modi&#39;s government&#39;s economic policies</a> saying that to equal the UPA&#39;s ten year average, the economy will have to grow at 10.6 per cent in the fifth year.&nbsp;</p>


He previously also commented on Modi's government's economic policies saying that to equal the UPA's ten year average, the economy will have to grow at 10.6 per cent in the fifth year

Continuing his trail of attacks on PM Modi, Dr Manmohan Sigh on Thursday questioned his demonetization scheme once again, claiming that he has betrayed the trust of fellow 'Gujratis'. While talking to the crowd in Gujrat's Rajkot, the former PM said: "The people of Rajkot and Gujarat trusted the Prime Minister and believed in the policy of demonetisation in the hope that their sacrifice would benefit India. Their faith and hopes have been shattered. Modiji has betrayed the trust that Gujaratis had reposed in him" he said. He has also urged people to ask officials to present documents related to demonetisation. "We must demand the government to release all the documents related to demonetisation in public domain for scrutiny", he said. "99% of the demonetised currency came back to the banks. It is clear that a lot of black money got converted to white and corruption continues to flourish. One immediate impact of demonetisation has been on job sector. Therefore, demonetisation was an uninformed attack and a disastrous decision for our economy," he further added. He previously also commented on Modi's government's economic policies saying that to equal the UPA's ten year average, the economy will have to grow at 10.6 per cent in the fifth year.

PM Modi has betrayed Gujaratis: Manmohan Singh

<p>Twitter announced today&nbsp;that PM Modi is one of the &#39;most tweeted about&nbsp;world leaders&#39; in 2017.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The annual data revealed that Modi is the second most tweeted world leader after United States President Donald Trump.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Here are the most Tweeted about elected world leaders. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThisHappened?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThisHappened</a> <a href="https://t.co/2pXMuwKQRa">pic.twitter.com/2pXMuwKQRa</a></p>
&mdash; Twitter Government (@TwitterGov) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterGov/status/938127182551044096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>Trump has 44.1 million Twitter followers and Narendra Modi has 37.5 million making him the most followed Indian on Twitter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>PM Modi&rsquo;s &lsquo;Mann Ki Baat&rsquo; was also one of the most widely used and talked about hashtags in India in 2017.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also&nbsp;see: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/modi-tops-twitter-2017-most-followed-list-amitabh-srk-virat-way-behind-597#photo-30982">Modi tops Twitter 2017 most followed list; Amitabh, SRK, Virat way behind</a></p>

<p>Two posts by former US president Barack Obama were among the top three most-liked tweets of 2017, he currently has 97.6 million followers on Twitter.</p>

<p>Obama&#39;s tweet &quot;No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion...&quot; was the second most retweeted post of the year.</p>

<p>A tweet by Carter Wilkerson &quot;Help me please... a man needs his nuggs&quot; retweeted 3.6 million times was the most retweeted post of this year, according to data compiled by Twitter.</p>

<p>Other world leaders to feature in the top 10 list are Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Emmanuel Macron from France, Enrique Pena Nieto from Mexico, Mauricip Macri of Argentina, Britain&#39;s Theresa May, Columbia&#39;s Juan Manuel Santos and Akun resmi Joko Widodo of Indonesia.</p>


India's PM Narendra Modi topped the list of Twitter followers, adding over 13 million followers this year

Twitter announced today that PM Modi is one of the 'most tweeted about world leaders' in 2017. The annual data revealed that Modi is the second most tweeted world leader after United States President Donald Trump. Here are the most Tweeted about elected world leaders. #ThisHappened pic.twitter.com/2pXMuwKQRa — Twitter Government (@TwitterGov) December 5, 2017 × Trump has 44.1 million Twitter followers and Narendra Modi has 37.5 million making him the most followed Indian on Twitter. PM Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was also one of the most widely used and talked about hashtags in India in 2017. Also see: Modi tops Twitter 2017 most followed list; Amitabh, SRK, Virat way behind Two posts by former US president Barack Obama were among the top three most-liked tweets of 2017, he currently has 97.6 million followers on Twitter. Obama's tweet "No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion..." was the second most retweeted post of the year. A tweet by Carter Wilkerson "Help me please... a man needs his nuggs" retweeted 3.6 million times was the most retweeted post of this year, according to data compiled by Twitter. Other world leaders to feature in the top 10 list are Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Emmanuel Macron from France, Enrique Pena Nieto from Mexico, Mauricip Macri of Argentina, Britain's Theresa May, Columbia's Juan Manuel Santos and Akun resmi Joko Widodo of Indonesia.

PM Modi 'most-tweeted leader' after Trump

<p>While addressing a rally in Gujarat&#39;s Dhandhuka, Prime minister Narendra Modi has said that he has no objection to Kapil Sibal representing the Muslim community in Ayodhya case.</p>

<p>However, he questioned how is the case connected to Lok Sabha elections.</p>

<p>PM Modi said,&quot;how can he say do not find a solution to this until next election?&nbsp;how is the case connected to Lok Sabha?&quot;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">No objection that Kapil Sibal is fighting on behalf of Muslim community but how can he say do not find a solution to this (Ayodhya issue) until next election? How is it connected to Lok Sabha elections?: PM Modi in Gujarat&#39;s Dhandhuka <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/oFzXCyEWRW">pic.twitter.com/oFzXCyEWRW</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938305769019248641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>The Sunni Waqf Board which&nbsp;is being represented by Kapil Sibal in the Ayodhya case has also disapproved Sibal&#39;s request to the Supreme Court for conducting the judgment after July 2019.</p>

<p>Haji Mehboob from The Sunni Waqf Board has said that Sibal asking for a delay in the judgment was wrong and that they want the court to pronounce the judgment as soon as possible.</p>

<p>He said: &quot;Yes Kapil Sibal is our lawyer but he is also related to a political party, his statement in Supreme Court yesterday was wrong, we want a solution to the issue at the earliest.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Yes Kapil Sibal is our lawyer but he is also related to a political party, his statement in SC yesterday was wrong, we want a solution to the issue at the earliest: Haji Mehboob,Sunni Waqf Board <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a> <a href="https://t.co/CMN8MXr5ta">pic.twitter.com/CMN8MXr5ta</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938314276044984321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>Mehboob had previously dissociated himself from Sibal&#39;s&nbsp;statement, saying &quot;we have got nothing to do with the statement&quot;.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We have got nothing to do with his statement as we are not connected to any political party or do politics. Every Hindu and Muslim of the country wants a solution to the issue soon: Haji Mehboob,Sunni Waqf Board on Kapil Sibal <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a> <a href="https://t.co/AxWFB3mAoS">pic.twitter.com/AxWFB3mAoS</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938344493572485120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra recited a poetry on Kapil Sibal&#39;s request for extending the judgment of the Babri Masjid.</p>

<p>He sai&nbsp;&quot;<em>Badalte hue mausam ka balata hua parwana hun mai, Gujarat mein janeudhari hindu hun toh UP-Bihar mei maulana hun main</em>&quot;</p>

<p>Targetting Rahul Gandhi he said while Rahul Gandhi is a &quot;janeudhari&quot; hindu in Gujarat, he becomes a&nbsp;Muslim&nbsp;in UP-Bihar.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Badalte hue mausam ka badalta hua parwana hun main, Gujarat mein janeudhari hindu hun toh UP-Bihar mein maulana hun main: Sambit Patra, BJP on Rahul Gandhi <a href="https://t.co/FNXrvX36fJ">pic.twitter.com/FNXrvX36fJ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938324815689129984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has Sibal&#39;s representation&nbsp;&quot;irresponsible and unfair&quot;. He said that &quot;Sibal must not forget that he had been the law minister in the past.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Prasad said he will ask Rahul and Sonia Gandhi to present their stand on the Ram Janambhoomi case.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">As a lawyer <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KapilSibal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KapilSibal</a> can argue any matter but he should not forget that he has been the law minister in the past. What does he mean, when he says don&#39;t hear the matter till 2019 as it will have an impact outside? It is unfair and in many ways irresponsible: RS Prasad <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a> <a href="https://t.co/KfDBz8fRxI">pic.twitter.com/KfDBz8fRxI</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938318660149551104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I am going to ask Rahul Gandhi &amp; Sonia Gandhi, please explain your party&#39;s position on should the Ram Janambhoomi case be heard at the earliest or not?: RS Prasad, Union Law minister</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938318923614765056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>Earlier, BJP president Amit Shah had asked&nbsp;Congress to clear its&nbsp;stand on temple issue. He said at a point when Rahul&nbsp;Gandhi is visiting temples in Gujarat, Kapil Sibal is asking for a delay in Ram Janambhoomi case.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Senior advocate Kapil Sibal who is representing the Sunni Waqf Board in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/a-wion-perspective-ayodhyas-temple-of-harmony-7163" target="_blank">Ayodhya Babri Masjid case</a>&nbsp;had asked the Supreme Court yesterday to take up the matter on July 15, 2019, once all the pleadings are complete.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>He told the Supreme Court that serious repercussions will be created outside the court, whenever the matter is heard. To preserve the decorum of law and order, the court should conduct the proceedings after all pleadings are complete.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Supreme court has fixed the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/babri-masjid-ramjanmabhoomi-dispute-a-timeline-25799" target="_blank">&nbsp;Ayodhya dispute matter</a>&nbsp;for further hearing on February 8, 2018.</p>

<p>Twitterati also reacted to Kapil Sibal&#39;s request to extend the court proceedings t0 2019.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Every Sensible Person Wants To Speed Up The Judicial Process But This Hypocrite Kapil Sibal Threatens To Walk Out So That <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a> Ram Mandir Verdict Can Be Delayed To Post 2019 Elections. Hypocrite Congress Can Stoop To Any Low For &quot;Vote Bank&quot; Appeasement. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RamMandir?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RamMandir</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KapilSibal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KapilSibal</a> <a href="https://t.co/d9IiE2UbN6">pic.twitter.com/d9IiE2UbN6</a></p>
&mdash; Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) <a href="https://twitter.com/SirJadeja/status/938016714654183426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Those who think India&#39;s only enemy are Pakistan &amp; China must not forget Congress. Thanks to lord Ram coz of him many traitors like Kapil Sibal are exposed over Ram Mandir debate in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a> . These hypocrites have made <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RamTemple?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RamTemple</a> issue a laughing stock. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KapilSibal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KapilSibal</a></p>
&mdash; Ravi ???? (@hypernationlist) <a href="https://twitter.com/hypernationlist/status/938023344800067584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">From defending <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kanhaiyakumar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kanhaiyakumar</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HardikPatel?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HardikPatel</a> from supporting <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaq?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaq</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AIMPLB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AIMPLB</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SunniWaqfBoard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SunniWaqfBoard</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KapilSibal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KapilSibal</a> has a long list of Such clients. HIS CHOICE.<br />
May Ram Lalla bless him!</p>
&mdash; Monika Arora (@advmonikaarora) <a href="https://twitter.com/advmonikaarora/status/937942658114138112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


While addressing a rally in Gujarat's Dhandhuka, Prime minister Narendra Modi has said that he has no objection to Kapil Sibal representing the Muslim community in Ayodhya case. He, however, questioned how is the case connected to Lok Sabha elections

While addressing a rally in Gujarat's Dhandhuka, Prime minister Narendra Modi has said that he has no objection to Kapil Sibal representing the Muslim community in Ayodhya case. However, he questioned how is the case connected to Lok Sabha elections. PM Modi said,"how can he say do not find a solution to this until next election? how is the case connected to Lok Sabha?" No objection that Kapil Sibal is fighting on behalf of Muslim community but how can he say do not find a solution to this (Ayodhya issue) until next election? How is it connected to Lok Sabha elections?: PM Modi in Gujarat's Dhandhuka #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/oFzXCyEWRW — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × The Sunni Waqf Board which is being represented by Kapil Sibal in the Ayodhya case has also disapproved Sibal's request to the Supreme Court for conducting the judgment after July 2019. Haji Mehboob from The Sunni Waqf Board has said that Sibal asking for a delay in the judgment was wrong and that they want the court to pronounce the judgment as soon as possible. He said: "Yes Kapil Sibal is our lawyer but he is also related to a political party, his statement in Supreme Court yesterday was wrong, we want a solution to the issue at the earliest." Yes Kapil Sibal is our lawyer but he is also related to a political party, his statement in SC yesterday was wrong, we want a solution to the issue at the earliest: Haji Mehboob,Sunni Waqf Board #Ayodhya pic.twitter.com/CMN8MXr5ta — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × Mehboob had previously dissociated himself from Sibal's statement, saying "we have got nothing to do with the statement". We have got nothing to do with his statement as we are not connected to any political party or do politics. Every Hindu and Muslim of the country wants a solution to the issue soon: Haji Mehboob,Sunni Waqf Board on Kapil Sibal #Ayodhya pic.twitter.com/AxWFB3mAoS — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra recited a poetry on Kapil Sibal's request for extending the judgment of the Babri Masjid. He sai "Badalte hue mausam ka balata hua parwana hun mai, Gujarat mein janeudhari hindu hun toh UP-Bihar mei maulana hun main" Targetting Rahul Gandhi he said while Rahul Gandhi is a "janeudhari" hindu in Gujarat, he becomes a Muslim in UP-Bihar. Badalte hue mausam ka badalta hua parwana hun main, Gujarat mein janeudhari hindu hun toh UP-Bihar mein maulana hun main: Sambit Patra, BJP on Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/FNXrvX36fJ — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has Sibal's representation "irresponsible and unfair". He said that "Sibal must not forget that he had been the law minister in the past." Prasad said he will ask Rahul and Sonia Gandhi to present their stand on the Ram Janambhoomi case. As a lawyer #KapilSibal can argue any matter but he should not forget that he has been the law minister in the past. What does he mean, when he says don't hear the matter till 2019 as it will have an impact outside? It is unfair and in many ways irresponsible: RS Prasad #Ayodhya pic.twitter.com/KfDBz8fRxI — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × I am going to ask Rahul Gandhi & Sonia Gandhi, please explain your party's position on should the Ram Janambhoomi case be heard at the earliest or not?: RS Prasad, Union Law minister — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × Earlier, BJP president Amit Shah had asked Congress to clear its stand on temple issue. He said at a point when Rahul Gandhi is visiting temples in Gujarat, Kapil Sibal is asking for a delay in Ram Janambhoomi case. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal who is representing the Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya Babri Masjid case had asked the Supreme Court yesterday to take up the matter on July 15, 2019, once all the pleadings are complete. He told the Supreme Court that serious repercussions will be created outside the court, whenever the matter is heard. To preserve the decorum of law and order, the court should conduct the proceedings after all pleadings are complete. The Supreme court has fixed the Ayodhya dispute matter for further hearing on February 8, 2018. Twitterati also reacted to Kapil Sibal's request to extend the court proceedings t0 2019. Every Sensible Person Wants To Speed Up The Judicial Process But This Hypocrite Kapil Sibal Threatens To Walk Out So That #Ayodhya Ram Mandir Verdict Can Be Delayed To Post 2019 Elections. Hypocrite Congress Can Stoop To Any Low For "Vote Bank" Appeasement. #RamMandir #KapilSibal pic.twitter.com/d9IiE2UbN6 — Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) December 5, 2017 × Those who think India's only enemy are Pakistan & China must not forget Congress. Thanks to lord Ram coz of him many traitors like Kapil Sibal are exposed over Ram Mandir debate in #Ayodhya . These hypocrites have made #RamTemple issue a laughing stock. #KapilSibal — Ravi ???? (@hypernationlist) December 5, 2017 × From defending #kanhaiyakumar to #HardikPatel from supporting #TripleTalaq & #AIMPLB to #SunniWaqfBoard in #Ayodhya#KapilSibal has a long list of Such clients. HIS CHOICE. May Ram Lalla bless him! — Monika Arora (@advmonikaarora) December 5, 2017 ×

How is Ayodhya case related to 2019 elections? PM Modi asks Kapil Sibal in Gujarat election rally

<p>Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has issued an apology to the public after tweeting an erroneous post on Tuesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rahul&nbsp;had&nbsp;tweeted about figures highlighting price rise of essential commodities, which were later found to be incorrect.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The post soon became viral as people started talking about the issue on social media.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, Rahul later realized the error and deleted the tweet.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/111-20171206103253.png" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>The wrong tweet posted by Rahul Gandhi which was later deleted (Twitter)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>He later&nbsp;issued an apology and posted it his Twitter handle, saying: &quot;Unlike Narendrabhai, I am human,&rdquo; adding, &ldquo;For all my BJP friends: We do make the odd mistake and that&rsquo;s what makes life interesting. Thanks for pointing it out and please do keep it coming, it really helps me improve. Love you all.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">For all my BJP friends: unlike Narendrabhai, I am human. We do make the odd mistake and that&rsquo;s what makes life interesting. Thanks for pointing it out and please do keep it coming, it really helps me improve. Love you all.</p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/938291794441396224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>Earlier on Tuesday, he had posted the tweet titled&nbsp;<em>22 Salon ka Hisaab, Gujarat Mange Jawab</em>&nbsp;(Gujarat demands answers for 22 Years of BJP Rule), taking a dig at Modi to answer whether the BJP government has been&nbsp;working just for the rich, where he posted the&nbsp;erroneous figures.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">22 ????? ?? ?????<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4_%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%87_%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#??????_?????_????</a><br />
<br />
??????????????-7??? ????:<br />
<br />
?????? ?? ?????? ??? ??<br />
??????? ?? ????? ??? ??<br />
GST ???? ???? ??? ??<br />
???? ??? ??? ?? -<br />
?????? ??? ??<br />
<br />
????? ????? ?? ???? ???????<br />
?? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? <a href="https://t.co/1S8Yt0nI7B">pic.twitter.com/1S8Yt0nI7B</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/937918237613834240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The tweet was later deleted and replaced with a corrected table

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has issued an apology to the public after tweeting an erroneous post on Tuesday. Rahul had tweeted about figures highlighting price rise of essential commodities, which were later found to be incorrect. The post soon became viral as people started talking about the issue on social media. However, Rahul later realized the error and deleted the tweet. The wrong tweet posted by Rahul Gandhi which was later deleted (Twitter) × He later issued an apology and posted it his Twitter handle, saying: "Unlike Narendrabhai, I am human,” adding, “For all my BJP friends: We do make the odd mistake and that’s what makes life interesting. Thanks for pointing it out and please do keep it coming, it really helps me improve. Love you all.” For all my BJP friends: unlike Narendrabhai, I am human. We do make the odd mistake and that’s what makes life interesting. Thanks for pointing it out and please do keep it coming, it really helps me improve. Love you all. — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 6, 2017 × Earlier on Tuesday, he had posted the tweet titled 22 Salon ka Hisaab, Gujarat Mange Jawab (Gujarat demands answers for 22 Years of BJP Rule), taking a dig at Modi to answer whether the BJP government has been working just for the rich, where he posted the erroneous figures. 22 ????? ?? ?????#??????_?????_???? ??????????????-7??? ????: ?????? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ??? ?? GST ???? ???? ??? ?? ???? ??? ??? ?? - ?????? ??? ?? ????? ????? ?? ???? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? pic.twitter.com/1S8Yt0nI7B — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 5, 2017 ×

Unlike Narendrabhai, I am human, we do make the odd mistake, tweets Rahul Gandhi

<p>BJP President Amit Shah told Rahul Gandhi on Sunday to &quot;please&nbsp;respect the honour and valour of our jawans guarding the borders&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Shah, who was campaigning in Mahuva, Gujarat, said the Congress vice-president had asked for proof after the surgical strike carried out by the army in Pakistan.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;He (Rahul Gandhi) was asking, who saw the surgical strikes taking place?&quot; said Shah.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Rahul bhai, please respect the honour and valour of our jawans guarding the borders,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">When Uri terror attack took place, anger was brewing in the entire nation.<br />
Everyone thought PM would give a statement&amp; things will get over but this time it wasn&#39;t the government of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh rather it was a govt chosen by you: Amit Shah in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a>&#39;s Mahuva <a href="https://t.co/6uco6zh7hb">pic.twitter.com/6uco6zh7hb</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937245797397098496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Within ten days Indian Army went to Pakistan, took revenge &amp; came back.Pak was left red faced&amp; Rahul Gandhi was demanding proof. He was asking, who saw the surgical strikes taking place? Rahul Bhai, please respect the honour and valour of our jawans guarding the borders:Amit Shah <a href="https://t.co/bsIe0EqWAg">pic.twitter.com/bsIe0EqWAg</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937246142026301440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>This was not the first attack on Gandhi on Sunday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had reacted to Rahul&#39;s &quot;development has gone mad&quot; comment by saying&nbsp;&quot;unke dimaag par taras aata hai&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;Development can slow down, it can speed up, it can stop, but does it ever go mad?&quot; Singh had said. Adding,&nbsp;&quot;And what do you call someone who says that?&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/unke-dimaag-par-taras-aata-hai-rajnath-singh-on-rahul-gandhis-development-has-gone-mad-remark-25734" target="_blank">&#39;Unke </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/unke-dimaag-par-taras-aata-hai-rajnath-singh-on-rahul-gandhis-development-has-gone-mad-remark-25734" target="_blank">dimaag</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/unke-dimaag-par-taras-aata-hai-rajnath-singh-on-rahul-gandhis-development-has-gone-mad-remark-25734" target="_blank"> par </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/unke-dimaag-par-taras-aata-hai-rajnath-singh-on-rahul-gandhis-development-has-gone-mad-remark-25734" target="_blank">taras</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/unke-dimaag-par-taras-aata-hai-rajnath-singh-on-rahul-gandhis-development-has-gone-mad-remark-25734" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/unke-dimaag-par-taras-aata-hai-rajnath-singh-on-rahul-gandhis-development-has-gone-mad-remark-25734" target="_blank">aata</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/unke-dimaag-par-taras-aata-hai-rajnath-singh-on-rahul-gandhis-development-has-gone-mad-remark-25734" target="_blank"> hai&#39;: Rajnath Singh on Rahul Gandhi&#39;s &#39;development has gone mad&#39; remark</a></p>

<p>Gandhi had himself on Sunday accused the BJP government of not providing the women of poll-bound Gujarat with security, education, or nutrition.</p>

<p>Gujarat goes to the polls on December 9 and 14.&nbsp;</p>


Shah said Rahul Gandhi had asked for proof of the 'surgical strike'

BJP President Amit Shah told Rahul Gandhi on Sunday to "please respect the honour and valour of our jawans guarding the borders". Shah, who was campaigning in Mahuva, Gujarat, said the Congress vice-president had asked for proof after the surgical strike carried out by the army in Pakistan. "He (Rahul Gandhi) was asking, who saw the surgical strikes taking place?" said Shah. "Rahul bhai, please respect the honour and valour of our jawans guarding the borders," he added. When Uri terror attack took place, anger was brewing in the entire nation. Everyone thought PM would give a statement& things will get over but this time it wasn't the government of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh rather it was a govt chosen by you: Amit Shah in #Gujarat's Mahuva pic.twitter.com/6uco6zh7hb — ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2017 × Within ten days Indian Army went to Pakistan, took revenge & came back.Pak was left red faced& Rahul Gandhi was demanding proof. He was asking, who saw the surgical strikes taking place? Rahul Bhai, please respect the honour and valour of our jawans guarding the borders:Amit Shah pic.twitter.com/bsIe0EqWAg — ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2017 × This was not the first attack on Gandhi on Sunday. Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had reacted to Rahul's "development has gone mad" comment by saying "unke dimaag par taras aata hai". "Development can slow down, it can speed up, it can stop, but does it ever go mad?" Singh had said. Adding, "And what do you call someone who says that?" 'Unke dimaag par taras aata hai': Rajnath Singh on Rahul Gandhi's 'development has gone mad' remark Gandhi had himself on Sunday accused the BJP government of not providing the women of poll-bound Gujarat with security, education, or nutrition. Gujarat goes to the polls on December 9 and 14.

Rahul bhai, please respect honour & valour of jawans guarding borders: Amit Shah

<p>Former Maharashtra Congress Secretary&nbsp;Shehzad Poonawala said on Sunday that the office of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had insulted him.</p>

<p>He said he had called Rahul Gandhi&#39;s office to &quot;ask him for his time&quot; but that Gandhi&#39;s office insulted him.</p>

<p>Poonawala said he had wanted to meet Gandhi to show him proof that the Congress presidential elections were rigged.</p>

<p>Poonawal said he wanted to meet Rahul Gandhi before he files his nomination. The last day for the filing of nominations is December 4.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Today morning, I called Rahul Gandhi&#39;s office to ask him for his time so I could give him the proof that it was a rigged election before he files nomination tomorrow. so. he has some morality&amp; stops process and takes right decision but his office insulted me: Shehzad Poonawalla <a href="https://t.co/Y7EhADZtpp">pic.twitter.com/Y7EhADZtpp</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937273853360742400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>Poonawala added that &quot;if Sardar Patel was insulted by (the) Congress leadership back then, then I feel the same way today.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">If Sardar Patel was insulted by Congress leadership back then, then I feel the same way today.When I raised my voice to end dynasty politics&amp;election for Pres post&amp;,not coronation of Rahul Gandhi,then they (Congress)said I was not member.I proved that they lied:Shehzad Poonawalla <a href="https://t.co/TZKffcfmPP">pic.twitter.com/TZKffcfmPP</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937272474856652801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Till three days ago, I had been receiving communication from Maharashtra Congress office, now they are saying I am not a party member. I had to become a whistle-blower: Shehzad Poonawalla <a href="https://t.co/xVwxzTNxQE">pic.twitter.com/xVwxzTNxQE</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937291394971922432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>Poonawalla has earlier alleged that the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-as-congress-president-elections-rigged-says-maharashtra-congress-secretary-25485" target="_blank">elections for the post of Congress party president was &quot;rigged&quot;</a>.</p>

<p>He has said that they are a &quot;selection&quot;, not an &quot;election&quot;.</p>

<p>Poonawalla has claimed that he has information that the delegates who will vote in the election for the post of party president had been appointed for their loyalty.</p>

<p>On November 20, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) passed a resolution to make Rahul Gandhi the Congress party president.</p>

<p>The party has set December 16 as the date of polls -- &quot;if necessary&quot;. That is if there is any candidate other than Gandhi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on December 19.</p>

<p>The last date of filing of nominations is December 4.</p>

<p>The scrutiny of nominations will take place on December 5.</p>

<p>If there&nbsp;is no candidate other than Rahul Gandhi, the Congress will declare him president of the party on the last date of scrutiny.</p>


Shehzad Poonawala said he called Gandhi's office to 'ask him for his time' but that his office insulted him

Former Maharashtra Congress Secretary Shehzad Poonawala said on Sunday that the office of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had insulted him. He said he had called Rahul Gandhi's office to "ask him for his time" but that Gandhi's office insulted him. Poonawala said he had wanted to meet Gandhi to show him proof that the Congress presidential elections were rigged. Poonawal said he wanted to meet Rahul Gandhi before he files his nomination. The last day for the filing of nominations is December 4. Today morning, I called Rahul Gandhi's office to ask him for his time so I could give him the proof that it was a rigged election before he files nomination tomorrow. so. he has some morality& stops process and takes right decision but his office insulted me: Shehzad Poonawalla pic.twitter.com/Y7EhADZtpp — ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2017 × Poonawala added that "if Sardar Patel was insulted by (the) Congress leadership back then, then I feel the same way today." If Sardar Patel was insulted by Congress leadership back then, then I feel the same way today.When I raised my voice to end dynasty politics&election for Pres post&,not coronation of Rahul Gandhi,then they (Congress)said I was not member.I proved that they lied:Shehzad Poonawalla pic.twitter.com/TZKffcfmPP — ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2017 × Till three days ago, I had been receiving communication from Maharashtra Congress office, now they are saying I am not a party member. I had to become a whistle-blower: Shehzad Poonawalla pic.twitter.com/xVwxzTNxQE — ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2017 × Poonawalla has earlier alleged that the elections for the post of Congress party president was "rigged". He has said that they are a "selection", not an "election". Poonawalla has claimed that he has information that the delegates who will vote in the election for the post of party president had been appointed for their loyalty. On November 20, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) passed a resolution to make Rahul Gandhi the Congress party president. The party has set December 16 as the date of polls -- "if necessary". That is if there is any candidate other than Gandhi. The counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on December 19. The last date of filing of nominations is December 4. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on December 5. If there is no candidate other than Rahul Gandhi, the Congress will declare him president of the party on the last date of scrutiny.

Rahul Gandhi's office insulted me: Ex-Maharashtra Congress secretary

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/improving-health-infrastructure-is-priority-modi-25761" target="_blank">Those releasing fatwas against &#39;nationalists&#39; should see effort we took to get Father Tom back: Modi</a></p>

<p>Speaking about the efforts taken by the Central government to bring back father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was freed after being kept in captivity by ISIS for 18 months in strife-torn Yemen, Modi said those who are releasing Fatwas against &#39;nationalists&#39; should see the effort we undertook to get Father Tom back.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ockhicyclone-may-now-hit-gujarat-coast-25758" target="_blank">Cyclone Ockhi may now hit Gujarat coast</a></p>

<p>After creating havoc in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Cyclone&nbsp;Ockhi may now hit Gujarat. Warnings have been issued to fishermen in Saurashtra, Gujarat.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/six-including-woman-child-killed-in-suicide-attack-in-afghanistan-25747" target="_blank">Six including woman, child killed in suicide attack in Afghanistan</a></p>

<p>At least six civilians, including a woman and a child, have been killed and 13 others injured after a blast in Jalalabad city of Afghanistan&nbsp;on Sunday afternoon, local officials confirmed.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/gilgit-baltistan-mounts-voice-against-illegal-taxation-25730" target="_blank">Pakistan: Gilgit-Baltistan mounts voice against illegal taxation</a></p>

<p>The people of Gilgit-Baltistan have strengthened their voice against Pakistan&#39;s immoral imposition of taxes on them. Shutter down strikes and massive protests by traders and local residents are continuing in Gilgit as they accuse Pakistan of misusing power.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/yemens-houthi-group-says-fires-missile-toward-abu-dhabi-nuclear-reactor-25754" target="_blank">Have fired missile toward Abu Dhabi nuclear reactor: Yemen&#39;s Houthi rebels</a></p>

<p>Yemen&#39;s Houthi group has fired a cruise missile towards a nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, the group&#39;s television service reported on its website on Sunday, without providing any evidence. There were no reports of any missiles reaching the UAE.</p>


Those releasing fatwas against 'nationalists' should see effort we took to get Father Tom back: Modi Speaking about the efforts taken by the Central government to bring back father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was freed after being kept in captivity by ISIS for 18 months in strife-torn Yemen, Modi said those who are releasing Fatwas against 'nationalists' should see the effort we undertook to get Father Tom back. Cyclone Ockhi may now hit Gujarat coast After creating havoc in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Cyclone Ockhi may now hit Gujarat. Warnings have been issued to fishermen in Saurashtra, Gujarat. Six including woman, child killed in suicide attack in Afghanistan At least six civilians, including a woman and a child, have been killed and 13 others injured after a blast in Jalalabad city of Afghanistan on Sunday afternoon, local officials confirmed. Pakistan: Gilgit-Baltistan mounts voice against illegal taxation The people of Gilgit-Baltistan have strengthened their voice against Pakistan's immoral imposition of taxes on them. Shutter down strikes and massive protests by traders and local residents are continuing in Gilgit as they accuse Pakistan of misusing power. Have fired missile toward Abu Dhabi nuclear reactor: Yemen's Houthi rebels Yemen's Houthi group has fired a cruise missile towards a nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, the group's television service reported on its website on Sunday, without providing any evidence. There were no reports of any missiles reaching the UAE.

WION evening news brief, December 3, 2017

<p>Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, on Tuesday, accused the UPA government of not focusing on Gujarat&#39;s needs and aspirations and flayed Congress for ignoring the needs of the state.</p>

<p>While speakign at the Zee News&#39;&nbsp;Game of Gujarat Conclave, he said Modi&#39;s ascent to the post of PM will, in reality, help BJP get more than 150 seats in the coming Guajrat elections.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Gujarat&#39;s progress in the past has been a result of the visionary leadership of Narendra Modi who was the CM of the state when Congress was in power at the Centre. Congress was only interested in hounding him and ignoring the needs of the state when the UPA government was in power,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;It is for the state and its people to see what Congress did for them while in Delhi and what Modibhai did as CM and what all he has done as PM,&quot; he added.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fbdL3s-wyXM" width="560"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&quot;We will get a lead like never before. If as CM, Modibhai made such an impact, imagine what the results would be like now that he has been PM of the entire country. Congress has stooped really low and it is sad to see the current state of the party. We are confident of a resounding victory,&quot; Rupani said, predicting the elections.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While dismissing the statements about traders not being happy with Modi&#39;s demonetisation and GST initiative, Rupani informed that BJP will claim more than 150 seats in two-phase elections scheduled for December 9 and December 14.</p>

<p>&quot;We have always performed strongly in the state and will get more than 150 seats this time around,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rupani became the 16th chief minister of the state after&nbsp;Anandiben Patel stepped down in August of 2016.&nbsp;</p>


CM Vijay Rupani says upcoming state elections are a golden opportunity for Gujarat to benefit from having Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of the country. He accuses Congress of having ignored the state in the past when it was in power at the Centre

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, on Tuesday, accused the UPA government of not focusing on Gujarat's needs and aspirations and flayed Congress for ignoring the needs of the state. While speakign at the Zee News' Game of Gujarat Conclave, he said Modi's ascent to the post of PM will, in reality, help BJP get more than 150 seats in the coming Guajrat elections. "Gujarat's progress in the past has been a result of the visionary leadership of Narendra Modi who was the CM of the state when Congress was in power at the Centre. Congress was only interested in hounding him and ignoring the needs of the state when the UPA government was in power," he said. "It is for the state and its people to see what Congress did for them while in Delhi and what Modibhai did as CM and what all he has done as PM," he added. × "We will get a lead like never before. If as CM, Modibhai made such an impact, imagine what the results would be like now that he has been PM of the entire country. Congress has stooped really low and it is sad to see the current state of the party. We are confident of a resounding victory," Rupani said, predicting the elections. While dismissing the statements about traders not being happy with Modi's demonetisation and GST initiative, Rupani informed that BJP will claim more than 150 seats in two-phase elections scheduled for December 9 and December 14. "We have always performed strongly in the state and will get more than 150 seats this time around," he said. Rupani became the 16th chief minister of the state after Anandiben Patel stepped down in August of 2016.

Congress was only interested in hounding Modi in Gujarat: CM Vijay Rupani

<p>US President Donald Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka landed in Hyderabad early Tuesday morning.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> Ivanka Trump arrived in Hyderabad, late last night; will be attending Global Entrepreneurship Summit <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GES2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GES2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/3FozL12bF4">pic.twitter.com/3FozL12bF4</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/935329460399652864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Welcoming <a href="https://twitter.com/IvankaTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IvankaTrump</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/GES2017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GES2017</a>. Great boost to India US cooperation in innovation and women empowerment <a href="https://twitter.com/IndianEmbassyUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IndianEmbassyUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SushmaSwaraj</a> <a href="https://t.co/AScyoNz0Dq">pic.twitter.com/AScyoNz0Dq</a></p>
&mdash; Navtej Sarna (@NavtejSarna) <a href="https://twitter.com/NavtejSarna/status/935265950969901057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>Ivanka is here to inaugurate -- along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao -- the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) today.</p>

<p>Security was beefed up in Hyderabad before Ivanka&#39;s arrival.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Security tightened in Hyderabad ahead of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IvankaTrump?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IvankaTrump</a> and PM Narendra Modi&#39;s visit to the city tomorrow <a href="https://t.co/EFZsxXx5VQ">pic.twitter.com/EFZsxXx5VQ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/935197557822603265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hyderabad?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hyderabad</a>: 2,500 security personnel have been deployed in three cordons. Everything is in place: Sandeep Sandilya, CP on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IvankaTrump?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IvankaTrump</a> -PM Modi visit tomorrow <a href="https://t.co/yVyyVqZKAg">pic.twitter.com/yVyyVqZKAg</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/935195420170391552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2017</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">&times;</a></div>

<p>Ahead of her visit, Ivanka said she was looking forward to working with India and expressed her happiness at the strong friendship and growing economic ties between the two nations.</p>

<p>Ivanka will speak at the summit about increasing the number of women in the workforce through skill training and education.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ivanka-trump-in-india-mum-about-working-conditions-of-employees-25249" target="_blank">Also read:&nbsp;Ivanka Trump in India, mum about working conditions of employees</a></p>

<p>Ivanka will be heading a US delegation to the summit which will talk about&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ivanka-trump-to-be-a-part-of-the-global-entrepreneurship-summit-in-november-24166">&quot;Women First, Prosperity for All</a>&quot;, an idea centred on providing support to women entrepreneurs and stimulating economic growth.</p>

<p>The summit will see a number of women speakers&nbsp;including tennis champion Sania Mirza, Google&#39;s vice-president of Next Billion Users Diana Louise Patricia Layfield, and CEO of Afghan Citadel Software Company Roya Mahboob.</p>

<p>Even has been to India before, but this will be her first visit as a senior White House adviser.&nbsp;</p>


Ahead of her visit, Ivanka said she was looking forward to working with India

US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka landed in Hyderabad early Tuesday morning. #WATCH Ivanka Trump arrived in Hyderabad, late last night; will be attending Global Entrepreneurship Summit #GES2017 pic.twitter.com/3FozL12bF4 — ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2017 × Welcoming @IvankaTrump to @GES2017. Great boost to India US cooperation in innovation and women empowerment @IndianEmbassyUS @SushmaSwaraj pic.twitter.com/AScyoNz0Dq — Navtej Sarna (@NavtejSarna) November 27, 2017 × Ivanka is here to inaugurate -- along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao -- the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) today. Security was beefed up in Hyderabad before Ivanka's arrival. Security tightened in Hyderabad ahead of #IvankaTrump and PM Narendra Modi's visit to the city tomorrow pic.twitter.com/EFZsxXx5VQ — ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2017 × #Hyderabad: 2,500 security personnel have been deployed in three cordons. Everything is in place: Sandeep Sandilya, CP on #IvankaTrump -PM Modi visit tomorrow pic.twitter.com/yVyyVqZKAg — ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2017 × Ahead of her visit, Ivanka said she was looking forward to working with India and expressed her happiness at the strong friendship and growing economic ties between the two nations. Ivanka will speak at the summit about increasing the number of women in the workforce through skill training and education. Also read: Ivanka Trump in India, mum about working conditions of employees Ivanka will be heading a US delegation to the summit which will talk about "Women First, Prosperity for All", an idea centred on providing support to women entrepreneurs and stimulating economic growth. The summit will see a number of women speakers including tennis champion Sania Mirza, Google's vice-president of Next Billion Users Diana Louise Patricia Layfield, and CEO of Afghan Citadel Software Company Roya Mahboob. Even has been to India before, but this will be her first visit as a senior White House adviser.

Ivanka arrives in India, will inaugurate Global Entrepreneurship Summit with PM Modi today

<p style="text-align: justify;">Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said Parliament sessions were often rescheduled to ensure they did not overlap with elections and claimed the Congress had done so too in the past.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">On Congress president Sonia Gandhi&#39;s allegation that the government was &quot;sabotaging&quot; the Winter session of Parliament, Jaitley said the opposition party had also delayed a session in 2011 and even earlier because the sittings coincided with election campaigns.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">&quot;It has been a tradition and it has happened several times that Parliament sessions are rescheduled when an election is happening,&quot; he told reporters here.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">He also said the session would be held and the Congress &quot;totally exposed&quot;.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">&quot;The Congress has given the most corrupt government in its ten years of rule, while Narendra Modi has given the most honest government. By forcibly saying that a truth is a lie does not make it a lie,&quot; Jaitley said.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">He said the Congress had itself rescheduled Parliament sessions several times.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">&quot;(The) timing is decided such that they do not overlap with election campaigns. (Congress) did so in 2011, and even before that,&quot; the senior BJP leader said.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">The Winter session of Parliament usually starts in the third week of November and lasts until the third week of December.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">&quot;Parliament session will be held for sure and on all subjects, and the Congress will be totally exposed,&quot; Jaitley said.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Sources said the government was considering a truncated Winter session of around 10 days starting from the second week of December.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Addressing a meeting of the Congress Working Committee in New Delhi today, Sonia Gandhi said, &quot;The Modi government in its arrogance has cast a dark shadow on India&#39;s Parliamentary democracy by sabotaging the Winter session of Parliament on flimsy grounds.&quot;</p>


Congress President Sonia Gandhi had made the allegation

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said Parliament sessions were often rescheduled to ensure they did not overlap with elections and claimed the Congress had done so too in the past. On Congress president Sonia Gandhi's allegation that the government was "sabotaging" the Winter session of Parliament, Jaitley said the opposition party had also delayed a session in 2011 and even earlier because the sittings coincided with election campaigns. "It has been a tradition and it has happened several times that Parliament sessions are rescheduled when an election is happening," he told reporters here. He also said the session would be held and the Congress "totally exposed". "The Congress has given the most corrupt government in its ten years of rule, while Narendra Modi has given the most honest government. By forcibly saying that a truth is a lie does not make it a lie," Jaitley said. He said the Congress had itself rescheduled Parliament sessions several times. "(The) timing is decided such that they do not overlap with election campaigns. (Congress) did so in 2011, and even before that," the senior BJP leader said. The Winter session of Parliament usually starts in the third week of November and lasts until the third week of December. "Parliament session will be held for sure and on all subjects, and the Congress will be totally exposed," Jaitley said. Sources said the government was considering a truncated Winter session of around 10 days starting from the second week of December. Addressing a meeting of the Congress Working Committee in New Delhi today, Sonia Gandhi said, "The Modi government in its arrogance has cast a dark shadow on India's Parliamentary democracy by sabotaging the Winter session of Parliament on flimsy grounds."

Not sabotaging winter session of Parliament: Arun Jaitley

<p>The ratings agency Moody&#39;s upgraded India&#39;s sovereign credit rating from a BAA3 to a BAA2 on Friday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The two-rung upgrade came after 13 years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>India was earlier upgraded to a BAA3 in 2004 -- the lowest investment grade.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Moody&#39;s said Friday&#39;s upgrade came about because of the Modi government&#39;s economic and institutional reform.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It cited the Goods and Services Tax, which turns India&#39;s 29 states into a single customs entity.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The GST is expected to push up productivity by removing barriers to inter-state trade.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Moody&#39;s also cited Aadhar, which it is hoped will lead to more effective direct-benefit transfers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>So what will the upgrade bring about?&nbsp;</p>

<p>A credit rating is a barometer of a country&#39;s monetary and regulatory environment.</p>

<p>The higher a country&#39;s rating, the greater the investment in that country should be.&nbsp;</p>

<p>So, simple -- the upgrade should lead to greater FDI inflow into the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And greater FDI inflow should lead to a lowering of the cost of capital.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Which in turn should lead to higher growth, since easier access to capital allows companies to borrow and transact more, and therefore grow more.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The upgrade should also push up sentiment in equity markets, thereby pushing up the sensex.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Remember also that the upgrade comes just after ratings agencies Standard &amp; Poor&#39;s and Moody&#39;s downgraded China&#39;s credit rating.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Which means that the money that left China after the downgrade could find its way to India.&nbsp;</p>


The upgrade should lead to greater FDI inflow into the country

The ratings agency Moody's upgraded India's sovereign credit rating from a BAA3 to a BAA2 on Friday. The two-rung upgrade came after 13 years. India was earlier upgraded to a BAA3 in 2004 -- the lowest investment grade. Moody's said Friday's upgrade came about because of the Modi government's economic and institutional reform. It cited the Goods and Services Tax, which turns India's 29 states into a single customs entity. The GST is expected to push up productivity by removing barriers to inter-state trade. Moody's also cited Aadhar, which it is hoped will lead to more effective direct-benefit transfers. So what will the upgrade bring about? A credit rating is a barometer of a country's monetary and regulatory environment. The higher a country's rating, the greater the investment in that country should be. So, simple -- the upgrade should lead to greater FDI inflow into the country. And greater FDI inflow should lead to a lowering of the cost of capital. Which in turn should lead to higher growth, since easier access to capital allows companies to borrow and transact more, and therefore grow more. The upgrade should also push up sentiment in equity markets, thereby pushing up the sensex. Remember also that the upgrade comes just after ratings agencies Standard & Poor's and Moody's downgraded China's credit rating. Which means that the money that left China after the downgrade could find its way to India.

Moody's upgrades India's sovereign credit rating: What does that mean??

<p>The Election Commission(EC) has put restrictions on the use of the term &quot;Pappu&quot; by BJP&#39;s electronic advertisement cell in Gujarat.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The ruling BJP has been barred from using the term &quot;Pappu&quot; in their electronic advertisement for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The term is often used to describe Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.</p>

<p>Calling the term &quot;derogatory&quot;&nbsp;the Election Commission in Gujarat has asked to remove or replace it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The media committee under the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer(CEO) objected to the word &quot;pappu&quot; which was mentioned in the BJP&#39;s script of advertising, BJP sources cited. The script was submitted to the media committee for approval.</p>

<p>Clarifying itself, the BJP said the script of the advertisement did not &quot;link the word to any individual&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A BJP leader said that they asked the Election Commission to reconsider their decision as there was no direct reference to any person with the term. However, the request was rejected by the EC.</p>

<p>The leader later assured to replace the word and submit a new script to the Election Commission.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
All political parties need to submit their script related to the election advertisement to the EC. The parties can continue with the advertisement only after they get a certificate of approval from the commission.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Calling the term "derogatory"?the Election Commission in Gujarat has asked to remove or replace it

The Election Commission(EC) has put restrictions on the use of the term "Pappu" by BJP's electronic advertisement cell in Gujarat. The ruling BJP has been barred from using the term "Pappu" in their electronic advertisement for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. The term is often used to describe Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Calling the term "derogatory" the Election Commission in Gujarat has asked to remove or replace it. The media committee under the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer(CEO) objected to the word "pappu" which was mentioned in the BJP's script of advertising, BJP sources cited. The script was submitted to the media committee for approval. Clarifying itself, the BJP said the script of the advertisement did not "link the word to any individual". A BJP leader said that they asked the Election Commission to reconsider their decision as there was no direct reference to any person with the term. However, the request was rejected by the EC. The leader later assured to replace the word and submit a new script to the Election Commission. All political parties need to submit their script related to the election advertisement to the EC. The parties can continue with the advertisement only after they get a certificate of approval from the commission.

Election Commission bars BJP from using the term 'Pappu' in Gujarat elections

<p>Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday, Goyal, who has maintained an active existence on social media platforms took to Quora this time to address his audience.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A Quora user who posed a question: &quot;Does India actually need a bullet train?&quot;, would not have seen it coming when Piyush Goyal gave his rather elaborate answer, citing the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/piyush-goyal-assures-people-indian-bullet-train-will-be-safe-20109">advantages of the bullet train</a> and also included infographics.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;India is a rapidly developing economy with numerous developmental needs. A major component of India&rsquo;s developmental plan is the upgradation of current rail networks as well as the development of new high-speed rail corridors popularly known as bullet trains. The Mumbai &ndash; Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project, is a visionary project by the NDA Government which will herald a new era of safety, speed and service for the people, and help Indian Railways become an international leader in scale, speed, and skill,&rdquo; Goyal claimed.</p>

<p>&quot;New technology has not always been adopted easily and has at most times seen resistance. However, history shows us that new technology and advancements are highly beneficial for the country. For example, we see that naysayers had also criticised the start of the Rajdhani Trains in 1968. Even the chairman of the railway board opposed it; such things keep India backward. But today, they are the trains that everyone wishes to travel in&quot;&nbsp;he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He mentioned how the &#39;Bullet Train&#39; project will also help Indian Railways revolutionize every passenger&rsquo;s journey and then stated few pointers explaining the same.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He finally added, &quot;The bullet train project will not only add to the rail networks in terms of transport capabilities but will also add to the growing capabilities of the country.&quot;</p>

<p>His answer went viral instantly, reaching 33,000 views in just a couple of hours.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/india-advances-bullet-train-deadline-by-one-year-to-2022-4944">The 500-km railway will link Mumbai and Ahmedabad in western India, with services planned to commence in 2022.&nbsp;</a></p>


His answer went viral instantly, reaching 33,000 views in just a couple of hours.?

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday, Goyal, who has maintained an active existence on social media platforms took to Quora this time to address his audience. A Quora user who posed a question: "Does India actually need a bullet train?", would not have seen it coming when Piyush Goyal gave his rather elaborate answer, citing the advantages of the bullet train and also included infographics. “India is a rapidly developing economy with numerous developmental needs. A major component of India’s developmental plan is the upgradation of current rail networks as well as the development of new high-speed rail corridors popularly known as bullet trains. The Mumbai – Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project, is a visionary project by the NDA Government which will herald a new era of safety, speed and service for the people, and help Indian Railways become an international leader in scale, speed, and skill,” Goyal claimed. "New technology has not always been adopted easily and has at most times seen resistance. However, history shows us that new technology and advancements are highly beneficial for the country. For example, we see that naysayers had also criticised the start of the Rajdhani Trains in 1968. Even the chairman of the railway board opposed it; such things keep India backward. But today, they are the trains that everyone wishes to travel in" he said. He mentioned how the 'Bullet Train' project will also help Indian Railways revolutionize every passenger’s journey and then stated few pointers explaining the same. He finally added, "The bullet train project will not only add to the rail networks in terms of transport capabilities but will also add to the growing capabilities of the country." His answer went viral instantly, reaching 33,000 views in just a couple of hours. The 500-km railway will link Mumbai and Ahmedabad in western India, with services planned to commence in 2022.

Piyush Goyal answers questions on bullet trains on Quora

<p>Close to 44,000 entrepreneurs will be seeking a spot in the 400 slots for participating in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) to be held this month, media reports said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The summit will be addressed by Ivanka Trump, Donald Trumps daughter and advisor, in addition to some of the top CEO&#39;s and academics from around the world, according to reports.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The GES summit, organized by India in association with the US, will be launched and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 28 in its eighth edition.</p>

<p>Maximum importance will be given to four industries - healthcare and life sciences, digital economy and financial technology, energy and infrastructure, and media and entertainment, and with further address variety of topics including &#39;From Hollywood to Nollywood (Nigeria) to Bollywood&#39;, reports TOI.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Reports say that Ivanka Trump will head an exclusive US delegation which will throw light on the theme &#39;Women First, Prosperity for All&#39;, centering around providing support to women entrepreneurs and stimulate economic growth.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The summit will include speakers from 40 countries with participants from around 100 countries, and hold several workshops, talks, panel discussions, speeches and provide a great dais for networking.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Top leaders like as Amazon, as well as PayTM&#39;s Vijay Shekhar Sharma, OYO Rooms&#39; Ritesh Aggarwal and corporate leaders in innovation like Bosch, Siemens, Mercedes, and influencers such as Chatri Sityodtong, founder of One FC, and Michelin - star chef Vikas Khanna, will give talks at the summit, media reports say.</p>


The summit will be addressed by Ivanka Trump, Donald Trumps daughter and advisor in addition to some of the top CEO's and academics from around the world.?

Close to 44,000 entrepreneurs will be seeking a spot in the 400 slots for participating in the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) to be held this month, media reports said. The summit will be addressed by Ivanka Trump, Donald Trumps daughter and advisor, in addition to some of the top CEO's and academics from around the world, according to reports. The GES summit, organized by India in association with the US, will be launched and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 28 in its eighth edition. Maximum importance will be given to four industries - healthcare and life sciences, digital economy and financial technology, energy and infrastructure, and media and entertainment, and with further address variety of topics including 'From Hollywood to Nollywood (Nigeria) to Bollywood', reports TOI. Reports say that Ivanka Trump will head an exclusive US delegation which will throw light on the theme 'Women First, Prosperity for All', centering around providing support to women entrepreneurs and stimulate economic growth. The summit will include speakers from 40 countries with participants from around 100 countries, and hold several workshops, talks, panel discussions, speeches and provide a great dais for networking. Top leaders like as Amazon, as well as PayTM's Vijay Shekhar Sharma, OYO Rooms' Ritesh Aggarwal and corporate leaders in innovation like Bosch, Siemens, Mercedes, and influencers such as Chatri Sityodtong, founder of One FC, and Michelin - star chef Vikas Khanna, will give talks at the summit, media reports say.

44,000 entrepreneurs seek 400 slots in Global Entrepreneurship Summit

modi

Modi, News on Modi, stories on Modi, articles on Modi, Modi stories at Wion, Modi news, Modi latest news