India's government and its central bank are getting close to ironing out some of their policy differences, said two sources familiar with the discussions, as they seek to defuse worsening tensions that had threatened to unnerve investors.

While the rift is far from healed, the sources said enough progress had been made to avoid acrimony at a board meeting of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) next Monday.

The threat that <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/rbi-governor-urjit-patel-met-pm-modi-on-november-9-possibly-to-sort-out-differences-with-centre-176983">RBI Governor Urjit Patel</a> would quit, as reported by some newspapers last week, is also thought to be off the table for now, they said.

The uneasy truce is likely to see the RBI ease up on some lending restrictions to help the government stimulate the economy, said the sources. One source said the RBI could agree to tweak restrictions on lending to improve credit flows for smaller companies with a borrowing limit of 250 million rupees ($3.4 million).

Neither the RBI nor the finance ministry responded to requests for comment for this article. The prime minister’s office declined to comment.

It is unclear how much of a role Prime Minister Narendra Modi played in defusing the tension. Local media reported that Modi met Patel last week in an attempt to sort out the contentious issues but officials in the prime minister`s office and the RBI said they did not know of such a meeting.

Modi had appointed Patel as the RBI governor in 2016 for a three-year term that ends in September next year.

For weeks, government officials in New Delhi have been pressuring the Mumbai-based RBI to accede to a range of demands, from easing lending curbs to handing over surplus reserves to the government. This prompted RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya to warn late last month that undermining a central bank`s independence could be "catastrophic," bringing the feud into the open.

Tensions were expected to come to a head at Monday`s meeting as government representatives on the board appeared to be ready to turn up the heat on Patel and accuse the RBI of being intransigent in the face of government demands.&nbsp;

Now, it seems likely there will be a more constructive atmosphere with agreement on some issues, and disputed questions shelved for another day, the sources said.

Can't agree to everything

The government is keen to provide more stimulus to the economy heading into next year`s election, especially as the incomes of many farmers have been hit by low crop prices. At the same time it doesn`t want a bust-up with the central bank, which could badly affect investor sentiment and provide political fodder to the opposition Congress party.

"The government understands the regulator will remain a regulator and can`t agree to all demands," said a government official, who declined to be named, referring to the RBI.&nbsp;

While the official did not give any details of the solutions being worked out with the RBI, he acknowledged that the government did not want to trigger Patel`s departure at such a sensitive time.&nbsp;

There are five key state elections in the next few weeks and a general election due by May. The Congress party has already been harrying the government over allegations of corruption in a military jet deal with France and infighting between the top officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A RBI board member said that helping to ease tensions was the idea that both sides wanted a healthy economy. It was just a question of how to get there. "The main issue is how to boost credit growth," the member said referring to the credit crunch facing small companies.&nbsp;

Economics Affairs Secretary S.C. Garg is expected to make a presentation in the board meeting to outline the concerns of the finance ministry and could bring up the question about the transfer of surplus cash reserves held by the RBI, the sources said.

The board member said that an expert panel may be set up to work out the appropriate level of contingency reserves for the RBI, effectively kicking that question down the road. The RBI introduced a so-called corrective action plan in 2014 for 11 state-run banks with bad loan issues and depleted capital. That plan included curbs on risky lending and RBI officials said, as a result, the banks` loan growth fell to zero and had remained there since 2016, from 10 percent in 2014.&nbsp;

&nbsp;According to the RBI board member, the government wants the RBI to ease those curbs and lower capital requirements for the 11.&nbsp;

Some improvements in the balance sheets of those lenders might give the RBI leeway to do that, although the RBI would prefer to give the mending process more time, said another official who is aware of discussions within the central bank. 
 
&nbsp;

India's government and its central bank are getting close to ironing out some of their policy differences, said two sources familiar with the discussions, as they seek to defuse worsening tensions that had threatened to unnerve investors.

India's government and its central bank are getting close to ironing out some of their policy differences, said two sources familiar with the discussions, as they seek to defuse worsening tensions that had threatened to unnerve investors. While the rift is far from healed, the sources said enough progress had been made to avoid acrimony at a board meeting of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) next Monday. The threat that RBI Governor Urjit Patel would quit, as reported by some newspapers last week, is also thought to be off the table for now, they said. The uneasy truce is likely to see the RBI ease up on some lending restrictions to help the government stimulate the economy, said the sources. One source said the RBI could agree to tweak restrictions on lending to improve credit flows for smaller companies with a borrowing limit of 250 million rupees ($3.4 million). Neither the RBI nor the finance ministry responded to requests for comment for this article. The prime minister’s office declined to comment. It is unclear how much of a role Prime Minister Narendra Modi played in defusing the tension. Local media reported that Modi met Patel last week in an attempt to sort out the contentious issues but officials in the prime minister`s office and the RBI said they did not know of such a meeting. Modi had appointed Patel as the RBI governor in 2016 for a three-year term that ends in September next year. For weeks, government officials in New Delhi have been pressuring the Mumbai-based RBI to accede to a range of demands, from easing lending curbs to handing over surplus reserves to the government. This prompted RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya to warn late last month that undermining a central bank`s independence could be "catastrophic," bringing the feud into the open. Tensions were expected to come to a head at Monday`s meeting as government representatives on the board appeared to be ready to turn up the heat on Patel and accuse the RBI of being intransigent in the face of government demands. Now, it seems likely there will be a more constructive atmosphere with agreement on some issues, and disputed questions shelved for another day, the sources said. Can't agree to everything The government is keen to provide more stimulus to the economy heading into next year`s election, especially as the incomes of many farmers have been hit by low crop prices. At the same time it doesn`t want a bust-up with the central bank, which could badly affect investor sentiment and provide political fodder to the opposition Congress party. "The government understands the regulator will remain a regulator and can`t agree to all demands," said a government official, who declined to be named, referring to the RBI. While the official did not give any details of the solutions being worked out with the RBI, he acknowledged that the government did not want to trigger Patel`s departure at such a sensitive time. There are five key state elections in the next few weeks and a general election due by May. The Congress party has already been harrying the government over allegations of corruption in a military jet deal with France and infighting between the top officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). A RBI board member said that helping to ease tensions was the idea that both sides wanted a healthy economy. It was just a question of how to get there. "The main issue is how to boost credit growth," the member said referring to the credit crunch facing small companies. Economics Affairs Secretary S.C. Garg is expected to make a presentation in the board meeting to outline the concerns of the finance ministry and could bring up the question about the transfer of surplus cash reserves held by the RBI, the sources said. The board member said that an expert panel may be set up to work out the appropriate level of contingency reserves for the RBI, effectively kicking that question down the road. The RBI introduced a so-called corrective action plan in 2014 for 11 state-run banks with bad loan issues and depleted capital. That plan included curbs on risky lending and RBI officials said, as a result, the banks` loan growth fell to zero and had remained there since 2016, from 10 percent in 2014. According to the RBI board member, the government wants the RBI to ease those curbs and lower capital requirements for the 11. Some improvements in the balance sheets of those lenders might give the RBI leeway to do that, although the RBI would prefer to give the mending process more time, said another official who is aware of discussions within the central bank.

Modi government, RBI close to ironing out policy differences: Sources

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday felicitated the six winning teams, including three from India, of the first India-Singapore Hackathon, a platform for the youth of the two countries to harness and showcase their innovations.

The top six teams, three each from India and Singapore, participated in a 36-hour long Hackathon Grande Finale here.

"PM Narendra Modi met and felicitated the winning teams of India Singapore Hackathon, agreed to during the visit of PM to Singapore in June 2018," Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Showcasing Solutions for Humanity 
 
PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> met &amp; felicitated the winning teams of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiaSingapore?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiaSingapore</a> Hackathon, agreed to during the visit of PM to Singapore in June 2018. NTU in Singapore &amp; AICTE in India conducted the hackathon that included solving 8 problem statements <a href="https://t.co/lgqeapGBLP">pic.twitter.com/lgqeapGBLP</a>
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/MEAIndia/status/1062900976384757760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"Happy to have met innovators who won prizes in the first ever Singapore-India Hackathon. They talked about their extensive work. I was impressed by their passion and commitment towards solving problems our world faces," Modi said.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
A boost to technology, innovation and youth power. 
 
Happy to have met innovators who won prizes in the first ever Singapore-India Hackathon. They talked about their extensive work. I was impressed by their passion and commitment towards solving problems our world faces. <a href="https://t.co/GLRIAe4wRf">pic.twitter.com/GLRIAe4wRf</a>
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1062907824563380224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Prime Minister Modi presented the awards to the winning teams at an awards ceremony which was also attended by Education Minister of Singapore Ong Ye Kung.

The teams were chosen after a final pitching session. First prize of SGD 10000, second prize of SGD 6000 and third prize of SGD 4000 was announced for each of the three winners from India and Singapore.

The winning teams from India were IIT Kharagpur, NIT, Trichy and MIT College of Engineering, Pune, the Indian High Commission in Singapore said.

The winning teams from Singapore comprised Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), it said in a statement.

"Platforms like the Singapore-India Hackathon serve as excellent opportunities for our youngsters to showcase their work. They also serve as forums to learn about pioneering innovations by youngsters from other nations and institutes. A win-win for our students!" Modi said in a tweet.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Platforms like the Singapore-India Hackathon serve as excellent opportunities for our youngsters to showcase their work. They also serve as forums to learn about pioneering innovations by youngsters from other nations and institutes. A win-win for our students!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1062907829441286144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

During his official visit to Singapore in June, Modi proposed to his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong that India and Singapore should organise a joint Hackathon to harness and showcase the innovation potential of their youth. The proposal was welcomed by Prime Minister Lee.

The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) conducted the hackathon that included solving eight problem statements.

Twenty teams, each from both the countries comprising university and college students selected on nationwide basis, participated in the event to harness and showcase the innovation potential of the youth. Each of these teams had three students and one mentor.

From India, an 83-member delegation comprising 60 students, 20 mentors and three officials of the AICTE visited Singapore for the event which Modi said is a "boost to technology, innovation and youth power".

The eight 'Problems Statements' presented to the participants were in the areas of mapping, synchronised output of diverse social media, shared digital identity verification, effective number estimate, space management and allotment, effective learning and personal security.

Prime Minister Modi also met the National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets Thursday who were in Singapore as a part of a cadet exchange programme.

"Spent time with NCC cadets, who got the opportunity to come to Singapore as a part of a cadet exchange programme. They shared their memorable learnings and experiences with me," he said.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Wonderful moments with my young friends. 
 
Spent time with NCC cadets, who got the opportunity to come to Singapore as a part of a cadet exchange programme. They shared their memorable learnings and experiences with me. <a href="https://t.co/GmDXQfdsBx">pic.twitter.com/GmDXQfdsBx</a>
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1062906847705722882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Prime Minister Modi is in Singapore for the two-day visit to the country. He began his visit on Wednesday by delivering his keynote address at the prestigious Fintech Festival.

He also held separate bilateral meetings with the premiers of Singapore, Australia and Thailand and discussed ways to further strengthen ties, including in areas of trade, defence and security.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday felicitated the six winning teams, including three from India, of the first India-Singapore Hackathon, a platform for the youth of the two countries to harness and showcase their innovations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday felicitated the six winning teams, including three from India, of the first India-Singapore Hackathon, a platform for the youth of the two countries to harness and showcase their innovations. The top six teams, three each from India and Singapore, participated in a 36-hour long Hackathon Grande Finale here. "PM Narendra Modi met and felicitated the winning teams of India Singapore Hackathon, agreed to during the visit of PM to Singapore in June 2018," Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Showcasing Solutions for Humanity PM @narendramodi met & felicitated the winning teams of #IndiaSingapore Hackathon, agreed to during the visit of PM to Singapore in June 2018. NTU in Singapore & AICTE in India conducted the hackathon that included solving 8 problem statements pic.twitter.com/lgqeapGBLP — Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) November 15, 2018 × "Happy to have met innovators who won prizes in the first ever Singapore-India Hackathon. They talked about their extensive work. I was impressed by their passion and commitment towards solving problems our world faces," Modi said. A boost to technology, innovation and youth power. Happy to have met innovators who won prizes in the first ever Singapore-India Hackathon. They talked about their extensive work. I was impressed by their passion and commitment towards solving problems our world faces. pic.twitter.com/GLRIAe4wRf — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 15, 2018 × Prime Minister Modi presented the awards to the winning teams at an awards ceremony which was also attended by Education Minister of Singapore Ong Ye Kung. The teams were chosen after a final pitching session. First prize of SGD 10000, second prize of SGD 6000 and third prize of SGD 4000 was announced for each of the three winners from India and Singapore. The winning teams from India were IIT Kharagpur, NIT, Trichy and MIT College of Engineering, Pune, the Indian High Commission in Singapore said. The winning teams from Singapore comprised Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), it said in a statement. "Platforms like the Singapore-India Hackathon serve as excellent opportunities for our youngsters to showcase their work. They also serve as forums to learn about pioneering innovations by youngsters from other nations and institutes. A win-win for our students!" Modi said in a tweet. Platforms like the Singapore-India Hackathon serve as excellent opportunities for our youngsters to showcase their work. They also serve as forums to learn about pioneering innovations by youngsters from other nations and institutes. A win-win for our students! — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 15, 2018 × During his official visit to Singapore in June, Modi proposed to his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong that India and Singapore should organise a joint Hackathon to harness and showcase the innovation potential of their youth. The proposal was welcomed by Prime Minister Lee. The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) conducted the hackathon that included solving eight problem statements. Twenty teams, each from both the countries comprising university and college students selected on nationwide basis, participated in the event to harness and showcase the innovation potential of the youth. Each of these teams had three students and one mentor. From India, an 83-member delegation comprising 60 students, 20 mentors and three officials of the AICTE visited Singapore for the event which Modi said is a "boost to technology, innovation and youth power". The eight 'Problems Statements' presented to the participants were in the areas of mapping, synchronised output of diverse social media, shared digital identity verification, effective number estimate, space management and allotment, effective learning and personal security. Prime Minister Modi also met the National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets Thursday who were in Singapore as a part of a cadet exchange programme. "Spent time with NCC cadets, who got the opportunity to come to Singapore as a part of a cadet exchange programme. They shared their memorable learnings and experiences with me," he said. Wonderful moments with my young friends. Spent time with NCC cadets, who got the opportunity to come to Singapore as a part of a cadet exchange programme. They shared their memorable learnings and experiences with me. pic.twitter.com/GmDXQfdsBx — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 15, 2018 × Prime Minister Modi is in Singapore for the two-day visit to the country. He began his visit on Wednesday by delivering his keynote address at the prestigious Fintech Festival. He also held separate bilateral meetings with the premiers of Singapore, Australia and Thailand and discussed ways to further strengthen ties, including in areas of trade, defence and security.

PM Modi gives awards to winning teams of first India-Singapore Hackathon

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Singapore this week to attend the East Asia Summit, ASEAN-India informal meet and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit. The Indian prime minister became the first head of government to deliver an address at the Singapore Fintech Festival, one of the largest events on financial technology, where he launched APIX, a banking technology designed to reach two billion people worldwide who are still without bank accounts.&nbsp;

PM Modi underlined the growing digitisation of the Indian economy and showcased India’s role in the shaping of global financial technologies which are not merely disruptive but also inclusive.

It is, however, the geopolitics and geo-economics of the changing Indo-Pacific which will be the focus of most of Modi’s engagements at various levels. The RCEP, accounting for almost 40 per cent of global trade, remains an important grouping for the 16 members — the 10-member ASEAN plus India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. It is a rather ambitious undertaking and despite repeated calls for an early conclusion, it remains mired in multiple issues which are thorny in nature. Though progress on the negotiations has been slow since they began in 2013, the Trump administration’s protectionist policies have given the negotiations a new momentum. It is now being hoped that the pact may now be concluded next year. India too has found it difficult to generate a domestic consensus on RCEP and it is likely that tough decisions on tariff reductions will now be taken only after elections next year, though Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu underscored that New Delhi was “very happy that India’s concerns have been taken on board, and... country will benefit from it.”

The East Asia Summit will be India exploring wide-ranging issues pertaining to smart cities, IT, communication, maritime cooperation and terrorism with 17 other participating leaders. EAS has now emerged as the most critical multilateral framework in the Indo-Pacific where multiple stakeholders engage each other annually. The East Asia Summit, which includes India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Russia apart from the 10 ASEAN member states, also gives India an opportunity to underline its credentials as an important stakeholder in regional developments.

PM Modi will also participate in the ASEAN India Bilateral Summit where progress in the goals set in the Delhi Declaration of the ASEAN India Commemorative Summit will be discussed. Addressing last year’s ASEAN-India Summit in Manila, Modi underscored India’s relationship with ASEAN is a key pillar of its foreign policy. Referring to India’s Act East Policy, he had underlined that “its centrality in the regional security architecture of the Indo-Pacific region is evident”. In a symbolic move, all 10 ASEAN heads of State were invited to be guests of honour for this year’s Republic Day function. Targeting China, Modi had also assured ASEAN of “steady support towards achieving a rules-based regional security architecture that best attests to the region’s interests and its peaceful development.”

India has repeatedly underscored the centrality of the ASEAN in its Indo-Pacific vision. In his keynote address at the Shangri La Dialogue earlier this year too, Modi had suggested that India will promote a democratic and rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific with ASEAN at its heart, that allows free access to common spaces and is not limited to a ‘club of limited members.’

It is in this context, it is interesting that despite suggestions that nothing much has been happening on the Quad front, the third meeting of Quad countries — India, the US, Japan and Australia — at the joint secretary-level will also take place in Singapore. It is clear that these four nations do not want to let go of the momentum that is gradually building up. There may be little substance in the engagement at the moment but all four states remain keen to leverage it in some form.

The Indo-Pacific region is now central to global politics and economics, and recent days have merely reinforced the trends that have been emerging for some time. China is the most important player in the region, and Beijing is now more confident than ever of projecting regional and global power. In this, China has had the good fortune of having an administration in the US that lacks seriousness of purpose and is unable to communicate effectively its priorities for the region. This makes this period of transition very significant for countries like India that have a stake in the long-term stability of the region. As China’s profile grows, there is a new opportunity for India in the region. Unlike in the past, New Delhi is no longer diffident about engaging with other regional players if it helps to further Indian interests in maintaining a stable balance of power in the region.

(This article was originally published on DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-asean-furthering-india-s-interests-in-indo-pacific-2685730">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Singapore this week to attend the East Asia Summit, ASEAN-India informal meet and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Singapore this week to attend the East Asia Summit, ASEAN-India informal meet and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit. The Indian prime minister became the first head of government to deliver an address at the Singapore Fintech Festival, one of the largest events on financial technology, where he launched APIX, a banking technology designed to reach two billion people worldwide who are still without bank accounts. PM Modi underlined the growing digitisation of the Indian economy and showcased India’s role in the shaping of global financial technologies which are not merely disruptive but also inclusive. It is, however, the geopolitics and geo-economics of the changing Indo-Pacific which will be the focus of most of Modi’s engagements at various levels. The RCEP, accounting for almost 40 per cent of global trade, remains an important grouping for the 16 members — the 10-member ASEAN plus India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. It is a rather ambitious undertaking and despite repeated calls for an early conclusion, it remains mired in multiple issues which are thorny in nature. Though progress on the negotiations has been slow since they began in 2013, the Trump administration’s protectionist policies have given the negotiations a new momentum. It is now being hoped that the pact may now be concluded next year. India too has found it difficult to generate a domestic consensus on RCEP and it is likely that tough decisions on tariff reductions will now be taken only after elections next year, though Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu underscored that New Delhi was “very happy that India’s concerns have been taken on board, and... country will benefit from it.” The East Asia Summit will be India exploring wide-ranging issues pertaining to smart cities, IT, communication, maritime cooperation and terrorism with 17 other participating leaders. EAS has now emerged as the most critical multilateral framework in the Indo-Pacific where multiple stakeholders engage each other annually. The East Asia Summit, which includes India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Russia apart from the 10 ASEAN member states, also gives India an opportunity to underline its credentials as an important stakeholder in regional developments. PM Modi will also participate in the ASEAN India Bilateral Summit where progress in the goals set in the Delhi Declaration of the ASEAN India Commemorative Summit will be discussed. Addressing last year’s ASEAN-India Summit in Manila, Modi underscored India’s relationship with ASEAN is a key pillar of its foreign policy. Referring to India’s Act East Policy, he had underlined that “its centrality in the regional security architecture of the Indo-Pacific region is evident”. In a symbolic move, all 10 ASEAN heads of State were invited to be guests of honour for this year’s Republic Day function. Targeting China, Modi had also assured ASEAN of “steady support towards achieving a rules-based regional security architecture that best attests to the region’s interests and its peaceful development.” India has repeatedly underscored the centrality of the ASEAN in its Indo-Pacific vision. In his keynote address at the Shangri La Dialogue earlier this year too, Modi had suggested that India will promote a democratic and rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific with ASEAN at its heart, that allows free access to common spaces and is not limited to a ‘club of limited members.’ It is in this context, it is interesting that despite suggestions that nothing much has been happening on the Quad front, the third meeting of Quad countries — India, the US, Japan and Australia — at the joint secretary-level will also take place in Singapore. It is clear that these four nations do not want to let go of the momentum that is gradually building up. There may be little substance in the engagement at the moment but all four states remain keen to leverage it in some form. The Indo-Pacific region is now central to global politics and economics, and recent days have merely reinforced the trends that have been emerging for some time. China is the most important player in the region, and Beijing is now more confident than ever of projecting regional and global power. In this, China has had the good fortune of having an administration in the US that lacks seriousness of purpose and is unable to communicate effectively its priorities for the region. This makes this period of transition very significant for countries like India that have a stake in the long-term stability of the region. As China’s profile grows, there is a new opportunity for India in the region. Unlike in the past, New Delhi is no longer diffident about engaging with other regional players if it helps to further Indian interests in maintaining a stable balance of power in the region. (This article was originally published on DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Furthering India’s interests in Indo-Pacific region

Prime Minister <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/all-terror-attacks-finally-lead-back-to-single-source-modi-to-us-vp-mike-pence-177357">Narendra Modi</a> participated&nbsp;in the 16th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Breakfast Summit,&nbsp;followed by the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-narendra-modi-arrives-in-singapore-for-rcep-summit-177173">13th East Asia Summit</a> in Singapore on Thursday.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders attend ASEAN-India Informal Breakfast Summit in Singapore. <a href="https://t.co/2N5XxMcP1l">pic.twitter.com/2N5XxMcP1l</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1062870391549554688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/putin-stresses-cooperation-against-terrorism-in-first-official-meeting-with-asean-leaders-177301">ASEAN meetings</a>, they are annual meetings and they are very integral part of our diplomatic calendar. It is where India engages with the ASEAN countries essentially because we have a very active Act East Policy, we have continued engagements with our Eastern neighbours," Vijay Thakur Singh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (East) had said at a media briefing on November 12.

The 13th East Asia Summit will be held in two segments on Thursday- the East Asia Lunch Retreat followed by the EAS in a plenary setting. Prime Minister Modi will emplane for India after the EAS'&nbsp;conclusion.

The EAS is a leaders-led forum in the Indo-Pacific region comprising all 10 ASEAN member states- Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam- and its eight dialogue partners, India, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Russia.

This will be Prime Minister Modi's fifth engagement with EAS since the summit's inception in 2005.The leaders of the member nations are slated to discuss international development issues like ICT, Smart Cities, Maritime Cooperation, Education, Finance, Food Security, Environment and Energy at the EAS.

The Prime Minister became the first head of government to deliver the keynote address at Singapore Fintech Festival on November 14, where he shared India`s financial inclusion story that has transformed governance and delivery of public services.

He then launched the Application Programming Interface Exchange (APIX) with the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore T&nbsp;Shanmugaratnam.

Prime Minister Modi also visited the India Pavilion at the Fintech festival, following which he met the Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong and exchanged views on cooperation in financial technology, enhanced connectivity, and regional economic integration.

"Prosperity through partnership. PM @narendramodi had a warm meeting with @VP of United States Michael Pence in #Singapore. Productive discussion on all aspects of global strategic partnership based on growing convergence of interests on regional and global issues," Raveesh Kumar, MEA's Spokesperson had tweeted after Prime Minister Modi met with US Vice President Mike Pence.

During a day full of diplomatic engagements, Prime Minister Modi further met with Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister of Australia and Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Prime Minister of Thailand in separate meetings to discuss areas in inter-country relations.

Prime Minister Modi also attended the second Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit.

"Shaping the agenda for regional cooperation. PM @narendramodi attended the 2nd #RCEP Summit in Singapore with 16 member states. PM reiterated that India was committed to an early conclusion of high quality comprehensive and balanced regional economic partnership agreement," Kumar tweeted on Wednesday.

Lastly, Prime Minister Modi attended the gala dinner hosted by Loong, before calling it a day in Singapore.

India and ASEAN celebrated 25 years of their engagement in 2017, which culminated in the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit on January 25th this year. The summit was followed by the participation of all ASEAN leaders in India's Republic Day celebrations as chief guests. 
&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the 16th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Breakfast Summit, followed by the 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore on Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the 16th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Breakfast Summit, followed by the 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore on Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders attend ASEAN-India Informal Breakfast Summit in Singapore. pic.twitter.com/2N5XxMcP1l — ANI (@ANI) November 15, 2018 × "The ASEAN meetings, they are annual meetings and they are very integral part of our diplomatic calendar. It is where India engages with the ASEAN countries essentially because we have a very active Act East Policy, we have continued engagements with our Eastern neighbours," Vijay Thakur Singh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Secretary (East) had said at a media briefing on November 12. The 13th East Asia Summit will be held in two segments on Thursday- the East Asia Lunch Retreat followed by the EAS in a plenary setting. Prime Minister Modi will emplane for India after the EAS' conclusion. The EAS is a leaders-led forum in the Indo-Pacific region comprising all 10 ASEAN member states- Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam- and its eight dialogue partners, India, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Russia. This will be Prime Minister Modi's fifth engagement with EAS since the summit's inception in 2005.The leaders of the member nations are slated to discuss international development issues like ICT, Smart Cities, Maritime Cooperation, Education, Finance, Food Security, Environment and Energy at the EAS. The Prime Minister became the first head of government to deliver the keynote address at Singapore Fintech Festival on November 14, where he shared India`s financial inclusion story that has transformed governance and delivery of public services. He then launched the Application Programming Interface Exchange (APIX) with the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore T Shanmugaratnam. Prime Minister Modi also visited the India Pavilion at the Fintech festival, following which he met the Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong and exchanged views on cooperation in financial technology, enhanced connectivity, and regional economic integration. "Prosperity through partnership. PM @narendramodi had a warm meeting with @VP of United States Michael Pence in #Singapore. Productive discussion on all aspects of global strategic partnership based on growing convergence of interests on regional and global issues," Raveesh Kumar, MEA's Spokesperson had tweeted after Prime Minister Modi met with US Vice President Mike Pence. During a day full of diplomatic engagements, Prime Minister Modi further met with Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister of Australia and Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Prime Minister of Thailand in separate meetings to discuss areas in inter-country relations. Prime Minister Modi also attended the second Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit. "Shaping the agenda for regional cooperation. PM @narendramodi attended the 2nd #RCEP Summit in Singapore with 16 member states. PM reiterated that India was committed to an early conclusion of high quality comprehensive and balanced regional economic partnership agreement," Kumar tweeted on Wednesday. Lastly, Prime Minister Modi attended the gala dinner hosted by Loong, before calling it a day in Singapore. India and ASEAN celebrated 25 years of their engagement in 2017, which culminated in the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit on January 25th this year. The summit was followed by the participation of all ASEAN leaders in India's Republic Day celebrations as chief guests.

PM Modi to attend ASEAN and East Asia summits today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told US Vice President Mike Pence that all the traces and all the leads in the global terror attacks ultimately leads to a "single source and single place of origin", in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

Modi, who held talks with Pence on a wide range of bilateral and global issues of mutual interests on the sidelines of the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-pitches-india-as-favourite-investment-destination-at-fintech-festival-in-singapore-177215">East Asia Summit</a> here, also expressed concern over the participation of terrorists in the elections in Pakistan.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said there was some discussion on the issue of terrorism. Pence referred to the upcoming 10th anniversary of the deadly Mumbai terror attack on November 26 and hailed cooperation between the two sides on counter terrorism, Gokhale said.

Some 166 people were killed in the attack carried out by Pakistan-based 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists. Nine of the attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught and hanged after handed down death sentence by an Indian court. 
Modi thanked Pence for his words and reminded him that in one way or another all the traces and all the leads in the global terror attacks ultimately leads to a "single source and single place of origin", without naming any country or organisation.

He was apparently referring to Pakistan.&nbsp;

A number of terrorist attacks across the world have been carried out by people of Pakistani origin. On December 2, 2015, 14 people were killed in a mass shooting by a Pakistani origin married couple in San Bernardino, California.

A Pakistani-origin man was among three knife-wielding militants responsible for carrying out the brutal terror attack in London that killed seven people and injured 49 in June 2017.

Prime Minister Modi also expressed concern over the Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's party contesting the July 25 elections in Pakistan.

"He (Modi) did point out that the mainstreaming of people involved in the Mumbai attacks in a political process which has taken place in the recent elections in Pakistan should be a matter of serious concern not just to the two countries - India and US - but to international community," Gokhale said.

Some of the dreaded Pakistani militant leaders, accused of spreading religious hatred and instigating sectarian violence, were among hundreds of candidates in the July 25 elections.

Hafiz Saeed-led banned Jamat-ud Dawah, a front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group, had fielded its candidates from the platform of little known political entity Allaha-u-Akbar Tehreek (AAT).

Another extremist outfit Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), which was banned in Pakistan till early this year, had also fielded dozens of candidates including those who are on Pakistan's terrorism watch list.

"There was some good understanding of the areas of how we move forward in building cooperation on counter terrorism and both countries recognised that this is a challenge which we have to fight together and to fight along with the rest of the international community," Gokhale said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told US Vice President Mike Pence that all the traces and all the leads in the global terror attacks ultimately leads to a "single source and single place of origin", in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told US Vice President Mike Pence that all the traces and all the leads in the global terror attacks ultimately leads to a "single source and single place of origin", in an apparent reference to Pakistan. Modi, who held talks with Pence on a wide range of bilateral and global issues of mutual interests on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit here, also expressed concern over the participation of terrorists in the elections in Pakistan. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said there was some discussion on the issue of terrorism. Pence referred to the upcoming 10th anniversary of the deadly Mumbai terror attack on November 26 and hailed cooperation between the two sides on counter terrorism, Gokhale said. Some 166 people were killed in the attack carried out by Pakistan-based 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists. Nine of the attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was caught and hanged after handed down death sentence by an Indian court. Modi thanked Pence for his words and reminded him that in one way or another all the traces and all the leads in the global terror attacks ultimately leads to a "single source and single place of origin", without naming any country or organisation. He was apparently referring to Pakistan. A number of terrorist attacks across the world have been carried out by people of Pakistani origin. On December 2, 2015, 14 people were killed in a mass shooting by a Pakistani origin married couple in San Bernardino, California. A Pakistani-origin man was among three knife-wielding militants responsible for carrying out the brutal terror attack in London that killed seven people and injured 49 in June 2017. Prime Minister Modi also expressed concern over the Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's party contesting the July 25 elections in Pakistan. "He (Modi) did point out that the mainstreaming of people involved in the Mumbai attacks in a political process which has taken place in the recent elections in Pakistan should be a matter of serious concern not just to the two countries - India and US - but to international community," Gokhale said. Some of the dreaded Pakistani militant leaders, accused of spreading religious hatred and instigating sectarian violence, were among hundreds of candidates in the July 25 elections. Hafiz Saeed-led banned Jamat-ud Dawah, a front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group, had fielded its candidates from the platform of little known political entity Allaha-u-Akbar Tehreek (AAT). Another extremist outfit Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), which was banned in Pakistan till early this year, had also fielded dozens of candidates including those who are on Pakistan's terrorism watch list. "There was some good understanding of the areas of how we move forward in building cooperation on counter terrorism and both countries recognised that this is a challenge which we have to fight together and to fight along with the rest of the international community," Gokhale said.

All terror attacks finally lead back to 'single source': Modi to Mike Pence

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, aka ‘Modicare’, Ayushman’s most comprehensive component, has been projected as the biggest health programme in the world even before it was implemented. The scheme, like its earlier avatars Rashtriya Swasthya Beema Yojana (RSBY) or several government-funded health insurance (GFHI) schemes run by state governments, promises to provide free hospitalisation care for the poor and marginal sections.&nbsp;

Without taking claims too seriously, it can be safely said that this is the biggest Public Private Partnership (PPP) effort in healthcare in India.&nbsp;

The scheme essentially subsidises hospitalisation expenses in private sector with tax money to help access a large market and thus boost private sector growth in health care — all in the name of free hospitalisation care for the poor.

Experience of RSBY and other state insurance schemes shows that free care remains elusive, particularly when care is sought at private hospitals. Out of every 100 hospitalisation cases under various government-sponsored health insurance schemes, only three get free care. People need to pay a lot if they seek care in private hospitals — more than half spend Rs 10,000 or more. In contrast, if one goes to a public hospital, more than half of them spend Rs 1,000 or less.

Coverage against hospitalisation cost up to Rs 5 lakh, increasing it from Rs 30,000 under RSBY is being seen as a major step forward to ensure that care is given free. Some existing state schemes have coverage of up to Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 lakh per family, without much effect on financial protection. So increasing coverage really doesn’t mean much.&nbsp;

Designing specific elements of the schemes — whether to involve insurance companies or go for a trust model is left to states. States in central and east and north-east are not expected to gain from this supposed partnership with private sector.&nbsp;

The reality of our country is that most private hospitals have either grown in and around public hospitals or in metro cities, state capitals and other big cities in the south, north and western part of the country.&nbsp;

Almost half of the private hospitals and two-thirds of corporate hospitals are in few five million-plus cities, where bigger government hospitals and medical colleges are also available. There are hardly any private hospitals in rural areas and in remote parts of the country. Vast majority of the people in these settings depend on either government hospitals or the few not-for-profit charitable hospitals.

Compared to insurance agencies, trusts have greater control over the claim settlement process and could be a better model in terms of reducing the role of the intermediaries and thus reduce the likelihood of siphoning off the profit.&nbsp;

However, many of these states neither have the capacity to effectively negotiate with private providers, insurance agencies nor the technical capabilities to run a trust model on their own.

Numerous incidents of unethical practices, overcharging, unnecessary care and in rare extreme situations, deaths due to medical negligence and denial of care point out that medical care market cannot be left to itself. This calls for comprehensive regulation of clinical standards as well as prices.&nbsp;

Though we have a Clinical Establishment Act, most states have not ratified the Act. Furthermore, the Act, in the current form, does not talk about regulation of prices or rationalisation of trade margins.&nbsp;

When the government came up with procedure rates, there was considerable hue and cry among the industry and medical associations that prices are very low and would thus compromise on the quality of care. Though this reaction is understandable as a strategy to negotiate for higher prices, one needs to appreciate the dangers of such partial regulation of prices.&nbsp;

The vast majority of the country’s population, particularly the informal non-poor, are neither covered by any government health protection scheme, nor can they afford private health insurance. This section is finding it increasingly difficult to bear health-care expenses in the private sector.&nbsp;

The private sector is likely to charge higher prices from the patients who are not covered by the GFHIs in order to cross-subsidise the lower rates provided by GFHIs.&nbsp;

Possibilities of charging additional fees from patients with coverage in the name of quality also exist. &nbsp;

There have been numerous efforts to forge PPPs in the health sector to help the expansion of the private sector – often at the cost of public services.&nbsp;

However, the objective of orienting private health care sector to public goals has remained largely unfulfilled. As the private sector gets more organized and big hospitals chains start to dominate the market, which is inevitable without regulation and no expansion of government services, it would be increasingly difficult for governments to intervene.&nbsp;

There would be further lobbying for higher prices under GFHIs, insurance premiums would go up and governments and patients would have little choice but to accept their demand. It may not be far that PMJAY becomes truly the biggest scheme in the world in terms of how much money it consumes while the majority of the population continue to find access to quality health care unaffordable. But does anyone care?

(This article was originally published on DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-ayushman-roadblocks-ahead-2684412">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

&nbsp;

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, aka ‘Modicare’, Ayushman’s most comprehensive component, has been projected as the biggest health programme in the world even before it was implemented.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, aka ‘Modicare’, Ayushman’s most comprehensive component, has been projected as the biggest health programme in the world even before it was implemented. The scheme, like its earlier avatars Rashtriya Swasthya Beema Yojana (RSBY) or several government-funded health insurance (GFHI) schemes run by state governments, promises to provide free hospitalisation care for the poor and marginal sections. Without taking claims too seriously, it can be safely said that this is the biggest Public Private Partnership (PPP) effort in healthcare in India. The scheme essentially subsidises hospitalisation expenses in private sector with tax money to help access a large market and thus boost private sector growth in health care — all in the name of free hospitalisation care for the poor. Experience of RSBY and other state insurance schemes shows that free care remains elusive, particularly when care is sought at private hospitals. Out of every 100 hospitalisation cases under various government-sponsored health insurance schemes, only three get free care. People need to pay a lot if they seek care in private hospitals — more than half spend Rs 10,000 or more. In contrast, if one goes to a public hospital, more than half of them spend Rs 1,000 or less. Coverage against hospitalisation cost up to Rs 5 lakh, increasing it from Rs 30,000 under RSBY is being seen as a major step forward to ensure that care is given free. Some existing state schemes have coverage of up to Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 lakh per family, without much effect on financial protection. So increasing coverage really doesn’t mean much. Designing specific elements of the schemes — whether to involve insurance companies or go for a trust model is left to states. States in central and east and north-east are not expected to gain from this supposed partnership with private sector. The reality of our country is that most private hospitals have either grown in and around public hospitals or in metro cities, state capitals and other big cities in the south, north and western part of the country. Almost half of the private hospitals and two-thirds of corporate hospitals are in few five million-plus cities, where bigger government hospitals and medical colleges are also available. There are hardly any private hospitals in rural areas and in remote parts of the country. Vast majority of the people in these settings depend on either government hospitals or the few not-for-profit charitable hospitals. Compared to insurance agencies, trusts have greater control over the claim settlement process and could be a better model in terms of reducing the role of the intermediaries and thus reduce the likelihood of siphoning off the profit. However, many of these states neither have the capacity to effectively negotiate with private providers, insurance agencies nor the technical capabilities to run a trust model on their own. Numerous incidents of unethical practices, overcharging, unnecessary care and in rare extreme situations, deaths due to medical negligence and denial of care point out that medical care market cannot be left to itself. This calls for comprehensive regulation of clinical standards as well as prices. Though we have a Clinical Establishment Act, most states have not ratified the Act. Furthermore, the Act, in the current form, does not talk about regulation of prices or rationalisation of trade margins. When the government came up with procedure rates, there was considerable hue and cry among the industry and medical associations that prices are very low and would thus compromise on the quality of care. Though this reaction is understandable as a strategy to negotiate for higher prices, one needs to appreciate the dangers of such partial regulation of prices. The vast majority of the country’s population, particularly the informal non-poor, are neither covered by any government health protection scheme, nor can they afford private health insurance. This section is finding it increasingly difficult to bear health-care expenses in the private sector. The private sector is likely to charge higher prices from the patients who are not covered by the GFHIs in order to cross-subsidise the lower rates provided by GFHIs. Possibilities of charging additional fees from patients with coverage in the name of quality also exist. There have been numerous efforts to forge PPPs in the health sector to help the expansion of the private sector – often at the cost of public services. However, the objective of orienting private health care sector to public goals has remained largely unfulfilled. As the private sector gets more organized and big hospitals chains start to dominate the market, which is inevitable without regulation and no expansion of government services, it would be increasingly difficult for governments to intervene. There would be further lobbying for higher prices under GFHIs, insurance premiums would go up and governments and patients would have little choice but to accept their demand. It may not be far that PMJAY becomes truly the biggest scheme in the world in terms of how much money it consumes while the majority of the population continue to find access to quality health care unaffordable. But does anyone care? (This article was originally published on DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Roadblocks ahead for Ayushman Bharat scheme

A probe into the procurement of Rafale fighter jets from France would throw up names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Anil Ambani, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Wednesday.

Addressing a campaign rally here for the second phase of Assembly polls, Gandhi also claimed the NDA government bought the planes at Rs 1,600 crore a piece as against the Rs 526 crore for each aircraft fixed by the Congress-led UPA government.

Gandhi's comments came on a day the Supreme Court said a discussion on the pricing of the Rafale jets can only take place if the facts of the deal are allowed to come into the public domain.

The apex court, which began its hearing on pleas seeking a court-monitored probe into the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, also said it would like to hear from an Air Force officer and not an official of the Defence Ministry.

"The CBI director (Alok Verma) initiated a probe in the Rafale deal. The prime minister removed him at 12 in the night. I am telling you, the day a probe will begin in Rafale deal, two names will surface: Anil Ambani and Narendra Modi," Gandhi told the gathering.

On former French president Francois Hollande's comments in French media that the Indian government had proposed Reliance Defence as partner for Dassault Aviation in the deal and that France did not have a choice, Gandhi said Modi named Ambani's company as Dassault's partner in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale deal.

The Modi government chose Ambani's "inexperienced" company over the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which has a long experience in aerospace and defence sector, Gandhi said.

There was no reaction from the government or the BJP on the fresh charges, though they have previously rejected all allegations over the Rafale deal.

On demonetisation, Gandhi said the poor suffered due to the move and that no billionaire or "thieves with black money" had to queue up outside banks to exchange notes after the old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes were declared invalid by Modi on November 8, 2016.

Gandhi termed demonetisation as the "biggest scam" of the country.

"There has been no bigger scam than this (note ban). The truth will come out. It will be proved that Modi made the move to snatch money from the poor and put it in the pockets of thieves like Nirav Modi, Anil Ambani and Mehul Choksi," he said.

Terming the prime minister as corrupt, Gandhi accused him of not taking action against Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh's son Abhishek, whose name he said figured in the Panama Papers.

Invoking his family ties with the state, the Congress chief said the relationship was of love and not politics.

"We have old ties with you. Jawaharlal Nehruji, Indiraji, Rajivji, Soniaji had family ties with Chhattisgarh. It was a relationship of love and not politics," he said.

He accused the BJP-led state government of forcibly acquiring lands of farmers, adding the Congress, if elected to power, would not snatch land from peasants.

The Congress president also promised to install a "people's government" in Chhattisgarh and accused the ruling BJP of destroying the state in its 15-year rule.

The state was among the richest in the country in terms of water, forest, mines and minerals but its people have remained poor due to the policies of the BJP government, he said.

Lands of locals in the tribal-dominated state were taken away to set up industries, he said. But when the units were not set up, the lands were not returned, he added.

Polling for the second phase in 72 seats, out of the total 90-member Assembly, will take place on November 20 and the counting of votes will be held on December 11.&nbsp;

A probe into the procurement of Rafale fighter jets from France would throw up names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Anil Ambani, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Wednesday.

A probe into the procurement of Rafale fighter jets from France would throw up names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Anil Ambani, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Wednesday. Addressing a campaign rally here for the second phase of Assembly polls, Gandhi also claimed the NDA government bought the planes at Rs 1,600 crore a piece as against the Rs 526 crore for each aircraft fixed by the Congress-led UPA government. Gandhi's comments came on a day the Supreme Court said a discussion on the pricing of the Rafale jets can only take place if the facts of the deal are allowed to come into the public domain. The apex court, which began its hearing on pleas seeking a court-monitored probe into the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, also said it would like to hear from an Air Force officer and not an official of the Defence Ministry. "The CBI director (Alok Verma) initiated a probe in the Rafale deal. The prime minister removed him at 12 in the night. I am telling you, the day a probe will begin in Rafale deal, two names will surface: Anil Ambani and Narendra Modi," Gandhi told the gathering. On former French president Francois Hollande's comments in French media that the Indian government had proposed Reliance Defence as partner for Dassault Aviation in the deal and that France did not have a choice, Gandhi said Modi named Ambani's company as Dassault's partner in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale deal. The Modi government chose Ambani's "inexperienced" company over the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which has a long experience in aerospace and defence sector, Gandhi said. There was no reaction from the government or the BJP on the fresh charges, though they have previously rejected all allegations over the Rafale deal. On demonetisation, Gandhi said the poor suffered due to the move and that no billionaire or "thieves with black money" had to queue up outside banks to exchange notes after the old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes were declared invalid by Modi on November 8, 2016. Gandhi termed demonetisation as the "biggest scam" of the country. "There has been no bigger scam than this (note ban). The truth will come out. It will be proved that Modi made the move to snatch money from the poor and put it in the pockets of thieves like Nirav Modi, Anil Ambani and Mehul Choksi," he said. Terming the prime minister as corrupt, Gandhi accused him of not taking action against Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh's son Abhishek, whose name he said figured in the Panama Papers. Invoking his family ties with the state, the Congress chief said the relationship was of love and not politics. "We have old ties with you. Jawaharlal Nehruji, Indiraji, Rajivji, Soniaji had family ties with Chhattisgarh. It was a relationship of love and not politics," he said. He accused the BJP-led state government of forcibly acquiring lands of farmers, adding the Congress, if elected to power, would not snatch land from peasants. The Congress president also promised to install a "people's government" in Chhattisgarh and accused the ruling BJP of destroying the state in its 15-year rule. The state was among the richest in the country in terms of water, forest, mines and minerals but its people have remained poor due to the policies of the BJP government, he said. Lands of locals in the tribal-dominated state were taken away to set up industries, he said. But when the units were not set up, the lands were not returned, he added. Polling for the second phase in 72 seats, out of the total 90-member Assembly, will take place on November 20 and the counting of votes will be held on December 11.

Rafale probe will throw up names of Modi, Ambani: Rahul Gandhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Singapore

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/isro-to-launch-gsat-29-shortly-satellite-to-meet-communication-needs-of-remote-areas-177320">ISRO launches India's heaviest rocket, satellite on board will boost communication in Northeast, J&amp;K</a>

India's heaviest rocket the GSLV-MkIII-D2 blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Prades carrying the communication satellite GSAT-29 on board. The satellite will boost communications in remote areas.&nbsp;

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the GSLV-MkIII stands 43.4 metres tall and weighs 640 tonnes.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-rajapaksa-deputies-say-he-will-stay-in-office-177314">Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa deputies say he will stay in office despite losing trust vote</a>

Sri Lanka's parliament passed a no-confidence motion against newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday, presenting a standoff with the opposition and throwing the country deeper into turmoil.

Deputies from Rajapaksa's party rejected the voice vote as illegal, saying it wasn't scheduled and that the pro-China former strongman would remain in office.

It wasn't immediately clear what President Maithripala Sirisena, who triggered the crisis by firing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and naming Rajapaksa to the job last month, would do now.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/all-terror-attacks-finally-lead-back-to-single-source-modi-to-us-vp-mike-pence-177357">All terror attacks finally lead back to 'single source': Modi to US VP Mike Pence</a>

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told US Vice President Mike Pence that all the traces and all the leads in the global terror attacks ultimately leads to a "single source and single place of origin", in an apparent reference to Pakistan.

Modi, who held talks with Pence on a wide range of bilateral and global issues of mutual interests on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit here, also expressed concern over the participation of terrorists in the elections in Pakistan.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/deepika-padukone-and-ranveer-singh-are-now-officially-married-reports-177328">Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are now married: Reports</a>

It's finally happened. Bollywood's favourite couple- Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh- are officially married. The couple tied the knot in a traditional Konkani ceremony on Wednesday morning at Lake Como, Italy.&nbsp;

According to media reports, the wedding began at 9 am in the morning. The ceremony was strictly a private one with only close friends and relatives in attendance. No mobile phones were allowed at the venue.&nbsp;

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rafale-deal-supreme-court-reserves-judgement-on-petitions-seeking-court-monitored-probe-177339">Rafale deal: SC reserves judgement on petitions seeking court-monitored probe</a>

After a four-hour long hearing, the Supreme Court reserved its judgement Wednesday on the clutch of petitions seeking a court-monitored probe into the Rafale deal.&nbsp;

The government’s response to the Supreme Court — the court had asked for pricing and decision-making details of the deal — met with fiery questions from the petitioners. The petitioners alleged that the procurement of the 36 Rafale jets was announced first and negotiations held later, when it should have been the other way round.&nbsp;

Questions about the pricing of the jets dominated the day's discourse with the petitioners quizzing the Centre about having provided the details twice in parliament but not to them.

ISRO launches India's heaviest rocket, satellite on board will boost communication in Northeast, J&K India's heaviest rocket the GSLV-MkIII-D2 blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Prades carrying the communication satellite GSAT-29 on board.

ISRO launches India's heaviest rocket, satellite on board will boost communication in Northeast, J&K India's heaviest rocket the GSLV-MkIII-D2 blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Prades carrying the communication satellite GSAT-29 on board. The satellite will boost communications in remote areas. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the GSLV-MkIII stands 43.4 metres tall and weighs 640 tonnes. Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa deputies say he will stay in office despite losing trust vote Sri Lanka's parliament passed a no-confidence motion against newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday, presenting a standoff with the opposition and throwing the country deeper into turmoil. Deputies from Rajapaksa's party rejected the voice vote as illegal, saying it wasn't scheduled and that the pro-China former strongman would remain in office. It wasn't immediately clear what President Maithripala Sirisena, who triggered the crisis by firing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and naming Rajapaksa to the job last month, would do now. All terror attacks finally lead back to 'single source': Modi to US VP Mike Pence Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told US Vice President Mike Pence that all the traces and all the leads in the global terror attacks ultimately leads to a "single source and single place of origin", in an apparent reference to Pakistan. Modi, who held talks with Pence on a wide range of bilateral and global issues of mutual interests on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit here, also expressed concern over the participation of terrorists in the elections in Pakistan. Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are now married: Reports It's finally happened. Bollywood's favourite couple- Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh- are officially married. The couple tied the knot in a traditional Konkani ceremony on Wednesday morning at Lake Como, Italy. According to media reports, the wedding began at 9 am in the morning. The ceremony was strictly a private one with only close friends and relatives in attendance. No mobile phones were allowed at the venue. Rafale deal: SC reserves judgement on petitions seeking court-monitored probe After a four-hour long hearing, the Supreme Court reserved its judgement Wednesday on the clutch of petitions seeking a court-monitored probe into the Rafale deal. The government’s response to the Supreme Court — the court had asked for pricing and decision-making details of the deal — met with fiery questions from the petitioners. The petitioners alleged that the procurement of the 36 Rafale jets was announced first and negotiations held later, when it should have been the other way round. Questions about the pricing of the jets dominated the day's discourse with the petitioners quizzing the Centre about having provided the details twice in parliament but not to them.

News brief: Big stories of the day

DMK chief M K Stalin lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday, saying he did not like socialism, democracy and secularism and also took potshots at his foreign trips, describing him as the "non-resident prime minister".

Stalin, who has sharpened his attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led regime at the Centre ever since he took over the reigns of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in August, targeted the prime minister while addressing a wedding event here.

"Modi does not like socialism, democracy and secularism. His thoughts are about (industrialists) Adani and Ambani. We have heard about a non-resident Indian, but Modi is the non-resident prime minister," he said.

The DMK chief said he would have not been bothered about Modi's "84 foreign trips", had they "fetched results and brought honour for the nation".

However, it had only led to an expenditure running into crores of rupees, he said.

Accusing the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu of having an unquestioning attitude in respect of the Centre, "be it implementing NEET or imposition of Hindi", Stalin claimed that this was the reason for its government's continuation in power.

He, however, did not elaborate on how and in what manner Hindi was thrust upon Tamil Nadu.

Stalin also hit out at the AIADMK government, saying its thoughts hovered around "commission, collection and corruption", a pet slogan and summary of his slew of charges against the incumbent regime.

"The time has come to end all such things," he said and exhorted the DMK cadre to work for the party's victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and for the polls to 20 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu.

The DMK leader reiterated that he would not be surprised if the Assembly election and the Lok Sabha polls were held simultaneously.

His remark was an apparent indication to the question of longevity the AIADMK government faced in view of the disqualification of the 18 ruling party MLAs backing Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader T T V Dhinakaran.

The Madras High Court had recently upheld their disqualification and the debarred legislators had said they would not appeal against the verdict.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

DMK chief M K Stalin lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday, saying he did not like socialism, democracy and secularism and also took potshots at his foreign trips, describing him as the "non-resident prime minister".

DMK chief M K Stalin lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday, saying he did not like socialism, democracy and secularism and also took potshots at his foreign trips, describing him as the "non-resident prime minister". Stalin, who has sharpened his attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led regime at the Centre ever since he took over the reigns of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in August, targeted the prime minister while addressing a wedding event here. "Modi does not like socialism, democracy and secularism. His thoughts are about (industrialists) Adani and Ambani. We have heard about a non-resident Indian, but Modi is the non-resident prime minister," he said. The DMK chief said he would have not been bothered about Modi's "84 foreign trips", had they "fetched results and brought honour for the nation". However, it had only led to an expenditure running into crores of rupees, he said. Accusing the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu of having an unquestioning attitude in respect of the Centre, "be it implementing NEET or imposition of Hindi", Stalin claimed that this was the reason for its government's continuation in power. He, however, did not elaborate on how and in what manner Hindi was thrust upon Tamil Nadu. Stalin also hit out at the AIADMK government, saying its thoughts hovered around "commission, collection and corruption", a pet slogan and summary of his slew of charges against the incumbent regime. "The time has come to end all such things," he said and exhorted the DMK cadre to work for the party's victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and for the polls to 20 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu. The DMK leader reiterated that he would not be surprised if the Assembly election and the Lok Sabha polls were held simultaneously. His remark was an apparent indication to the question of longevity the AIADMK government faced in view of the disqualification of the 18 ruling party MLAs backing Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader T T V Dhinakaran. The Madras High Court had recently upheld their disqualification and the debarred legislators had said they would not appeal against the verdict.

Modi is 'non-resident prime minister'; does not like socialism, democracy: MK Stalin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Singapore on Wednesday for a two-day visit during which he will attend the East Asia Summit, an ASEAN-India informal meet, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summit and hold a meeting with US vice president Mike Pence.

Modi’s first engagement here would be to deliver the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Summit, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a tweet. “The Prime Minister landed in Singapore a short while ago. He will be joining a series of programmes through the day, beginning with the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival,” PMOIndia@PMOIndia said.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The Prime Minister landed in Singapore a short while ago. He will be joining a series of programmes through the day, beginning with the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival. <a href="https://t.co/tDICqJkvTX">pic.twitter.com/tDICqJkvTX</a>
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/1062472447507611648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Before leaving for Singapore, Modi said in New Delhi that his participation in the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits symbolised India’s “continued commitment” to strengthen its engagement with ASEAN members and with the wider Indo-Pacific region.

Modi also said he was confident that his visit to Singapore would impart fresh momentum to New Delhi’s growing partnership with ASEAN and East Asia Summit nations. The prime minister will have a number of high-profile multilateral and bilateral meetings with global leaders including US vice president Pence and Singapore premier Lee Hsein Loong.

Pence will participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi, the White House said Tuesday releasing the schedule of the Vice President Pence on the eve of the meeting.

The meeting is scheduled to take place 12.30pm local Singapore time, during which the two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral defence cooperation and a common vision for maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, the White House said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Singapore on Wednesday for a two-day visit during which he will attend the East Asia Summit, an ASEAN-India informal meet, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summit and hold a meeting with US vice president Mike Pence.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Singapore on Wednesday for a two-day visit during which he will attend the East Asia Summit, an ASEAN-India informal meet, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summit and hold a meeting with US vice president Mike Pence. Modi’s first engagement here would be to deliver the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Summit, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a tweet. “The Prime Minister landed in Singapore a short while ago. He will be joining a series of programmes through the day, beginning with the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival,” PMOIndia@PMOIndia said. The Prime Minister landed in Singapore a short while ago. He will be joining a series of programmes through the day, beginning with the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival. pic.twitter.com/tDICqJkvTX — PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 13, 2018 × Before leaving for Singapore, Modi said in New Delhi that his participation in the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits symbolised India’s “continued commitment” to strengthen its engagement with ASEAN members and with the wider Indo-Pacific region. Modi also said he was confident that his visit to Singapore would impart fresh momentum to New Delhi’s growing partnership with ASEAN and East Asia Summit nations. The prime minister will have a number of high-profile multilateral and bilateral meetings with global leaders including US vice president Pence and Singapore premier Lee Hsein Loong. Pence will participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi, the White House said Tuesday releasing the schedule of the Vice President Pence on the eve of the meeting. The meeting is scheduled to take place 12.30pm local Singapore time, during which the two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral defence cooperation and a common vision for maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, the White House said.

PM Narendra Modi arrives in Singapore for RCEP Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Singapore Fintech Festival

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets U.S Vice president

Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed the importance of global conversations on social media platforms.

After his meeting, Dorsey tweeted pictures from his meeting and said: "Thank you Prime Minister @narendramodi for having us today. I enjoyed our conversation about the importance of global conversation. Also: thanks for the ideas for Twitter!"

In response, Modi said: "Delighted to meet you @jack! Happy to see the passion with which you're leading @Twitter. I enjoy being on this medium, where I've made great friends and see every day the creativity of people."

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Delighted to meet you <a href="https://twitter.com/jack?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jack</a>! Happy to see the passion with which you’re leading <a href="https://twitter.com/Twitter?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Twitter</a>. 
 
I enjoy being on this medium, where I’ve made great friends and see everyday the creativity of people. <a href="https://t.co/aUElNJyahk">https://t.co/aUElNJyahk</a>
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1062355963590729729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Dorsey, who is on his maiden trip to India, has already met Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama and Congress President Rahul Gandhi.&nbsp;

Twitter, which counts India among its priority markets, has a large number of politicians in the country on its platform who engage with residents and extensively use it around elections.

The company has also launched its '#PowerOf18' initiative aimed at encouraging Indian youth to contribute to public debate and participate in civic engagement in the upcoming election season.

Addressing a townhall at IIT-Delhi Monday, Dorsey vowed to check the spread of fake news but said there is no "one fix"&nbsp;solution for the "multi-variable" problem. Social media firms have been facing the menace of rumours and fake news floating on their platforms. Organisations like Facebook and WhatsApp have taken a number of steps, including sensitisation programmes among users across the country.

"In a number of conversations, it's become more important that we scope the problem as tightly as possible because fake news or misinformation as a category is way too big," Dorsey had said Monday.

He had added that if certain content is found to be misleading, it is the company's job to ensure that such information is picked out and prevented from spreading.&nbsp;

Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed the importance of global conversations on social media platforms. After his meeting, Dorsey tweeted pictures from his meeting and said: "Thank you Prime Minister @narendramodi for having us today.

Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed the importance of global conversations on social media platforms. After his meeting, Dorsey tweeted pictures from his meeting and said: "Thank you Prime Minister @narendramodi for having us today. I enjoyed our conversation about the importance of global conversation. Also: thanks for the ideas for Twitter!" In response, Modi said: "Delighted to meet you @jack! Happy to see the passion with which you're leading @Twitter. I enjoy being on this medium, where I've made great friends and see every day the creativity of people." Delighted to meet you @jack! Happy to see the passion with which you’re leading @Twitter. I enjoy being on this medium, where I’ve made great friends and see everyday the creativity of people. https://t.co/aUElNJyahk — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 13, 2018 × Dorsey, who is on his maiden trip to India, has already met Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama and Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Twitter, which counts India among its priority markets, has a large number of politicians in the country on its platform who engage with residents and extensively use it around elections. The company has also launched its '#PowerOf18' initiative aimed at encouraging Indian youth to contribute to public debate and participate in civic engagement in the upcoming election season. Addressing a townhall at IIT-Delhi Monday, Dorsey vowed to check the spread of fake news but said there is no "one fix" solution for the "multi-variable" problem. Social media firms have been facing the menace of rumours and fake news floating on their platforms. Organisations like Facebook and WhatsApp have taken a number of steps, including sensitisation programmes among users across the country. "In a number of conversations, it's become more important that we scope the problem as tightly as possible because fake news or misinformation as a category is way too big," Dorsey had said Monday. He had added that if certain content is found to be misleading, it is the company's job to ensure that such information is picked out and prevented from spreading.

Happy to see the passion with which you’re leading: PM Modi meets Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have a number of high-profile multilateral and bilateral meetings with global leaders including US Vice President Mike Pence and Singapore premier Lee Hsein Loong during his two-day visit here beginning Wednesday, Indian officials said Tuesday.

PM Modi, who will be here on November 14 and 15 at the invitation of Prime Minister Lee, will attend the ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit, India's High Commission here said in a statement.

He will also attend the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit hosted by Singapore as the current Chair of ASEAN grouping.

"The ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit at Singapore will provide an opportunity to review progress in the relationship," the statement said.

During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will have a bilateral meeting with his Singapore counterpart Lee.

On the margins of these Summits, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with other leaders.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
On 14Nov,I'll have the honour to be the first Head of Govt to deliver Keynote Address at Singapore Fintech Festival. It is the right forum not only to showcase India's strengths in this fast-growing sector, but also to forge global partnerships for fostering innovation&amp;growth: PM
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1062348370210181121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Prime Minister Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with US Vice President Pence on November 14, the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi.

The White House said last week that Pence and Modi would discuss the India-US defence cooperation and the bilateral relationship during their meeting in Singapore.

As strategic partners, India and ASEAN enjoy close trade and economic relations. Trade between India and ASEAN stood at $81.33 billion in 2017-18 and constitutes

10.58 per cent of India's total trade. Exports to ASEAN countries constitute 11.28 per cent of India's total exports.

In January, India hosted ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit to celebrate 25 years of Dialogue Partnership, 15 years of Summit Level interaction and 5 years of Strategic Partnership.

In an unprecedented gesture, all 10 ASEAN Leaders attended the Commemorative Summit and graced the Republic Day celebrations as Chief Guests.

During the Summit, leaders reviewed the whole range of ASEAN-India cooperation and adopted the Delhi Declaration.

The East Asia Summit is a premier leaders-led forum in the Indo-Pacific Region comprising of the 10 ASEAN member states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam) and its eight dialogue partners - India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Russia.

Since its inception in 2005, it has played an important role in reviewing political, security and economic developments in the Indo-Pacific region, the statement said.

"This will be Prime Minister's fifth engagement with EAS. At the 13th EAS, Prime Minister will join other leaders to discuss international developmental issues such as information and communications technology, smart cities, maritime cooperation, education, finance, food security, environment and energy at both the retreat and plenary sessions.

"They will also deliberate on global and regional issues of mutual interest," the statement said.

PM Modi will attend the RCEP Summit to review the progress made on the negotiations presently underway to finalise the RCEP, a proposed free trade agreement presently being negotiated amongst 16 countries -- 10 ASEAN member-states and India, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

The agreement, once finalised, will cover 45 per cent of the world population, 40 per cent of the world trade and 34 per cent of the global GDP amounting to $21.3 trillion.

Since the commencement of negotiations in 2012, considerable progress has been achieved during the 24 rounds of negotiations at experts' level and 12 Ministerial Sessions.

"India remains committed to a forward-looking and balanced outcome that results in a modern, comprehensive, high quality and mutually beneficial economic partnership," the statement said.

On November 14, Modi will deliver a keynote address at the Fintech Festival- the first Head of Government to do so.

The festival, now in its third edition, is one of the largest events on financial technology and will see participation from Indian companies as well, the statement said.

On the same day, he will felicitate the winners and participants of India-Singapore Hackathon conducted by the All India Council for Technical Education and Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have a number of high-profile multilateral and bilateral meetings with global leaders including US Vice President Mike Pence and Singapore premier Lee Hsein Loong during his two-day visit here beginning Wednesday, Indian officials said Tuesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have a number of high-profile multilateral and bilateral meetings with global leaders including US Vice President Mike Pence and Singapore premier Lee Hsein Loong during his two-day visit here beginning Wednesday, Indian officials said Tuesday. PM Modi, who will be here on November 14 and 15 at the invitation of Prime Minister Lee, will attend the ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit, India's High Commission here said in a statement. He will also attend the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit hosted by Singapore as the current Chair of ASEAN grouping. "The ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit at Singapore will provide an opportunity to review progress in the relationship," the statement said. During the visit, Prime Minister Modi will have a bilateral meeting with his Singapore counterpart Lee. On the margins of these Summits, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with other leaders. On 14Nov,I'll have the honour to be the first Head of Govt to deliver Keynote Address at Singapore Fintech Festival. It is the right forum not only to showcase India's strengths in this fast-growing sector, but also to forge global partnerships for fostering innovation&growth: PM — ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2018 × Prime Minister Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with US Vice President Pence on November 14, the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi. The White House said last week that Pence and Modi would discuss the India-US defence cooperation and the bilateral relationship during their meeting in Singapore. As strategic partners, India and ASEAN enjoy close trade and economic relations. Trade between India and ASEAN stood at $81.33 billion in 2017-18 and constitutes 10.58 per cent of India's total trade. Exports to ASEAN countries constitute 11.28 per cent of India's total exports. In January, India hosted ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit to celebrate 25 years of Dialogue Partnership, 15 years of Summit Level interaction and 5 years of Strategic Partnership. In an unprecedented gesture, all 10 ASEAN Leaders attended the Commemorative Summit and graced the Republic Day celebrations as Chief Guests. During the Summit, leaders reviewed the whole range of ASEAN-India cooperation and adopted the Delhi Declaration. The East Asia Summit is a premier leaders-led forum in the Indo-Pacific Region comprising of the 10 ASEAN member states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam) and its eight dialogue partners - India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Russia. Since its inception in 2005, it has played an important role in reviewing political, security and economic developments in the Indo-Pacific region, the statement said. "This will be Prime Minister's fifth engagement with EAS. At the 13th EAS, Prime Minister will join other leaders to discuss international developmental issues such as information and communications technology, smart cities, maritime cooperation, education, finance, food security, environment and energy at both the retreat and plenary sessions. "They will also deliberate on global and regional issues of mutual interest," the statement said. PM Modi will attend the RCEP Summit to review the progress made on the negotiations presently underway to finalise the RCEP, a proposed free trade agreement presently being negotiated amongst 16 countries -- 10 ASEAN member-states and India, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. The agreement, once finalised, will cover 45 per cent of the world population, 40 per cent of the world trade and 34 per cent of the global GDP amounting to $21.3 trillion. Since the commencement of negotiations in 2012, considerable progress has been achieved during the 24 rounds of negotiations at experts' level and 12 Ministerial Sessions. "India remains committed to a forward-looking and balanced outcome that results in a modern, comprehensive, high quality and mutually beneficial economic partnership," the statement said. On November 14, Modi will deliver a keynote address at the Fintech Festival- the first Head of Government to do so. The festival, now in its third edition, is one of the largest events on financial technology and will see participation from Indian companies as well, the statement said. On the same day, he will felicitate the winners and participants of India-Singapore Hackathon conducted by the All India Council for Technical Education and Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.

PM Modi to have jam-packed schedule in Singapore, will meet US VP Mike Pence

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a diatribe against <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gulberg-massacre-supreme-court-to-hear-plea-challenging-clean-chit-given-to-pm-modi-177080">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a>, accusing him of "misleading" people on India's development.

Addressing a rally in Baloda Bazar ahead of the second phase of polling in Chhattisgarh on November 20, Gandhi said as per Modi, development of the country began only after 2014, when he became the prime minister.

"He (Modi) doesn't even know that the country is run by the people and not by a single man. He insults you by making such comments," the Congress president said.

Demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was aimed to break the back of small and medium businesses, Gandhi said. Congress will encourage youth to do business and get loan facility from banks, he added.

The Congress is not against big industrialists, but if government gives them benefit, small and medium business should not be neglected, he said.

"Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya fled the country with thousands of crores of rupees belonging to the people of India. PM Modi does nothing to bring them back to the country and doesn't utter a word on the issue," he said.

He claimed the CBI director was removed from his post at 1am to stop a probe into the Rafale deal. "If there is an investigation, only two names will come up: Narendra Modi and Anil Ambani. Modi is scared of a probe," he said.

Gandhi claimed Anil Ambani was chosen over HAL for the Rafale deal despite HAL having 70 years experience in manufacturing fighter aircraft.

"Anil Ambani didn't have the experience. He may not have made even a paper aeroplane," he said.

Gandhi said there is an undercurrent in favour of the Congress in the 18 constituencies of Chhattisgarh which went to polls Monday.

Results from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other poll-bound states will go in favour of the Congress, he said.

Chhattisgarh is rich in resources, the Congress president said, adding the "dream of the state was broken due to the misrule" of the BJP government.

Promising a "people's government" in Chhattisgarh if voted to power, he said people want a government which listens to their "Mann ki Baat".

"Instead of working for a few industrialists, Congress will work for development of agriculture, education and health in the state," Gandhi said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a diatribe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of "misleading" people on India's development. Addressing a rally in Baloda Bazar ahead of the second phase of polling in Chhattisgarh on November 20, Gandhi said as per Modi, development of the country began only after 2014, when he became the prime minister.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a diatribe against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of "misleading" people on India's development. Addressing a rally in Baloda Bazar ahead of the second phase of polling in Chhattisgarh on November 20, Gandhi said as per Modi, development of the country began only after 2014, when he became the prime minister. "He (Modi) doesn't even know that the country is run by the people and not by a single man. He insults you by making such comments," the Congress president said. Demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was aimed to break the back of small and medium businesses, Gandhi said. Congress will encourage youth to do business and get loan facility from banks, he added. The Congress is not against big industrialists, but if government gives them benefit, small and medium business should not be neglected, he said. "Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya fled the country with thousands of crores of rupees belonging to the people of India. PM Modi does nothing to bring them back to the country and doesn't utter a word on the issue," he said. He claimed the CBI director was removed from his post at 1am to stop a probe into the Rafale deal. "If there is an investigation, only two names will come up: Narendra Modi and Anil Ambani. Modi is scared of a probe," he said. Gandhi claimed Anil Ambani was chosen over HAL for the Rafale deal despite HAL having 70 years experience in manufacturing fighter aircraft. "Anil Ambani didn't have the experience. He may not have made even a paper aeroplane," he said. Gandhi said there is an undercurrent in favour of the Congress in the 18 constituencies of Chhattisgarh which went to polls Monday. Results from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and other poll-bound states will go in favour of the Congress, he said. Chhattisgarh is rich in resources, the Congress president said, adding the "dream of the state was broken due to the misrule" of the BJP government. Promising a "people's government" in Chhattisgarh if voted to power, he said people want a government which listens to their "Mann ki Baat". "Instead of working for a few industrialists, Congress will work for development of agriculture, education and health in the state," Gandhi said.

Modi doesn't know country run by people, not by one man: Rahul Gandhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet United States Vice President <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pence-accuses-china-of-seeking-to-change-us-president-169494">Mike Pence</a> on the sidelines of the 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore on November 14, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confirmed.&nbsp;

Addressing a presser here, Secretary (East) Vijay Thakur Singh&nbsp;said, "We can confirm that a meeting will take between the Prime Minister and the US Vice President on November 14. We will brief you later about the meeting and the outcomes of that meeting."&nbsp;

Delving on Prime Minister Modi`s two-day visit to Singapore, Singh said that this would be Prime Minister`s second visit to the island nation. Previously, he undertook a visit to Singapore in June.&nbsp;

"He will leave for Singapore on 14th morning and leave for Delhi late afternoon of 15th November. His first engagement would be a keynote address in the Singapore FinTech festival, where there is an Indian pavilion. It is one of the largest festivals. This year`s FinTech festival will be the third edition. This will be the first time a head of government will give a keynote address. This is because India has done lots of work in leveraging technology for innovation, development and financial inclusion," Singh elaborated.&nbsp;

On November 15, the prime minister will participate in the ASEAN-India breakfast summit, followed by East Asia lunch retreat.&nbsp;

After that, Prime Minister Modi will take part in the East Asia Summit in a plenary setting.&nbsp;After the meetings, the prime minister will depart for India.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Modi will also meet with the participants of the India-Singapore hackathon programme.&nbsp;

"There has been an enthusiastic participation where about 80 participants are participating," Singh said.&nbsp;

In the East Asia summit, regional and global issues would be discussed between the leaders.&nbsp;

Prominent issues such as ICT, Smart Cities project, maritime cooperation and terrorism would be on the agenda during the plurilateral meeting.&nbsp;

"We hope that the Prime Minister`s visit would give a new momentum to our relationship and engagement with ASEAN and East Asia Summit and would also strengthen India`s relations with Singapore. India has been engaging with ASEAN countries because we have an active Act East Policy, thereby having continued engagement with our eastern neighbours," Singh said.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet United States Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore on November 14, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confirmed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet United States Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore on November 14, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confirmed. Addressing a presser here, Secretary (East) Vijay Thakur Singh said, "We can confirm that a meeting will take between the Prime Minister and the US Vice President on November 14. We will brief you later about the meeting and the outcomes of that meeting." Delving on Prime Minister Modi`s two-day visit to Singapore, Singh said that this would be Prime Minister`s second visit to the island nation. Previously, he undertook a visit to Singapore in June. "He will leave for Singapore on 14th morning and leave for Delhi late afternoon of 15th November. His first engagement would be a keynote address in the Singapore FinTech festival, where there is an Indian pavilion. It is one of the largest festivals. This year`s FinTech festival will be the third edition. This will be the first time a head of government will give a keynote address. This is because India has done lots of work in leveraging technology for innovation, development and financial inclusion," Singh elaborated. On November 15, the prime minister will participate in the ASEAN-India breakfast summit, followed by East Asia lunch retreat. After that, Prime Minister Modi will take part in the East Asia Summit in a plenary setting. After the meetings, the prime minister will depart for India. Prime Minister Modi will also meet with the participants of the India-Singapore hackathon programme. "There has been an enthusiastic participation where about 80 participants are participating," Singh said. In the East Asia summit, regional and global issues would be discussed between the leaders. Prominent issues such as ICT, Smart Cities project, maritime cooperation and terrorism would be on the agenda during the plurilateral meeting. "We hope that the Prime Minister`s visit would give a new momentum to our relationship and engagement with ASEAN and East Asia Summit and would also strengthen India`s relations with Singapore. India has been engaging with ASEAN countries because we have an active Act East Policy, thereby having continued engagement with our eastern neighbours," Singh said.

Modi to meet US Vice-President Mike Pence in Singapore on November 14

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his visit to parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Monday, inaugurated a host of developmental projects including country's <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/at-parliamentary-constituency-varanasi-pm-modi-inaugurates-countrys-first-multi-modal-terminal-on-inland-waterways-176874">first multi-modal terminal on inland waterways</a>, National Waterway-1.&nbsp;

The Prime Minister also inaugurated two sewage infrastructure projects worth Rs 425.41 and laid the foundation stone for another project worth Rs 72.91 crore for Ramnagar.

These projects, along with two other ongoing projects of 120 MLD at Goitha and 50 MLD STP at Ramana, will take the sewage treatment capacity in the city to 412 MLD, news agency PTI reported. The&nbsp;projects will provide sewage treatment requirements to Varanasi till 2035 and prevent pollution of river Ganga from drains in Ramnagar, an official release said. As of now, there is no sewage treatment facility in Ramnagar town.&nbsp;

During his address in Varanasi, the Prime Minister stated that "such projects should have been launched decades ago, but that did not happen".&nbsp;

"Varanasi will witness the confluence of nature, culture and adventure," he added. &nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Kuch der pehle maine nadi marg se pahunche desh ke pehle container vessel ka swagat kiya. Ye container vessel chalne ka matlab hai ki poorvi uttar pradesh, aur purvi bharat jalmarg se ab Bengal ki khaadi se jud gaya hai: PM Modi in Varanasi <a href="https://t.co/axmanr1THb">pic.twitter.com/axmanr1THb</a>
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1061953134606589953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Later in the day, the Prime Minister inaugurated Ring Road, Babatpur Airport road in the holy city.&nbsp;

The 16.55-km-long Varanasi Ring Road Phase-I has been built at a cost of Rs 759.36 crore, while the work of four-laning and construction of 17.25 km Babatput-Varanasi road on NH-56 cost Rs 812.59 crore, an official release said.

The Ring Road, with two rail overbridges and a flyover, will allow traffic on NH 56 (Lucknow-Varanasi), NH 233 (Azamgarh-Varanasi), NH 29 (Gorakhpur-Varanasi) and Ayodhya-Varanasi highways to bypass Varanasi, thereby reducing traffic congestion in the city. This will reduce travel time, fuel usage and pollution in the area.

The Ring Road will provide easier and more convenient access to Sarnath, an important site for Buddhist pilgrimage. Besides, there are seven targeted projects of 235 km costing Rs 8,265 crore. Also, 20 projects for 1455 km roads are in detailed project report stage, PTI reported.

The Babatpur Airport highway will connect the city with the airport and go on to link Jaunpur, Sultanpur and Lucknow. With a flyover at Harhua and a rail overbridge at Tarna, it will reduce the travel time from Varanasi to the airport, providing a big relief to the people of the holy city and tourists.

While inaugurating the projects in Varanasi, PM Modi said, "These projects are living examples of new India's new vision."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his visit to parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Monday, inaugurated a host of developmental projects including country's first multi-modal terminal on inland waterways, National Waterway-1.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his visit to parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Monday, inaugurated a host of developmental projects including country's first multi-modal terminal on inland waterways, National Waterway-1. The Prime Minister also inaugurated two sewage infrastructure projects worth Rs 425.41 and laid the foundation stone for another project worth Rs 72.91 crore for Ramnagar. These projects, along with two other ongoing projects of 120 MLD at Goitha and 50 MLD STP at Ramana, will take the sewage treatment capacity in the city to 412 MLD, news agency PTI reported. The projects will provide sewage treatment requirements to Varanasi till 2035 and prevent pollution of river Ganga from drains in Ramnagar, an official release said. As of now, there is no sewage treatment facility in Ramnagar town. During his address in Varanasi, the Prime Minister stated that "such projects should have been launched decades ago, but that did not happen". "Varanasi will witness the confluence of nature, culture and adventure," he added. Kuch der pehle maine nadi marg se pahunche desh ke pehle container vessel ka swagat kiya. Ye container vessel chalne ka matlab hai ki poorvi uttar pradesh, aur purvi bharat jalmarg se ab Bengal ki khaadi se jud gaya hai: PM Modi in Varanasi pic.twitter.com/axmanr1THb — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 12, 2018 × Later in the day, the Prime Minister inaugurated Ring Road, Babatpur Airport road in the holy city. The 16.55-km-long Varanasi Ring Road Phase-I has been built at a cost of Rs 759.36 crore, while the work of four-laning and construction of 17.25 km Babatput-Varanasi road on NH-56 cost Rs 812.59 crore, an official release said. The Ring Road, with two rail overbridges and a flyover, will allow traffic on NH 56 (Lucknow-Varanasi), NH 233 (Azamgarh-Varanasi), NH 29 (Gorakhpur-Varanasi) and Ayodhya-Varanasi highways to bypass Varanasi, thereby reducing traffic congestion in the city. This will reduce travel time, fuel usage and pollution in the area. The Ring Road will provide easier and more convenient access to Sarnath, an important site for Buddhist pilgrimage. Besides, there are seven targeted projects of 235 km costing Rs 8,265 crore. Also, 20 projects for 1455 km roads are in detailed project report stage, PTI reported. The Babatpur Airport highway will connect the city with the airport and go on to link Jaunpur, Sultanpur and Lucknow. With a flyover at Harhua and a rail overbridge at Tarna, it will reduce the travel time from Varanasi to the airport, providing a big relief to the people of the holy city and tourists. While inaugurating the projects in Varanasi, PM Modi said, "These projects are living examples of new India's new vision."

These projects are living examples of new India's new vision: PM Modi gifts projects worth 2,413 crore to Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reached Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to inaugurate a slew of development projects. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

According to reports, PM Modi inaugurated country's first multi-modal terminal on inland waterways in Varanasi on river Ganga. The Prime Minister also received the country's first container cargo transported on inland waterways from Kolkata. This was the first time that a container vessel travelled on inland waterways on river Ganga.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Kuch der pehle maine nadi marg se pahunche desh ke pehle container vessel ka swagat kiya. Ye container vessel chalne ka matlab hai ki poorvi uttar pradesh, aur purvi bharat jalmarg se ab Bengal ki khaadi se jud gaya hai: PM Modi in Varanasi <a href="https://t.co/axmanr1THb">pic.twitter.com/axmanr1THb</a>
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1061953134606589953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The terminal is being constructed on the National Waterway-1 (river Ganga) as part of the World Bank-aided Jal Marg Vikas project of the Inland Waterways Authority of India.&nbsp;National Waterway-1, an inland water transport route, stretches between Haldia in West Bengal to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the first multi modal terminal constructed on River Ganga <a href="https://t.co/ozfx2HQvdv">pic.twitter.com/ozfx2HQvdv</a>
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1061926741944475648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 5,369.18 crore, which will be equally shared between the Government of India and the World Bank, news agency PTI reported.&nbsp;

PM Modi's Varanasi visit comes ahead of Lok Sabha polls scheduled next year. Earlier in the day, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-politics-begins-and-ends-with-one-family-pm-modi-in-bilaspur-chhattisgarh-176829">he visited poll-bound Chhattisgarh's Bilaspu</a>r and addressed a rally ahead of the second phase of elections in the BJP-led state.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the first multi modal terminal constructed on River Ganga <a href="https://t.co/qH3eSE9fL6">pic.twitter.com/qH3eSE9fL6</a>
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/1061926140762382336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

As many as 18 assembly constituencies, out of a total of 90, have gone to polls today in the first phase of the electoral fight marred by Naxal attacks.

The voter turnout in the first phase of Chhattisgarh assembly election on Monday was <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/chhattisgarh-assembly-polls-nearly-50-voter-turnout-recorded-till-3pm-176837">recorded at 56.58 per cent till 4.30pm</a>. By 2pm the same was recorded at nearly 38 per cent, the figure rose to nearly 50 per cent by 3pm.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reached Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to inaugurate a slew of development projects. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reached Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to inaugurate a slew of development projects. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. According to reports, PM Modi inaugurated country's first multi-modal terminal on inland waterways in Varanasi on river Ganga. The Prime Minister also received the country's first container cargo transported on inland waterways from Kolkata. This was the first time that a container vessel travelled on inland waterways on river Ganga. Kuch der pehle maine nadi marg se pahunche desh ke pehle container vessel ka swagat kiya. Ye container vessel chalne ka matlab hai ki poorvi uttar pradesh, aur purvi bharat jalmarg se ab Bengal ki khaadi se jud gaya hai: PM Modi in Varanasi pic.twitter.com/axmanr1THb — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 12, 2018 × The terminal is being constructed on the National Waterway-1 (river Ganga) as part of the World Bank-aided Jal Marg Vikas project of the Inland Waterways Authority of India. National Waterway-1, an inland water transport route, stretches between Haldia in West Bengal to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the first multi modal terminal constructed on River Ganga pic.twitter.com/ozfx2HQvdv — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 12, 2018 × The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 5,369.18 crore, which will be equally shared between the Government of India and the World Bank, news agency PTI reported. PM Modi's Varanasi visit comes ahead of Lok Sabha polls scheduled next year. Earlier in the day, he visited poll-bound Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur and addressed a rally ahead of the second phase of elections in the BJP-led state. Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the first multi modal terminal constructed on River Ganga pic.twitter.com/qH3eSE9fL6 — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 12, 2018 × As many as 18 assembly constituencies, out of a total of 90, have gone to polls today in the first phase of the electoral fight marred by Naxal attacks. The voter turnout in the first phase of Chhattisgarh assembly election on Monday was recorded at 56.58 per cent till 4.30pm. By 2pm the same was recorded at nearly 38 per cent, the figure rose to nearly 50 per cent by 3pm. (With inputs from agencies)

In parliamentary constituency Varanasi, PM Modi inaugurates National Waterway-1 on river Ganga

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address some 30,000 people at the world's largest gathering of financial technology companies in Singapore this week and launch a banking solution for two billion people without bank accounts worldwide.

Prime Minister Modi will be in Singapore from November 14 to 15 to attend a series of summits, including the East Asian summit and ASEAN meetings.

He is scheduled to speak at the Fintech Festival which has the largest gathering of global Fintech companies and delegates ranging from the industry leaders to smaller start-ups.

He will address 30,000 people at the festival, the biggest event of its kind in the world, the organisers said. India with 400 exhibitors is the largest contingent at the event.

PM Modi will launch APIX, a banking technology designed to reach two billion people worldwide who are still without bank accounts.

Designed by software experts based in Hyderabad, Colombo and London, APIX is a sophisticated technology by Boston-headquartered Virtusa, especially for smaller banks, Tier 3 and 4, to reach out to people in the remote regions.

The Prime Minister will be launching the technology at the invitation of Monetary Authority of Singapore, the International Finance Corp of the World Bank and the ASEAN Banking Association, said Nikhil Menon, Virtusa's senior vice president and Asia regional head.

APIX will support banks to reach out to those without bank accounts in 23 countries including the 10 ASEAN members as well as major markets such as India, and small nations including Fiji, said Menon.

Supporting PM Modi's presence at the festival is India Pavilion of 18 companies.

Eight of these companies are from Mumbai. The Pavilion is organised by the state-owned Maharashtra Information Technology Corp Ltd (MahaIT).

Mumbai Fintechs at the festival are seeking opportunities in the global markets, said MahaIT Fintech Officer Suniti Nanda.

"Mumbai, as a financial hub, is also a gateway for international fintech companies to enter the Indian market," Nanda said, adding that the festival gives opportunities both to understand global market requirements and present the potential of large-scale Indian consumers.

Malaysian fintechs have expressed interest in joining Indian fintechs to venture into India, according to Tushar Shankar, co-founder of Mumbai-based PhiCommerce which is presenting PayPhi, a three-year-old cashless system of making payments.

PayPhi is a socio-economic platform enabling the simple villager to dweller in metro to make payment, he said.

The Malaysians want to tap the online buying power for Indian consumers, he said.

"We are also participating in the festival to get a deeper understanding of the global market," said Shankar.

He also highlighted that India has been drawing global fintechs' interest as it has emerged as one of the largest system-based payment markets.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address some 30,000 people at the world's largest gathering of financial technology companies in Singapore this week and launch a banking solution for two billion people without bank accounts worldwide.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address some 30,000 people at the world's largest gathering of financial technology companies in Singapore this week and launch a banking solution for two billion people without bank accounts worldwide. Prime Minister Modi will be in Singapore from November 14 to 15 to attend a series of summits, including the East Asian summit and ASEAN meetings. He is scheduled to speak at the Fintech Festival which has the largest gathering of global Fintech companies and delegates ranging from the industry leaders to smaller start-ups. He will address 30,000 people at the festival, the biggest event of its kind in the world, the organisers said. India with 400 exhibitors is the largest contingent at the event. PM Modi will launch APIX, a banking technology designed to reach two billion people worldwide who are still without bank accounts. Designed by software experts based in Hyderabad, Colombo and London, APIX is a sophisticated technology by Boston-headquartered Virtusa, especially for smaller banks, Tier 3 and 4, to reach out to people in the remote regions. The Prime Minister will be launching the technology at the invitation of Monetary Authority of Singapore, the International Finance Corp of the World Bank and the ASEAN Banking Association, said Nikhil Menon, Virtusa's senior vice president and Asia regional head. APIX will support banks to reach out to those without bank accounts in 23 countries including the 10 ASEAN members as well as major markets such as India, and small nations including Fiji, said Menon. Supporting PM Modi's presence at the festival is India Pavilion of 18 companies. Eight of these companies are from Mumbai. The Pavilion is organised by the state-owned Maharashtra Information Technology Corp Ltd (MahaIT). Mumbai Fintechs at the festival are seeking opportunities in the global markets, said MahaIT Fintech Officer Suniti Nanda. "Mumbai, as a financial hub, is also a gateway for international fintech companies to enter the Indian market," Nanda said, adding that the festival gives opportunities both to understand global market requirements and present the potential of large-scale Indian consumers. Malaysian fintechs have expressed interest in joining Indian fintechs to venture into India, according to Tushar Shankar, co-founder of Mumbai-based PhiCommerce which is presenting PayPhi, a three-year-old cashless system of making payments. PayPhi is a socio-economic platform enabling the simple villager to dweller in metro to make payment, he said. The Malaysians want to tap the online buying power for Indian consumers, he said. "We are also participating in the festival to get a deeper understanding of the global market," said Shankar. He also highlighted that India has been drawing global fintechs' interest as it has emerged as one of the largest system-based payment markets.

Prime Minister Modi to address 30,000 people at Singapore financial technology fest

People in India share <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/obama-warned-zuckerberg-over-fake-news-report-20605">fake news</a> stories with nationalistic messages for "nation building" purposes without any attempt at fact-checking, a BBC report released Monday said.

The findings come from extensive research in India, Kenya, and Nigeria into the way ordinary citizens engage with and spread fake news, the British public broadcaster said.

According to the report, there is also an overlap of fake news sources on Twitter and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support networks.

The report, analysing the spread of fake news from the perspective of ordinary citizens, suggests an "overlap between fake news and pro-Modi political activity" in India.

The BBC said its first published study, providing an in-depth understanding of how fake news and disinformation are spreading within encrypted chat apps, reveals that emotion is trumping reason when it comes to sharing news.

"Whilst most discussion in the media has focused on 'fake news' in the West, this piece of research gives strong evidence that a serious set of problems are emerging in the rest of the world where the idea of nation-building is trumping the truth when it comes to sharing stories on social media," said Jamie Angus, Director, BBC World Service Group.

As part of the extensive research using big data and analytics, the BBC found that in Indian Twitter networks, known right wing sources of fake news seemed more closely aligned than left wing sources.

"This allows right leaning fake news to spread faster and wider than left leaning fake news," notes the extensive research carried out by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the three countries.

The research forms part of the BBC Beyond Fake News project, a new international anti-disinformation initiative of programmes and discussions, which launches this week.

The research revealed that fake news was being unwittingly spread by people across India, Kenya, and Nigeria as they forward messages in the hope that someone else will check the truth of the story for them.

"In India people are reluctant to share messages which they think might incite violence, but feel duty bound to share nationalistic messages," the research notes.

"Fake news stories about India's progress, Hindu power and revival of lost Hindu glory are being shared widely without any attempt at fact-checking. In sharing these messages, people feel like they are nation building," it adds.

Whilst nationalism is driving the spread of fake news in India, the research tells a different story in Kenya and Nigeria.

There, fake news stories that get shared largely reflect national anxieties and aspirations, with scams related to money and technology contributing to an estimated third of fake news stories in WhatsApp conversations in Kenya. 
In Nigeria, stories relating to terrorism and the army are also widely shared within WhatsApp.

The latest research is part of the BBC's wider Beyond Fake News initiative, which has been described as a decisive step in its commitment to tackling the spread of disinformation, and the research provides "invaluable insights to aid this work".

"At the heart of this research is the question of why ordinary people are sharing fake news, even while they claim to be worried about the way fake stories spread. 
"This report combines in-depth qualitative and ethnographic techniques with digital network analysis and big data techniques to explore the fake news phenomenon in India, Kenya, and Nigeria from multiple angles," said Santanu Chakrabarti, Head of Audience Research, BBC World Service.

Chakrabarti said the project was one of the first in these countries to properly understand fake news as a technologically driven social phenomenon.

As part of a generational analysis, it reveals that young people are identifying along nationalistic lines, and this is driving their sharing behaviour as much as it is the older generation.

The research suggests that a significant amount of fake stories being shared are not written articles, but images and memes.

The report explains in depth how the nature of social media platforms, combined with the challenge people face in coping with the amount of information online, leads to the spread of fake news being carried through visual media.

The report comes on the same day when social media giants like Facebook, Google and Twitter are to appear together to talk about the impact of fake news on their platforms.

They will discuss the issue at the BBC Beyond Fake News conference in Delhi Monday, to be broadcast on BBC World News.

Among some of its wider findings, the report found that a sense of duty is behind the spread of fake news in Kenya and Nigeria rather than being motivated by a duty to "nation build" like in India.

In Kenya and Nigeria people are consuming mainstream media sources and known sources of fake news in equal amounts, even though the public's desire to know the original source of messages is far greater than in India, it said.

The report examines networks within Twitter and analyses how people are sharing encrypted messaging apps, after users gave the BBC unprecedented access to their phones.&nbsp;

People in India share fake news stories with nationalistic messages for "nation building" purposes without any attempt at fact-checking, a BBC report released Monday said.

People in India share fake news stories with nationalistic messages for "nation building" purposes without any attempt at fact-checking, a BBC report released Monday said. The findings come from extensive research in India, Kenya, and Nigeria into the way ordinary citizens engage with and spread fake news, the British public broadcaster said. According to the report, there is also an overlap of fake news sources on Twitter and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support networks. The report, analysing the spread of fake news from the perspective of ordinary citizens, suggests an "overlap between fake news and pro-Modi political activity" in India. The BBC said its first published study, providing an in-depth understanding of how fake news and disinformation are spreading within encrypted chat apps, reveals that emotion is trumping reason when it comes to sharing news. "Whilst most discussion in the media has focused on 'fake news' in the West, this piece of research gives strong evidence that a serious set of problems are emerging in the rest of the world where the idea of nation-building is trumping the truth when it comes to sharing stories on social media," said Jamie Angus, Director, BBC World Service Group. As part of the extensive research using big data and analytics, the BBC found that in Indian Twitter networks, known right wing sources of fake news seemed more closely aligned than left wing sources. "This allows right leaning fake news to spread faster and wider than left leaning fake news," notes the extensive research carried out by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the three countries. The research forms part of the BBC Beyond Fake News project, a new international anti-disinformation initiative of programmes and discussions, which launches this week. The research revealed that fake news was being unwittingly spread by people across India, Kenya, and Nigeria as they forward messages in the hope that someone else will check the truth of the story for them. "In India people are reluctant to share messages which they think might incite violence, but feel duty bound to share nationalistic messages," the research notes. "Fake news stories about India's progress, Hindu power and revival of lost Hindu glory are being shared widely without any attempt at fact-checking. In sharing these messages, people feel like they are nation building," it adds. Whilst nationalism is driving the spread of fake news in India, the research tells a different story in Kenya and Nigeria. There, fake news stories that get shared largely reflect national anxieties and aspirations, with scams related to money and technology contributing to an estimated third of fake news stories in WhatsApp conversations in Kenya. In Nigeria, stories relating to terrorism and the army are also widely shared within WhatsApp. The latest research is part of the BBC's wider Beyond Fake News initiative, which has been described as a decisive step in its commitment to tackling the spread of disinformation, and the research provides "invaluable insights to aid this work". "At the heart of this research is the question of why ordinary people are sharing fake news, even while they claim to be worried about the way fake stories spread. "This report combines in-depth qualitative and ethnographic techniques with digital network analysis and big data techniques to explore the fake news phenomenon in India, Kenya, and Nigeria from multiple angles," said Santanu Chakrabarti, Head of Audience Research, BBC World Service. Chakrabarti said the project was one of the first in these countries to properly understand fake news as a technologically driven social phenomenon. As part of a generational analysis, it reveals that young people are identifying along nationalistic lines, and this is driving their sharing behaviour as much as it is the older generation. The research suggests that a significant amount of fake stories being shared are not written articles, but images and memes. The report explains in depth how the nature of social media platforms, combined with the challenge people face in coping with the amount of information online, leads to the spread of fake news being carried through visual media. The report comes on the same day when social media giants like Facebook, Google and Twitter are to appear together to talk about the impact of fake news on their platforms. They will discuss the issue at the BBC Beyond Fake News conference in Delhi Monday, to be broadcast on BBC World News. Among some of its wider findings, the report found that a sense of duty is behind the spread of fake news in Kenya and Nigeria rather than being motivated by a duty to "nation build" like in India. In Kenya and Nigeria people are consuming mainstream media sources and known sources of fake news in equal amounts, even though the public's desire to know the original source of messages is far greater than in India, it said. The report examines networks within Twitter and analyses how people are sharing encrypted messaging apps, after users gave the BBC unprecedented access to their phones.

Nationalism behind spread of fake news in India: BBC report

Excessive centralisation of power in the political decision making is one of India's main problems, former Reserve Bank of India governor <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-economic-growth-held-back-due-to-demonetisation-gst-raghuram-rajan-176545">Raghuram Rajan</a> has said, at a time when the country's central bank is locked in a tussle with the central government over its independence.

Speaking at the University of California in Berkley on Friday, Mr Rajan referred to the recently unveiled "Statue of Unity" as an example of a project that required the approval of the Prime Minister's Office, drawing laughter from the audience.

On the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the "Statue of Unity" in Gujarat's Narmada district on October 31. Billed as the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/lord-rams-statue-should-be-taller-than-statue-of-unity-azam-khan-175363">tallest statue in the world</a>, the 182-metre tall statue was built at a cost of Rs&nbsp;2,989 crore.

"India can't work from the centre. India works when you have many people taking up the burden. And today the central government is excessively centralised," he said.

Mr Rajan, returned to academia in 2016 after his three-year tenure as RBI governor, choosing to not seek a second term — a first in over two decades.

On Friday, he said an example of India's centralisation of political decision-making was the quantum of decisions that required the assent of the Prime Minister's Office.

Nobody wants to take a decision, unless it has approval up there, which means even if the Prime Minister works 18 hours a day, a very hard-working prime minister, there is only so much time he has, Mr Rajan said.

The kind of projects that get done depends on the prime minister, he said.

"For example, we build this massive statue, the Sardar Patel statue on time," Mr Rajan said amidst laughter and applause from the audience.

"That suggests that when there is a will, there is a way. Can we find that will for everything else?" he asked.

In addition to excessive centralisation, the unwillingness of the bureaucracy, including in the public sector, to take initiatives, is another major problem, he said.

Mr Rajan said ever since the corruption scandals hit India, the bureaucracy had stepped back.

Excessive centralisation of power in the political decision making is one of India's main problems, former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan has said, at a time when the country's central bank is locked in a tussle with the central government over its independence.

Excessive centralisation of power in the political decision making is one of India's main problems, former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan has said, at a time when the country's central bank is locked in a tussle with the central government over its independence. Speaking at the University of California in Berkley on Friday, Mr Rajan referred to the recently unveiled "Statue of Unity" as an example of a project that required the approval of the Prime Minister's Office, drawing laughter from the audience. On the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the "Statue of Unity" in Gujarat's Narmada district on October 31. Billed as the tallest statue in the world, the 182-metre tall statue was built at a cost of Rs 2,989 crore. "India can't work from the centre. India works when you have many people taking up the burden. And today the central government is excessively centralised," he said. Mr Rajan, returned to academia in 2016 after his three-year tenure as RBI governor, choosing to not seek a second term — a first in over two decades. On Friday, he said an example of India's centralisation of political decision-making was the quantum of decisions that required the assent of the Prime Minister's Office. Nobody wants to take a decision, unless it has approval up there, which means even if the Prime Minister works 18 hours a day, a very hard-working prime minister, there is only so much time he has, Mr Rajan said. The kind of projects that get done depends on the prime minister, he said. "For example, we build this massive statue, the Sardar Patel statue on time," Mr Rajan said amidst laughter and applause from the audience. "That suggests that when there is a will, there is a way. Can we find that will for everything else?" he asked. In addition to excessive centralisation, the unwillingness of the bureaucracy, including in the public sector, to take initiatives, is another major problem, he said. Mr Rajan said ever since the corruption scandals hit India, the bureaucracy had stepped back.

Today, the central government is excessively centralised: Raghuram Rajan

Much has been written about Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating a 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Great Unifier of India. While the more obvious political explanation for the move to erect the world's tallest statue is linked to one of his party's pet themes - Nehru family bashing - a closer look would reveal that at play is an aspect of his politics that is not discussed enough: Gujarati pride. Kevadiya, the town of only 6,800 people that is nearest to the statue on the banks of the Narmada river, has an immediate political significance as well.

While the Hindi belt has officially dominated Indian democratic politics since Independence, the fact is that Gujarat had given three major leaders shaping modern India before Modi came on the scene: Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Morarji Desai.

Patel welded 562 princely states into a modern republic after Gandhi led the Indian National Congress that spearheaded the movement to win freedom from British rule. Patel's differences with Nehru were healthy and not serious but have provided political ammunition to Nehru bashers six decades later, who act in the belief that the younger generation will see the differences as a deep rift.

Desai came much later but had his own significance. As the prime minister who headed India's first non-Congress government for two years from 1977, Desai was important because his rule came after a brutal Emergency rule under Indira Gandhi. Perhaps even more important, Indira's rise a decade earlier had pitted Desai against her within the Congress before she split the nation's leading party in a populist upsurge backed by a slew of left-wing parties and groups. The Statue of Unity in that sense represents a lineage of differences within the Congress involving towering Gujaratis.

Modi's politics has three different strains. First, is, of course, the Hindutva ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of he has been a long-time soldier. Second is a modern face that stresses clean governance, decisive policy-making and industrialisation. The third and the least spoken about is Gujarati pride.

I have reasons to believe that Modi's attempt to appropriate the late Congress leader, Sardar Patel, despite Patel's criticism of RSS and its ways, is an attempt to project himself in the lineage of a great Gujarati.&nbsp;

Modi knows that no national leader can command a huge following when his own base is not safe. While Gujarat is still under the BJP with Modi's loyalists in power, the last assembly election that saw an eroded party strength and the rise of young anti-BJP leaders like Jignesh Melvani and Hardik Patel showed that he can take nothing for granted in the state that has 26 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. The Statue of Unity in that sense speaks for Gujarati unity in a charged political atmosphere.

Modi needs every trick in the bag to tower over Gujarat. Standing at the foot of a giant statue of Sardar Patel in an interior part of the state has strong visual symbolism. The younger generation will see him not just as a spunky small-town tea-seller who made it big as a national leader in India but as one who belongs in a great lineage. Modi knows that in a dynamically changing India, Hindutva has limited value, and his own 'Moditva' that crafts his own cocktail of a personality cult and a slew of slogans and promises would be vital if he has to maintain his front-running role in a volatile democracy of more than 100 crore people. Locating himself in a grand lineage strengthens the Moditva plank.

In the shifting sands of coalition politics in India, Modi cannot afford to play the hardline Hindu card the way the Bharatiya Janata Party played in the high noon of the Ram Mandir movement in the 1990s. Having tried to register his mark as a modern international leader, he needs 'Moditva' with a populist twist. As things stand, local populism based on Gujarati pride works far better - and is a lot less risky - than any plank that deepens Hindu-Muslim divides. Modi simply cannot afford divisive politics anymore, as he has arrived on the national scene already and stands to gain more from cementing divides than fomenting them.&nbsp;

A healthy regional pride is accepted worldwide more than religious parochialism. The Rs 2,989-crore statue of Patel gives Modi an architectural marvel that stands for many things at once: Gujarati pride, ambition, tradition, novelty and creativity. Even if Modi appears small in front of the statue in carefully crafted photographs, he will be seen by Gujarati youth as an inheritor of values of the Grand Unifier. That hopefully enhances Modi's prospects in his home state, even as the BJP struggles to hold on to power in its other strongholds: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="http://zeenews.india.com/blogs/why-a-giant-sardar-patel-statue-is-a-key-piece-in-pm-modis-political-calculation-2154155.html">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

&nbsp;

Much has been written about Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating a 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Great Unifier of India. While the more obvious political explanation for the move to erect the world's tallest statue is linked to one of his party's pet themes - Nehru family bashing - a closer look would reveal that at play is an aspect of his politics that is not discussed enough: Gujarati pride.

Much has been written about Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating a 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Great Unifier of India. While the more obvious political explanation for the move to erect the world's tallest statue is linked to one of his party's pet themes - Nehru family bashing - a closer look would reveal that at play is an aspect of his politics that is not discussed enough: Gujarati pride. Kevadiya, the town of only 6,800 people that is nearest to the statue on the banks of the Narmada river, has an immediate political significance as well. While the Hindi belt has officially dominated Indian democratic politics since Independence, the fact is that Gujarat had given three major leaders shaping modern India before Modi came on the scene: Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Morarji Desai. Patel welded 562 princely states into a modern republic after Gandhi led the Indian National Congress that spearheaded the movement to win freedom from British rule. Patel's differences with Nehru were healthy and not serious but have provided political ammunition to Nehru bashers six decades later, who act in the belief that the younger generation will see the differences as a deep rift. Desai came much later but had his own significance. As the prime minister who headed India's first non-Congress government for two years from 1977, Desai was important because his rule came after a brutal Emergency rule under Indira Gandhi. Perhaps even more important, Indira's rise a decade earlier had pitted Desai against her within the Congress before she split the nation's leading party in a populist upsurge backed by a slew of left-wing parties and groups. The Statue of Unity in that sense represents a lineage of differences within the Congress involving towering Gujaratis. Modi's politics has three different strains. First, is, of course, the Hindutva ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of he has been a long-time soldier. Second is a modern face that stresses clean governance, decisive policy-making and industrialisation. The third and the least spoken about is Gujarati pride. I have reasons to believe that Modi's attempt to appropriate the late Congress leader, Sardar Patel, despite Patel's criticism of RSS and its ways, is an attempt to project himself in the lineage of a great Gujarati. Modi knows that no national leader can command a huge following when his own base is not safe. While Gujarat is still under the BJP with Modi's loyalists in power, the last assembly election that saw an eroded party strength and the rise of young anti-BJP leaders like Jignesh Melvani and Hardik Patel showed that he can take nothing for granted in the state that has 26 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. The Statue of Unity in that sense speaks for Gujarati unity in a charged political atmosphere. Modi needs every trick in the bag to tower over Gujarat. Standing at the foot of a giant statue of Sardar Patel in an interior part of the state has strong visual symbolism. The younger generation will see him not just as a spunky small-town tea-seller who made it big as a national leader in India but as one who belongs in a great lineage. Modi knows that in a dynamically changing India, Hindutva has limited value, and his own 'Moditva' that crafts his own cocktail of a personality cult and a slew of slogans and promises would be vital if he has to maintain his front-running role in a volatile democracy of more than 100 crore people. Locating himself in a grand lineage strengthens the Moditva plank. In the shifting sands of coalition politics in India, Modi cannot afford to play the hardline Hindu card the way the Bharatiya Janata Party played in the high noon of the Ram Mandir movement in the 1990s. Having tried to register his mark as a modern international leader, he needs 'Moditva' with a populist twist. As things stand, local populism based on Gujarati pride works far better - and is a lot less risky - than any plank that deepens Hindu-Muslim divides. Modi simply cannot afford divisive politics anymore, as he has arrived on the national scene already and stands to gain more from cementing divides than fomenting them. A healthy regional pride is accepted worldwide more than religious parochialism. The Rs 2,989-crore statue of Patel gives Modi an architectural marvel that stands for many things at once: Gujarati pride, ambition, tradition, novelty and creativity. Even if Modi appears small in front of the statue in carefully crafted photographs, he will be seen by Gujarati youth as an inheritor of values of the Grand Unifier. That hopefully enhances Modi's prospects in his home state, even as the BJP struggles to hold on to power in its other strongholds: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. (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)

Why a giant Sardar Patel statue is a key piece in PM Modi's political calculation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday wished BJP veteran L K Advani on his birthday, saying his contribution towards nation building is monumental.

Advani, who&nbsp;was born on this day in 1927 in Karachi,&nbsp;turned 91 today.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Best wishes to Shri LK Advani Ji on his birthday. Advani Ji’s contribution towards India’s development is monumental. His ministerial tenures are applauded for futuristic decision making and people-friendly policies. His wisdom is admired across the political spectrum.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1060365191722938368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"Advani Ji's contribution towards India's development is monumental. His ministerial tenures are applauded for futuristic decision making and people-friendly policies. His wisdom is admired across the political spectrum," the prime minister wrote on Twitter.

He also said the party veteran's impact on Indian politics is immense.

"Selflessly and diligently, he built the @BJP4India and wonderfully mentored Karyakartas (workers)," he said in another tweet.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Shri LK Advani Ji’s impact on Indian politics is immense. Selflessly and diligently, he built the <a href="https://twitter.com/BJP4India?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BJP4India</a> and wonderfully mentored Karyakartas. 
 
I pray for the good health and long life of our beloved Advani Ji.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1060365354482884608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday wished BJP veteran L K Advani on his birthday, saying his contribution towards nation building is monumental. Advani, who was born on this day in 1927 in Karachi, turned 91 today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday wished BJP veteran L K Advani on his birthday, saying his contribution towards nation building is monumental. Advani, who was born on this day in 1927 in Karachi, turned 91 today. Best wishes to Shri LK Advani Ji on his birthday. Advani Ji’s contribution towards India’s development is monumental. His ministerial tenures are applauded for futuristic decision making and people-friendly policies. His wisdom is admired across the political spectrum. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 8, 2018 × "Advani Ji's contribution towards India's development is monumental. His ministerial tenures are applauded for futuristic decision making and people-friendly policies. His wisdom is admired across the political spectrum," the prime minister wrote on Twitter. He also said the party veteran's impact on Indian politics is immense. "Selflessly and diligently, he built the @BJP4India and wonderfully mentored Karyakartas (workers)," he said in another tweet. Shri LK Advani Ji’s impact on Indian politics is immense. Selflessly and diligently, he built the @BJP4India and wonderfully mentored Karyakartas. I pray for the good health and long life of our beloved Advani Ji. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 8, 2018 ×

PM greets Advani on birthday, says his contribution towards nation building monumental

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be in Chhattisgarh Friday to campaign for the first phase of the Assembly elections in the state.&nbsp;

Modi will address a rally in Bastar district's headquarters, Jagdalpur, while Gandhi will tour the state for two days during which he will address five rallies and hold a roadshow in Chief Minister Raman Singh's constituency, Rajnandgaon.

The prime minister is scheduled to arrive at Raipur airport at 11:20 am Friday and then take a helicopter to Jagdalpur. Following the rally, he will leave for Raipur at 2 pm and then return to Delhi, a state BJP spokesperson said Thursday.

"This will be the PM's first election rally for the state Assembly polls. It will add power to the party's campaign," the spokesperson added.

Gandhi on Friday will address his first rally in Pakhanjore town of Kanker district at noon, followed by public meetings in Rajnandgaon district's Khairgarh and Dongargarh towns, and a roadshow in Rajnandgaon, said head of Congress state communication wing Shailesh Nitin Trivedi.

He will put up at Rajnandgaon for the night and on Saturday, will address rallies in Charama (Kanker district) and Kondagaon, Trivedi said, adding that the Congress chief would also chair a meeting of party workers in Jagdalpur.

Raman Singh is also scheduled to hold a roadshow in Rajnandgaon on Friday evening. He is pitted against the Congress's Karuna Shukla, niece of late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The campaigning for the first phase will end Saturday.

The first phase on November 12 will see 18 seats of eight Naxal-affected districts go to polls. Of these, 12 are Scheduled Tribe seats while one is a Scheduled Caste-reserved seat.

The ruling BJP had lost 12 of the 18 seats in the 2013 Assembly polls.

The remaining 72 constituencies will witness polling on November 20 and counting of votes will be held on December 11.

A total of1,291 candidates are in the fray for the two-phased state polls.

In the 2013 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 49 seats, Congress 39, BSP 1 and Independent 1 in the 90-member House.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be in Chhattisgarh Friday to campaign for the first phase of the Assembly elections in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be in Chhattisgarh Friday to campaign for the first phase of the Assembly elections in the state. Modi will address a rally in Bastar district's headquarters, Jagdalpur, while Gandhi will tour the state for two days during which he will address five rallies and hold a roadshow in Chief Minister Raman Singh's constituency, Rajnandgaon. The prime minister is scheduled to arrive at Raipur airport at 11:20 am Friday and then take a helicopter to Jagdalpur. Following the rally, he will leave for Raipur at 2 pm and then return to Delhi, a state BJP spokesperson said Thursday. "This will be the PM's first election rally for the state Assembly polls. It will add power to the party's campaign," the spokesperson added. Gandhi on Friday will address his first rally in Pakhanjore town of Kanker district at noon, followed by public meetings in Rajnandgaon district's Khairgarh and Dongargarh towns, and a roadshow in Rajnandgaon, said head of Congress state communication wing Shailesh Nitin Trivedi. He will put up at Rajnandgaon for the night and on Saturday, will address rallies in Charama (Kanker district) and Kondagaon, Trivedi said, adding that the Congress chief would also chair a meeting of party workers in Jagdalpur. Raman Singh is also scheduled to hold a roadshow in Rajnandgaon on Friday evening. He is pitted against the Congress's Karuna Shukla, niece of late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The campaigning for the first phase will end Saturday. The first phase on November 12 will see 18 seats of eight Naxal-affected districts go to polls. Of these, 12 are Scheduled Tribe seats while one is a Scheduled Caste-reserved seat. The ruling BJP had lost 12 of the 18 seats in the 2013 Assembly polls. The remaining 72 constituencies will witness polling on November 20 and counting of votes will be held on December 11. A total of1,291 candidates are in the fray for the two-phased state polls. In the 2013 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 49 seats, Congress 39, BSP 1 and Independent 1 in the 90-member House.

Chhattisgarh polls: PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi to campaign on Friday

The Cabinet Thursday approved the signing and ratifying of an extradition agreement between India and Morocco.

The decision was taken at the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The agreement will be signed during a proposed VIP visit from Morocco from November 11-18, an official statement said.

The agreement will provide a strong legal base for the extradition of fugitive offenders who are accused of economic offences, terrorism and other serious offences in one state and found in the other state.&nbsp;

The Cabinet also approved the agreement between India and Morocco on mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters.

This agreement between India and Morocco will enhance cooperation in the service of summons, judicial documents, letters of request and the execution of judgments decrees and arbitral awards.

The Cabinet Thursday approved the signing and ratifying of an extradition agreement between India and Morocco. The decision was taken at the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Cabinet Thursday approved the signing and ratifying of an extradition agreement between India and Morocco. The decision was taken at the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The agreement will be signed during a proposed VIP visit from Morocco from November 11-18, an official statement said. The agreement will provide a strong legal base for the extradition of fugitive offenders who are accused of economic offences, terrorism and other serious offences in one state and found in the other state. The Cabinet also approved the agreement between India and Morocco on mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters. This agreement between India and Morocco will enhance cooperation in the service of summons, judicial documents, letters of request and the execution of judgments decrees and arbitral awards.

Cabinet approves signing, ratifying extradition pact between India and Morocco

Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday attacked PM Modi's government stating that the regime is trying "to 'capture' RBI ahead of Lok Sabha poll, this will be catastrophic."

He alleged that the government has packed the central bank's board with handpicked nominees, and was making every attempt to push through its proposals at the RBI board meeting on November 19.

"The government stares at a fiscal deficit crisis... The government wants to step up the expenditure in an election year. Finding all avenues closed, in desperation, the government has demanded Rs 1 lakh crore from the reserves of RBI," the former finance minister said at a press conference.

If RBI Governor Urjit Patel stands his ground, the Centre was planning to issue a direction under Section 7 of the RBI Act, 1934, directing the apex bank to transfer Rs 1 lakh crore to the government's account, he claimed.

"The day of reckoning is November 19 when the RBI board is scheduled to meet. The government has packed the RBI board with its handpicked nominees and is making every attempt to ram through its proposal at the meeting," Chidambaram said.

"If the RBI either defies the government or RBI governor resigns, in either event, the consequence will be catastrophic," he added.

Chidambaram also added that state-wise alliances are going to benefit the Congress, news agency ANI reported.&nbsp;

"State-wise alliances will benefit Congress, it is the best way to defeat BJP," he told media.&nbsp;

Chidambaram's comments came shortly after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley claimed that confiscating money was not the aim of launching demonetisation, adding that the move led to the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/demonetisation-led-to-formalisation-of-economy-expanded-tax-base-arun-jaitley-176171">formalisation of the economy and expanded tax base</a>.&nbsp;

The reactions came on the second anniversary of the demonetisation move that the Modi government undertook in the year 2016.&nbsp;

The demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes in November 2016, Jaitley said, had resulted in more formalisation (of the economy), more revenue, more resources for the poor, better infrastructure, and a better quality of life for our citizens, news agency PTI reported.&nbsp;

The government had on November 8, 2016, announced a ban on old 500 and 1000 rupee notes, to curb black money in the system.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday attacked PM Modi's government stating that the regime is trying "to 'capture' RBI ahead of Lok Sabha poll, this will be catastrophic.

Former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday attacked PM Modi's government stating that the regime is trying "to 'capture' RBI ahead of Lok Sabha poll, this will be catastrophic." He alleged that the government has packed the central bank's board with handpicked nominees, and was making every attempt to push through its proposals at the RBI board meeting on November 19. "The government stares at a fiscal deficit crisis... The government wants to step up the expenditure in an election year. Finding all avenues closed, in desperation, the government has demanded Rs 1 lakh crore from the reserves of RBI," the former finance minister said at a press conference. If RBI Governor Urjit Patel stands his ground, the Centre was planning to issue a direction under Section 7 of the RBI Act, 1934, directing the apex bank to transfer Rs 1 lakh crore to the government's account, he claimed. "The day of reckoning is November 19 when the RBI board is scheduled to meet. The government has packed the RBI board with its handpicked nominees and is making every attempt to ram through its proposal at the meeting," Chidambaram said. "If the RBI either defies the government or RBI governor resigns, in either event, the consequence will be catastrophic," he added. Chidambaram also added that state-wise alliances are going to benefit the Congress, news agency ANI reported. "State-wise alliances will benefit Congress, it is the best way to defeat BJP," he told media. Chidambaram's comments came shortly after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley claimed that confiscating money was not the aim of launching demonetisation, adding that the move led to the formalisation of the economy and expanded tax base. The reactions came on the second anniversary of the demonetisation move that the Modi government undertook in the year 2016. The demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes in November 2016, Jaitley said, had resulted in more formalisation (of the economy), more revenue, more resources for the poor, better infrastructure, and a better quality of life for our citizens, news agency PTI reported. The government had on November 8, 2016, announced a ban on old 500 and 1000 rupee notes, to curb black money in the system. (With inputs from agencies)

Government trying to capture RBI ahead of Lok Sabha polls: P Chidambaram

The Congress has identified 5 major issues in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on which Congress President Rahul Gandhi will build a stark contrast between the Congress and the BJP.&nbsp;

Sources said that it will take an anti-Modi campaign to the next level. As of now a large part of Congress' campaign has been against the stated policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.&nbsp;

The present attempt is limited to chiselling away the halo around him built on his key decision like demonetisation, surgical strikes, GST, muscular foreign policy and anti-corruption image. But as of now, the criticism has not addressed the issue of alternative vision. Come December and it will happen.

The Congress has identified agriculture, jobs, education, health care and foreign policy as key areas. The party steps up campaigns on these keys areas once assembly elections in five states conclude. The campaign will include interviews by Rahul Gandhi apart from massive social media interface. These subjects have been identified as areas which require massive transformation and through them, the Congress will give an alternative to Narendra Modi’s vision on these subjects.

Sources say that the work on these five areas has already started and meetings with stakeholders are being done in a phased manner. The party has also decided to focus more on smaller target groups like colleges and create mini-events that are more intimate and conversational. To put forward these views, the party is also in the exercise to identify strong credible voices for the national campaign in run up to the Lok Sabha elections. “Everything cannot depend on Rahul Gandhi and he cannot be everywhere,” said a person involved in the project.

&nbsp;This focus has been accompanied by a vibrant social media strategy. The Congress is also working to target new voters and women as specific constituencies. To this effect, Rahul Gandhi’s team has utilized both Facebook and Twitter intensively. It was for this reason that Rahul Gandhi’s Facebook engagement has increased dramatically and his recent outing at 66 Bhog in Madhya Pradesh registered 3.2 million views.

The Congress has identified 5 major issues in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on which Congress President Rahul Gandhi will build a stark contrast between the Congress and the BJP.

The Congress has identified 5 major issues in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on which Congress President Rahul Gandhi will build a stark contrast between the Congress and the BJP. Sources said that it will take an anti-Modi campaign to the next level. As of now a large part of Congress' campaign has been against the stated policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The present attempt is limited to chiselling away the halo around him built on his key decision like demonetisation, surgical strikes, GST, muscular foreign policy and anti-corruption image. But as of now, the criticism has not addressed the issue of alternative vision. Come December and it will happen. The Congress has identified agriculture, jobs, education, health care and foreign policy as key areas. The party steps up campaigns on these keys areas once assembly elections in five states conclude. The campaign will include interviews by Rahul Gandhi apart from massive social media interface. These subjects have been identified as areas which require massive transformation and through them, the Congress will give an alternative to Narendra Modi’s vision on these subjects. Sources say that the work on these five areas has already started and meetings with stakeholders are being done in a phased manner. The party has also decided to focus more on smaller target groups like colleges and create mini-events that are more intimate and conversational. To put forward these views, the party is also in the exercise to identify strong credible voices for the national campaign in run up to the Lok Sabha elections. “Everything cannot depend on Rahul Gandhi and he cannot be everywhere,” said a person involved in the project. This focus has been accompanied by a vibrant social media strategy. The Congress is also working to target new voters and women as specific constituencies. To this effect, Rahul Gandhi’s team has utilized both Facebook and Twitter intensively. It was for this reason that Rahul Gandhi’s Facebook engagement has increased dramatically and his recent outing at 66 Bhog in Madhya Pradesh registered 3.2 million views.

Come December and Congress to go into campaign overdrive

For 'Shiv Bhakt' Rahul Gandhi, Diwali, the festival of lights could not have been better. Because it seems, that at least in Karnataka, the BJP wave is over.&nbsp;

Less than six months after the Congress-JD(S) post-poll alliance dashed BJP’s plans of forming a government in the southern state, the alliance has done even better in the bypolls. &nbsp;Out of five seats (3 Lok Sabha and 2 Assembly), the BJP could win only one; BJP managed to retain Shimoga where B S Yeddyurappa’s son B Y Raghavendra defeated the JD(S) candidate with a margin of just over fifty thousand votes. &nbsp;

The&nbsp;victories in Karnataka are a big morale booster for the Congress, ahead of straight contests with the BJP in three important states in the Hindi belt later this month. &nbsp;

The margin of victories in all the four seats won by the Congress-JD(S) speak volumes about the disenchantment that Karnataka’s voters have displayed with the BJP. Even in Bellary, a supposedly impregnable fortress of the BJP, the Congress’s V S Ugrappa scored a ferocious win by defeating mining baron B Sriramalu’s sister J. Shantha by nearly 2.5 lakh votes. In the three other seats as well the alliance partners’ margins are massive. In Mandya, the JD(S) won by over three lakh votes, in Ramnagara Assembly seat by over a lakh, and Congress retained Jamkhandi by polling almost twice the number of votes garnered by BJP. &nbsp;

The BJP’s reaction to the crushing defeats in these bypolls has been muted. The party’s string of spokespersons have so far refrained from even tweeting on the election results. They seem to have been stunned into silence by the shockingly large margins, however, at least in Mandya Lok Sabha seat, the BJP’s vote has doubled from nearly 87,000 to 2.44 lakhs.

Therefore while JD(S)-Congress combine has a lot to celebrate today, it needs to deliver on the promise of loan waiver if it wants to retain the support of the farmers who remain crucial to any election in Karnataka. &nbsp;

Message for Opposition

Even though the Congress-BSP alliance failed to materialise in MP, Chhattisgarh, the Congress and other opposition parties must heed to the key message that the Karnataka voter has delivered: Only a united opposition can defeat the BJP.&nbsp;

However, there is perhaps a more significant message for Rahul Gandhi, the Congress president and his core team. Like in Karnataka, the Congress needs to overcome infighting if it is serious about regaining power in the states. One reason why the BSP-Congress alliance could not be formed in Madhya Pradesh, for instance, is because the state Congress unit is riven with petty factionalism. &nbsp;

With less than two weeks to go before polling, and according to many surveys the Congress still not in a winning position, it would do the grand old party a lot of good if it sent out a clear message of unity among its state leadership and cadres. &nbsp;

Similarly, for states like Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, the opposition parties need to quickly crystalise their alliances so that their respective rank and file get enough time to prepare on the ground. In UP especially, which has 80 Lok Sabha seats, Mayawati’s BSP and Akhilesh &nbsp;Yadav’s SP have been bitter adversaries. Though they formed strategic tie-ups that succeeded in dislodging BJP from Gorakhpur, and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats, the absence of a visible unity since then has again started the rumour mills of BSP having come to a secret understanding with the BJP.&nbsp;

Similarly, Akhilesh’s problems have been compounded by&nbsp;launch of&nbsp;a new party by his uncle and influential leader, Shivpal Yadav. If the opposition is indeed serious about taking on the BJP in 2019, it first needs to set its own house in order, that is the biggest takeaway of Karnataka bypolls.&nbsp; 
 
 
&nbsp;(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

For 'Shiv Bhakt' Rahul Gandhi, Diwali, the festival of lights could not have been better. Because it seems, that at least in Karnataka, the BJP wave is over. Less than six months after the Congress-JD(S) post-poll alliance dashed BJP’s plans of forming a government in the southern state, the alliance has done even better in the bypolls.

For 'Shiv Bhakt' Rahul Gandhi, Diwali, the festival of lights could not have been better. Because it seems, that at least in Karnataka, the BJP wave is over. Less than six months after the Congress-JD(S) post-poll alliance dashed BJP’s plans of forming a government in the southern state, the alliance has done even better in the bypolls. Out of five seats (3 Lok Sabha and 2 Assembly), the BJP could win only one; BJP managed to retain Shimoga where B S Yeddyurappa’s son B Y Raghavendra defeated the JD(S) candidate with a margin of just over fifty thousand votes. The victories in Karnataka are a big morale booster for the Congress, ahead of straight contests with the BJP in three important states in the Hindi belt later this month. The margin of victories in all the four seats won by the Congress-JD(S) speak volumes about the disenchantment that Karnataka’s voters have displayed with the BJP. Even in Bellary, a supposedly impregnable fortress of the BJP, the Congress’s V S Ugrappa scored a ferocious win by defeating mining baron B Sriramalu’s sister J. Shantha by nearly 2.5 lakh votes. In the three other seats as well the alliance partners’ margins are massive. In Mandya, the JD(S) won by over three lakh votes, in Ramnagara Assembly seat by over a lakh, and Congress retained Jamkhandi by polling almost twice the number of votes garnered by BJP. The BJP’s reaction to the crushing defeats in these bypolls has been muted. The party’s string of spokespersons have so far refrained from even tweeting on the election results. They seem to have been stunned into silence by the shockingly large margins, however, at least in Mandya Lok Sabha seat, the BJP’s vote has doubled from nearly 87,000 to 2.44 lakhs. Therefore while JD(S)-Congress combine has a lot to celebrate today, it needs to deliver on the promise of loan waiver if it wants to retain the support of the farmers who remain crucial to any election in Karnataka. Message for Opposition Even though the Congress-BSP alliance failed to materialise in MP, Chhattisgarh, the Congress and other opposition parties must heed to the key message that the Karnataka voter has delivered: Only a united opposition can defeat the BJP. However, there is perhaps a more significant message for Rahul Gandhi, the Congress president and his core team. Like in Karnataka, the Congress needs to overcome infighting if it is serious about regaining power in the states. One reason why the BSP-Congress alliance could not be formed in Madhya Pradesh, for instance, is because the state Congress unit is riven with petty factionalism. With less than two weeks to go before polling, and according to many surveys the Congress still not in a winning position, it would do the grand old party a lot of good if it sent out a clear message of unity among its state leadership and cadres. Similarly, for states like Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, the opposition parties need to quickly crystalise their alliances so that their respective rank and file get enough time to prepare on the ground. In UP especially, which has 80 Lok Sabha seats, Mayawati’s BSP and Akhilesh Yadav’s SP have been bitter adversaries. Though they formed strategic tie-ups that succeeded in dislodging BJP from Gorakhpur, and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats, the absence of a visible unity since then has again started the rumour mills of BSP having come to a secret understanding with the BJP. Similarly, Akhilesh’s problems have been compounded by launch of a new party by his uncle and influential leader, Shivpal Yadav. If the opposition is indeed serious about taking on the BJP in 2019, it first needs to set its own house in order, that is the biggest takeaway of Karnataka bypolls. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Karnataka bypolls: United opposition is the way forward

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he would celebrate Diwali with Army jawans and share pictures of his experience.

Responding to Diwali greetings from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Modi said, "Every year, I visit our border areas and surprise our troops. This year too, will spend Diwali with our brave troops. Spending time with them is special."

He said he would share the photos of the same Wednesday evening.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Bibi, my friend, thank you so much for the Diwali wishes. 
 
Every year, I visit our border areas and surprise our troops. This year too, will spend Diwali with our brave troops. Spending time with them is special. 
 
I will share photos of the same tomorrow evening. :) <a href="https://twitter.com/netanyahu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@netanyahu</a> <a href="https://t.co/gnouOA3QGt">https://t.co/gnouOA3QGt</a>
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1059842760159694849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Modi also thanked Bibi, as Netanyahu is called, for the Diwali wishes.

Sources in the government had Monday said that the prime minister would offer prayers at the Kedarnath shrine on Wednesday.

"On behalf of the people of Israel, I would like to wish my dear friend @narendramodi and the people of India a joyous Diwali. May this luminous festival of lights bring you happiness and prosperity. Reply to this tweet with the name of the city where you're celebrating!," the Israel premier had tweeted.

After becoming the prime minister in 2014, Modi had spent Diwali at Siachen with Army jawans.

In 2015, he had visited the Punjab border on Diwali. His visit had coincided with 50 years of the 1965 Indo-Pak war.

The next year, Modi was in Himachal Pradesh, where he spent time with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel at a border outpost.

He had spent his fourth Diwali as prime minister with soldiers at Gurez in Jammu and Kashmir last year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he would celebrate Diwali with Army jawans and share pictures of his experience. Responding to Diwali greetings from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Modi said, "Every year, I visit our border areas and surprise our troops.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he would celebrate Diwali with Army jawans and share pictures of his experience. Responding to Diwali greetings from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Modi said, "Every year, I visit our border areas and surprise our troops. This year too, will spend Diwali with our brave troops. Spending time with them is special." He said he would share the photos of the same Wednesday evening. Bibi, my friend, thank you so much for the Diwali wishes. Every year, I visit our border areas and surprise our troops. This year too, will spend Diwali with our brave troops. Spending time with them is special. I will share photos of the same tomorrow evening. :) @netanyahu https://t.co/gnouOA3QGt — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 6, 2018 × Modi also thanked Bibi, as Netanyahu is called, for the Diwali wishes. Sources in the government had Monday said that the prime minister would offer prayers at the Kedarnath shrine on Wednesday. "On behalf of the people of Israel, I would like to wish my dear friend @narendramodi and the people of India a joyous Diwali. May this luminous festival of lights bring you happiness and prosperity. Reply to this tweet with the name of the city where you're celebrating!," the Israel premier had tweeted. After becoming the prime minister in 2014, Modi had spent Diwali at Siachen with Army jawans. In 2015, he had visited the Punjab border on Diwali. His visit had coincided with 50 years of the 1965 Indo-Pak war. The next year, Modi was in Himachal Pradesh, where he spent time with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel at a border outpost. He had spent his fourth Diwali as prime minister with soldiers at Gurez in Jammu and Kashmir last year.

PM Modi in Kedarnath today, will spend Diwali with soldiers

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Kedarnath on Diwali

narendra-modi-1

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

narendra modi-1