<p>Congress has been rejected comprehensively across the nation and Gujarat too will reject the Congress and will punish them for their politics, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lunavada.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Addressing an election rally in Lunavada on Saturday Modi alleged that the Congress leader &nbsp;Salman Nizami, who was campaigning for Congress in Gujarat, has insulted him by tweeting &#39;&#39;who&#39;s your mother, who is your father.&#39;&#39;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;There is a youth Congress leader Salman Nizami, he is even campaigning for Congress in Gujarat. He wrote on Twitter about Rahul Ji&#39;s father, grandmother. That is ok but he asks - Modi tell me who is your Mother, who is your father? Such language can&#39;t even be used for enemies,&#39;&#39; Modi said.</p>

<p>Salman Nizami, Modi alleged, called for Azad Kashmir. He also called the army rapists, Modi said and added ``How can the people accept such people like Salman Nizami? He also says there will be an Afzal from every home.&#39;&#39;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Modi also accused the Congress of misleading the country with false promises. &quot;In every part of the nation, the Congress has misled the Muslim community. They have made fake promises of reservations for Muslims but in no state have they fulfilled their promise,&#39;&#39; Modi said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Emphasising his commitment for the country, &nbsp;the prime minister said &#39;&#39;I want to tell all Congress leaders who are abusing me, mocking my poor family, asking who my parents are- this nation is my everything. Every moment of my time is devoted to India and 125 crore Indians.&#39;&#39; &nbsp;</p>

<p>However, Congress leader Rajiv Shukla rejected Modi&#39;s allegations by saying&nbsp;Salman Nizami does not hold any position in the party.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Salman Nizami kaun hai hum jaante hi nahi. He does not hold any position in the party. We can also say that there is some random person Ram Lal in BJP who said something,&#39;&#39; Rajiv Shukla said on PM Modi&#39;s remarks about Salman Nizami.&nbsp;</p>


Addressing an election rally in Lunavada on Saturday Modi alleged that the Congress leader Salman Nizami, who was campaigning for Congress

Congress has been rejected comprehensively across the nation and Gujarat too will reject the Congress and will punish them for their politics, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lunavada. Addressing an election rally in Lunavada on Saturday Modi alleged that the Congress leader Salman Nizami, who was campaigning for Congress in Gujarat, has insulted him by tweeting ''who's your mother, who is your father.'' ''There is a youth Congress leader Salman Nizami, he is even campaigning for Congress in Gujarat. He wrote on Twitter about Rahul Ji's father, grandmother. That is ok but he asks - Modi tell me who is your Mother, who is your father? Such language can't even be used for enemies,'' Modi said. Salman Nizami, Modi alleged, called for Azad Kashmir. He also called the army rapists, Modi said and added ``How can the people accept such people like Salman Nizami? He also says there will be an Afzal from every home.'' Modi also accused the Congress of misleading the country with false promises. "In every part of the nation, the Congress has misled the Muslim community. They have made fake promises of reservations for Muslims but in no state have they fulfilled their promise,'' Modi said. Emphasising his commitment for the country, the prime minister said ''I want to tell all Congress leaders who are abusing me, mocking my poor family, asking who my parents are- this nation is my everything. Every moment of my time is devoted to India and 125 crore Indians.'' However, Congress leader Rajiv Shukla rejected Modi's allegations by saying Salman Nizami does not hold any position in the party. "Salman Nizami kaun hai hum jaante hi nahi. He does not hold any position in the party. We can also say that there is some random person Ram Lal in BJP who said something,'' Rajiv Shukla said on PM Modi's remarks about Salman Nizami.

Congress has been rejected comprehensively across nation: Modi

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday wished the Congress President Sonia Gandhi on her 71st birthday.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Modi took to Twitter&nbsp;to wish the Congress president long life and good health.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Birthday greetings to Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi. I pray for her long life and good health.</p>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/939363226189533185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;Birthday greetings to Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi. I pray for her long life and good health,&quot; read PM Modi&#39;s tweets.</p>

<p>Gandhi took over as the party president in the year 1998.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Congress party workers and leaders gathered in numbers to celebrate the special day of their leader outside 10 Janpath in Delhi.</p>

<p>The Congress party also tweeted to wish their leader on her birthday.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Celebrations outside 10 Janpath on Congress President <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SoniaGandhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SoniaGandhi</a>&#39;s birthday. She turns 71 today <a href="https://t.co/QmBxpiHUGh">pic.twitter.com/QmBxpiHUGh</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/939352514306097153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;Compassionate, hardworking, selfless. Calm and composed, yet dignified and strong. A force for empowerment against all odds. A mother, a leader, a friend. Wishing Congress President Sonia Gandhi a very happy birthday&quot;, read the tweet.&nbsp;</p>


"Birthday greetings to Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi. I pray for her long life and good health," read PM Modi's tweets.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday wished the Congress President Sonia Gandhi on her 71st birthday. Prime Minister Modi took to Twitter to wish the Congress president long life and good health. Birthday greetings to Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi. I pray for her long life and good health. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 × "Birthday greetings to Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi. I pray for her long life and good health," read PM Modi's tweets. Gandhi took over as the party president in the year 1998. Meanwhile, Congress party workers and leaders gathered in numbers to celebrate the special day of their leader outside 10 Janpath in Delhi. The Congress party also tweeted to wish their leader on her birthday. Celebrations outside 10 Janpath on Congress President #SoniaGandhi's birthday. She turns 71 today pic.twitter.com/QmBxpiHUGh — ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 × "Compassionate, hardworking, selfless. Calm and composed, yet dignified and strong. A force for empowerment against all odds. A mother, a leader, a friend. Wishing Congress President Sonia Gandhi a very happy birthday", read the tweet.

PM Modi wishes Sonia Gandhi on her birthday

<p>Obstacles in elections always come out of the blue. They are sudden and have the capacity to change the narrative. Indian elections are far more prone to react to lose talk and emotional pitch. Both Kapil Sibal and Mani Shankar Aiyyar&rsquo;s comments proved once again that elections can go off the course if organisations fail to control leaders of their extra-curricular activities.</p>

<p>Many in BJP rejoiced that Congress handed over a &#39;<em>Maut Ka Saudagar</em>&#39; moment to them on a platter till Nana Patole, BJP MP resigned from Lok Sabha calling BJP anti-farmers. It is too early to know about the nature and depth of the damage and whether it is <em>Maut ka Saudagar</em> part 2, it definitely tells us a few things about current politics.</p>

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<h5>Despite analysts making broad observations about highly charged urban Gujarat, rural and economic issues have found resonance in the state.</h5>
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<p>Despite analysts making broad observations about highly charged urban Gujarat, rural and economic issues have found resonance in the state. It, for this reason, BJP clung to mandir and &#39;<em>neech</em>&#39; remarks quickly because it could harness latent Gujarati pride. Lastly, the industry which has worked well pillorying Rahul Gandhi have a cause to worry.</p>

<p>Even social media&rsquo;s response to this issue in Gujarat and rest of India remained very different. Rahul is a dynast and not like Modi who has become Prime Minister out of his own might and will. The only difference is that for the first time instead of being seen as a child of privilege, Rahul is getting sympathy for a simple reason that the people feel that he has received more than his share of brickbats.</p>

<p>BJP should be wary of it. Indira became authoritarian from being strong in a very short period of time. Rajiv Gandhi from being the most honest and fresh politician became a symbol of corruption. The liberal and new age Nehru became weak within a decade and division of power between Sonia and Manmohan led to the theme of PM without authority in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.</p>

<p>Rahul who has portrayed as <em>Pappu</em> and a dynast has the capacity to become an underdog. It should worry the government, whether Gujarat is retained or not. It should worry Modi too though he is quick to change and responded pretty quickly to <em>suit boot ki Sarkar</em> jibe which had pinned him as pro industrialist. It is for this reason land bill is still in cold storage.</p>

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<h5>Politicians like Mani Shankar and Kapil Sibal enjoyed a good amount of autonomy under Sonia which I don&rsquo;t think will continue under Rahul Gandhi.</h5>
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<p>Internally, what we see today is a different Congress. Politicians like Mani Shankar and Kapil Sibal enjoyed a good amount of autonomy under Sonia which I don&rsquo;t think will continue under Rahul Gandhi. Within hours, Mani Shankar Aiyyar was suspended, apology issued and BJP was asked to extend a similar courtesy to Congress when their senior leaders abuse Gandhi&rsquo;s in person.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
BJP on the other hands remain fixated on the power of emotional issues. Its campaign which had been lacklustre only picked up after <em>neech</em>&nbsp;and <em>mandir</em> made it to the public domain. Prime Minister was quick to seize the opportunity and milked the statement to best of his abilities. It remains to be seen whether it can recreate the magic of <em>maut ka saudagar</em>&nbsp;once again.</p>

<p>The controversy shows that BJP wants to ensure that its national campaign remains centred around cultural nationalism and Ayodhya issue. The success of Gujarat will show the way to BJP for 2019 campaign. During 2014, the campaign was around delivering a prosperous India. 2019 may be about strong and united India if the emotional pitch of PM works in Gujarat. Whatever may be the result, the election would be interesting and polarised.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


In 2014 the campaign was around delivering a prosperous India. 2019 may be about strong and united India if the emotional pitch of PM works in Gujarat

Obstacles in elections always come out of the blue. They are sudden and have the capacity to change the narrative. Indian elections are far more prone to react to lose talk and emotional pitch. Both Kapil Sibal and Mani Shankar Aiyyar’s comments proved once again that elections can go off the course if organisations fail to control leaders of their extra-curricular activities. Many in BJP rejoiced that Congress handed over a 'Maut Ka Saudagar' moment to them on a platter till Nana Patole, BJP MP resigned from Lok Sabha calling BJP anti-farmers. It is too early to know about the nature and depth of the damage and whether it is Maut ka Saudagar part 2, it definitely tells us a few things about current politics. Despite analysts making broad observations about highly charged urban Gujarat, rural and economic issues have found resonance in the state. × Despite analysts making broad observations about highly charged urban Gujarat, rural and economic issues have found resonance in the state. It, for this reason, BJP clung to mandir and 'neech' remarks quickly because it could harness latent Gujarati pride. Lastly, the industry which has worked well pillorying Rahul Gandhi have a cause to worry. Even social media’s response to this issue in Gujarat and rest of India remained very different. Rahul is a dynast and not like Modi who has become Prime Minister out of his own might and will. The only difference is that for the first time instead of being seen as a child of privilege, Rahul is getting sympathy for a simple reason that the people feel that he has received more than his share of brickbats. BJP should be wary of it. Indira became authoritarian from being strong in a very short period of time. Rajiv Gandhi from being the most honest and fresh politician became a symbol of corruption. The liberal and new age Nehru became weak within a decade and division of power between Sonia and Manmohan led to the theme of PM without authority in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Rahul who has portrayed as Pappu and a dynast has the capacity to become an underdog. It should worry the government, whether Gujarat is retained or not. It should worry Modi too though he is quick to change and responded pretty quickly to suit boot ki Sarkar jibe which had pinned him as pro industrialist. It is for this reason land bill is still in cold storage. Politicians like Mani Shankar and Kapil Sibal enjoyed a good amount of autonomy under Sonia which I don’t think will continue under Rahul Gandhi. × Internally, what we see today is a different Congress. Politicians like Mani Shankar and Kapil Sibal enjoyed a good amount of autonomy under Sonia which I don’t think will continue under Rahul Gandhi. Within hours, Mani Shankar Aiyyar was suspended, apology issued and BJP was asked to extend a similar courtesy to Congress when their senior leaders abuse Gandhi’s in person. BJP on the other hands remain fixated on the power of emotional issues. Its campaign which had been lacklustre only picked up after neech and mandir made it to the public domain. Prime Minister was quick to seize the opportunity and milked the statement to best of his abilities. It remains to be seen whether it can recreate the magic of maut ka saudagar once again. The controversy shows that BJP wants to ensure that its national campaign remains centred around cultural nationalism and Ayodhya issue. The success of Gujarat will show the way to BJP for 2019 campaign. During 2014, the campaign was around delivering a prosperous India. 2019 may be about strong and united India if the emotional pitch of PM works in Gujarat. Whatever may be the result, the election would be interesting and polarised. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Rahul, the underdog?

<p>As the polling for the first phase of Gujarat assembly election is about to start, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday expressed confidence about BJP&#39;s historic win.</p>

<p>Prasad said, &quot;The BJP will score a historic win. There will be three reasons of BJP&#39;s victory. The work of BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s leadership and his popularity and the way Congress insulted Modi. People of Gujarat will take revenge of this.&quot;</p>

<p>Reacting to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi&#39;s barb on BJP&#39;s manifesto, Prasad said the Congress has never fulfilled the promises made in its manifesto.</p>

<p>&quot;Congress releases manifesto but does not work whereas BJP works. If we had promised anything, be it electricity, water supply or development, we fulfil it. We are aiming for better,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>Rahul had alleged that Prime Minister Modi was silent about the future of Gujarat while slamming the ruling BJP for delaying the release of its manifesto.</p>

<p>Eighty-nine assembly constituencies are going for polls in the first phase with 977 candidates in the fray.</p>

<p>The second phase will be held on December 14 for 93 assembly constituencies while counting of the votes will be done on December 18.</p>

<p>The crucial elections are being seen as prestige battle for BJP, which has been ruling the state for last 22 years, and a litmus test for the Congress.</p>


Reacting to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's barb on BJP's manifesto, Prasad said the Congress has never fulfilled the promises made in its manifesto

As the polling for the first phase of Gujarat assembly election is about to start, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday expressed confidence about BJP's historic win. Prasad said, "The BJP will score a historic win. There will be three reasons of BJP's victory. The work of BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and his popularity and the way Congress insulted Modi. People of Gujarat will take revenge of this." Reacting to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's barb on BJP's manifesto, Prasad said the Congress has never fulfilled the promises made in its manifesto. "Congress releases manifesto but does not work whereas BJP works. If we had promised anything, be it electricity, water supply or development, we fulfil it. We are aiming for better," he added. Rahul had alleged that Prime Minister Modi was silent about the future of Gujarat while slamming the ruling BJP for delaying the release of its manifesto. Eighty-nine assembly constituencies are going for polls in the first phase with 977 candidates in the fray. The second phase will be held on December 14 for 93 assembly constituencies while counting of the votes will be done on December 18. The crucial elections are being seen as prestige battle for BJP, which has been ruling the state for last 22 years, and a litmus test for the Congress.

BJP will score a historic win: Ravi Shankar Prasad

<p>Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh lashed out at Mani Shankar Aiyar for his &quot;neech&quot; comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.</p>

<p>Amar Singh said that Aiyar has insulted several politicians in the past including&nbsp;former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha and Union Minister Uma Bharti.</p>

<p>&quot;In this country, many people have been troubled by Mani Shankar Aiyar. Aiyar has insulted many influential people like Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. I too have had a sour experience with him,&quot; said Amar Singh.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Iss desh ke anek neta Mani peedit hain, iss mein Uma Bharti ji, late Jayalalithaa ji aur tamaam bade bade naam hain. Mai swayam bhi Mani peedit hoon: Amar Singh on Mani Shankar Aiyar&#39;s remark about PM Modi yesterday <a href="https://t.co/rkDVMvEpmk">pic.twitter.com/rkDVMvEpmk</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938961628044804096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Singh also recalled a similar incident between him and Aiyar.</p>

<p>Amar Singh also recalled a tiff between him and Aiyar saying, &quot;Once there was dinner at Satish Gujral&#39;s house, after consuming alcohol he was saying such things that I had a historical argument with him.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Gujral saab (Satish Gujral, brother of former PM IK Gujral) ke niwaas par ek bhoj tha; madhyapaan karke, nashe mein choor madmast aadhe ghante itni kroor baatein wo kar rahe the ki humari aur unki ek etihaisik jhadap hui: Amar Singh on Mani Shankar Aiyar <a href="https://t.co/4Npg8XZg5d">pic.twitter.com/4Npg8XZg5d</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938961820454305793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Later he gave him a befitting reply, &quot;The tiff between me and Aiyar became famous across the country,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>On Thursday Aiyar&#39;s&nbsp;raised a controversy by his choice of words as he referred Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a &quot;neech aadmi.&quot;</p>

<p>Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/neech-remark-row-bjp-should-improve-their-language-says-surjewala-26173">&#39;Neech&#39; remark row: BJP should improve their language, says Surjewala</a></p>

<p>Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/neech-row-both-congress-and-i-want-mani-shankar-aiyar-to-apologise-says-rahul-gandhi-26147"> &#39;Neech&#39; row: I can reply to PM in his language, says Mani Shankar Aiyar</a></p>

<p>But later, Aiyar&nbsp;clarified that it was unintentional&nbsp;and happened due to his poor understanding of Hindi Language.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mani Shankar has now been <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/after-neech-jibe-on-pm-modi-congress-suspends-mani-shankar-aiyar-26159">suspended</a> from the primary membership of the party and also issues a show cause notice by Congress.</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


On Thursday Aiyar's?raised a controversy by his choice of words as he referred Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a 'neech aadmi'

Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh lashed out at Mani Shankar Aiyar for his "neech" comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Amar Singh said that Aiyar has insulted several politicians in the past including former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha and Union Minister Uma Bharti. "In this country, many people have been troubled by Mani Shankar Aiyar. Aiyar has insulted many influential people like Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. I too have had a sour experience with him," said Amar Singh. Iss desh ke anek neta Mani peedit hain, iss mein Uma Bharti ji, late Jayalalithaa ji aur tamaam bade bade naam hain. Mai swayam bhi Mani peedit hoon: Amar Singh on Mani Shankar Aiyar's remark about PM Modi yesterday pic.twitter.com/rkDVMvEpmk — ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2017 × Singh also recalled a similar incident between him and Aiyar. Amar Singh also recalled a tiff between him and Aiyar saying, "Once there was dinner at Satish Gujral's house, after consuming alcohol he was saying such things that I had a historical argument with him." Gujral saab (Satish Gujral, brother of former PM IK Gujral) ke niwaas par ek bhoj tha; madhyapaan karke, nashe mein choor madmast aadhe ghante itni kroor baatein wo kar rahe the ki humari aur unki ek etihaisik jhadap hui: Amar Singh on Mani Shankar Aiyar pic.twitter.com/4Npg8XZg5d — ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2017 × Later he gave him a befitting reply, "The tiff between me and Aiyar became famous across the country," he added. On Thursday Aiyar's raised a controversy by his choice of words as he referred Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "neech aadmi." Also read: 'Neech' remark row: BJP should improve their language, says Surjewala Also read: 'Neech' row: I can reply to PM in his language, says Mani Shankar Aiyar But later, Aiyar clarified that it was unintentional and happened due to his poor understanding of Hindi Language. Mani Shankar has now been suspended from the primary membership of the party and also issues a show cause notice by Congress.

Amar Singh calls Aiyar 'habitual offender'

<p>Not many Indians approve of the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s&nbsp;handling of relations with Pakistan, a recent survey by American think tank Pew Research Centre says.</p>

<p>The survey, released on Thursday, says PM Modi is highly popular in the country and a majority of Indians (60 per cent) approve of his approach toward Kashmir. But when it comes to handling relations with Pakistan, only 21 per cent of the people covered by Pew Research Centre approve of the Prime Minister&#39;s ways, and the situation has remained constant since 2015. Most of the youth - those in the age bracket of 18-29 - approve of Modi&#39;s management of Kashmir situation than the older lot, the survey says.</p>

<p>Pew also says that the Indian population has grown increasingly negative in their views of Pakistan. A staggering 72 per cent of the people who participated in the Pew survey see Pakistan unfavourably. Out of those, almost 64 per cent have a very unfavourable view of Pakistan, the highest level recorded since Pew Research Center began measuring in 2013. And the dislike cuts across the party lines.</p>

<p>Only 10 per cent of respondents see Pakistan favourably, Pew survey says.</p>

<p>An overwhelmingly high number of Indians say the government should use more military force that it is using now to deal with the Kashmir situation. Sixty-two per cent of respondents said&nbsp;the situation in Kashmir is a &quot;very big&quot; problem.</p>

<p>In a survey released last month, Pew had said that PM Modi with 88 per cent vote share is &quot;by far&quot; the most popular figure in Indian politics. The same survey had said that Modi is way ahead of Rahul Gandhi (58 per cent) and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal (39 per cent).</p>


Not many Indians approve of the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi is handling relations with Pakistan, a recent survey by American think tank Pew Research Centre says.

Not many Indians approve of the way Prime Minister Narendra Modi's handling of relations with Pakistan, a recent survey by American think tank Pew Research Centre says. The survey, released on Thursday, says PM Modi is highly popular in the country and a majority of Indians (60 per cent) approve of his approach toward Kashmir. But when it comes to handling relations with Pakistan, only 21 per cent of the people covered by Pew Research Centre approve of the Prime Minister's ways, and the situation has remained constant since 2015. Most of the youth - those in the age bracket of 18-29 - approve of Modi's management of Kashmir situation than the older lot, the survey says. Pew also says that the Indian population has grown increasingly negative in their views of Pakistan. A staggering 72 per cent of the people who participated in the Pew survey see Pakistan unfavourably. Out of those, almost 64 per cent have a very unfavourable view of Pakistan, the highest level recorded since Pew Research Center began measuring in 2013. And the dislike cuts across the party lines. Only 10 per cent of respondents see Pakistan favourably, Pew survey says. An overwhelmingly high number of Indians say the government should use more military force that it is using now to deal with the Kashmir situation. Sixty-two per cent of respondents said the situation in Kashmir is a "very big" problem. In a survey released last month, Pew had said that PM Modi with 88 per cent vote share is "by far" the most popular figure in Indian politics. The same survey had said that Modi is way ahead of Rahul Gandhi (58 per cent) and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal (39 per cent).

Majority of Indians approve of PM Modi's handling of Kashmir issue: Pew survey

<p>Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using objectionable language indiscriminately and asked them to improve their conduct.</p>

<p>The statement comes after BJP leader Amit Shah said Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar&#39;s &#39;low-born&#39; remark against Prime Minister Modi had resonated the culture of the Congress Party.</p>

<p>Claiming that the prime minister had crossed all limits, Surjewala told ANI, &quot;The BJP and Prime Minister Modi have been using intemperate and objectionable language and sometimes downright filthy language for the Congress leadership and the Congress Party. Prime Minister Modi had crossed all limits when he tried to belittle, humiliate and berate.&quot;</p>

<p>Shah had tweeted, &quot;Neither shocked nor surprised by Mani Shankar Aiyar&#39;s referring to PM as &#39;Neech.&#39; This is the culture of the Congress Party. People of Gujarat will punish anti-poor, anti-Dalit, anti-Tribal and anti-OBC Congress.&quot;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the Congress Party has suspended Mani Shankar Aiyar from the primary membership of the party, in the wake of his &#39;neech&#39; remark sparking a controversy.</p>

<p>Surjewala, on Thursday, took to Twitter to apprise of the development.</p>

<p>To this end, he told ANI that Congress had a Gandhian culture and heritage, which is why party vice president Rahul Gandhi publically reprimanded and directed Aiyar to apologise to the prime minister for using unacceptable and unparliamentary language.</p>

<p>&quot;We may oppose each other on policies and issues. But the balance of language, the gravitas of politics and the balance of culture, respect for opponent should never be lost,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Asking the BJP and Prime Minister Modi to keep a check on their language, Surjewala added, &quot;We hope Prime Minister Modi will now show the courage or conviction to take an action against his own party members and also looking within to improve his language and conduct.&quot;</p>

<p>Earlier in the day, Aiyar had told ANI that it was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who turned Dr Ambedkar&#39;s wish into reality and it was not correct to badmouth the Nehru-Gandhi family.</p>

<p>&quot;This person [PM Modi] is a &#39;neech aadmi&#39; (low-minded). He is not civilised and in a situation like this, there is no need to practice such dirty politics,&quot; Aiyar had said.</p>

<p>He later &#39;apologised&#39; for calling Prime Minister Modi &#39;neech???????&#39;, saying he implied a different meaning for the word and denied calling the prime minister a &#39;Chaiwala&#39;.&nbsp;</p>


The statement comes after BJP leader Amit Shah said Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'low-born' remark against Prime Minister Modi had resonated the culture of the Congress Party.

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using objectionable language indiscriminately and asked them to improve their conduct. The statement comes after BJP leader Amit Shah said Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'low-born' remark against Prime Minister Modi had resonated the culture of the Congress Party. Claiming that the prime minister had crossed all limits, Surjewala told ANI, "The BJP and Prime Minister Modi have been using intemperate and objectionable language and sometimes downright filthy language for the Congress leadership and the Congress Party. Prime Minister Modi had crossed all limits when he tried to belittle, humiliate and berate." Shah had tweeted, "Neither shocked nor surprised by Mani Shankar Aiyar's referring to PM as 'Neech.' This is the culture of the Congress Party. People of Gujarat will punish anti-poor, anti-Dalit, anti-Tribal and anti-OBC Congress." Meanwhile, the Congress Party has suspended Mani Shankar Aiyar from the primary membership of the party, in the wake of his 'neech' remark sparking a controversy. Surjewala, on Thursday, took to Twitter to apprise of the development. To this end, he told ANI that Congress had a Gandhian culture and heritage, which is why party vice president Rahul Gandhi publically reprimanded and directed Aiyar to apologise to the prime minister for using unacceptable and unparliamentary language. "We may oppose each other on policies and issues. But the balance of language, the gravitas of politics and the balance of culture, respect for opponent should never be lost," he said. Asking the BJP and Prime Minister Modi to keep a check on their language, Surjewala added, "We hope Prime Minister Modi will now show the courage or conviction to take an action against his own party members and also looking within to improve his language and conduct." Earlier in the day, Aiyar had told ANI that it was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who turned Dr Ambedkar's wish into reality and it was not correct to badmouth the Nehru-Gandhi family. "This person [PM Modi] is a 'neech aadmi' (low-minded). He is not civilised and in a situation like this, there is no need to practice such dirty politics," Aiyar had said. He later 'apologised' for calling Prime Minister Modi 'neech???????', saying he implied a different meaning for the word and denied calling the prime minister a 'Chaiwala'.

'Neech' remark row: BJP should improve their language, says Surjewala

<p>For a democracy to function, elections are crucial. The Indian state of Gujarat is going to the polls&nbsp;tomorrow. This will be a bitterly contested run to state power as it is the home ground of India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After their UP debacle, the Congress is pumped up too with carefully chosen electoral partners. They have tied up with disgruntled Patidar community leader Hardik Patel as well as have strong support from the Dalit and the Muslim community.</p>

<p>While the whole country debates the shifting dynamics of Gujarati politics, keeping itself engrossed with nitty-gritty details over seats, leaders, areas of influence, we are neglecting to sift through the political discourse that is developing around this state election.</p>

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<p>Beyond seats and leaders, voters and voting pattern an election can give us foray into the mind of the nation. What the leaders say in the election campaigns and what the voters want to listen may be very different from the election manifesto that the political parties release amidst much fanfare. While the manifestoes may register all the politically correct and so-called progressive ideas and plans directed at nation-building, what the leaders go out to say in political rallies is completely different.</p>

<p>This year&#39;s Gujarat state election best illustrates the point. Months before the Gujarat election dates were announced, the political leaders, as well as, the media houses were referring to Gujarat development model as if it will be the most important criterion in deciding the fate of this election. The newsrooms were abuzz with words such as infrastructure, foreign direct investment, employment generation and other economic jargons. We were splitting hair as to between Kerala and Gujarat&#39;s development path what we should choose and what we let go.</p>

<p>GST figured too. Just like demonetisation, the GST kept Indians busy. We discussed Moody ratings, ease of doing business, doing away with double taxation. All discussions did not revolve around positives though, we were somewhat clueless too about rates of GST and what differences it made to past and current prices.</p>

<p>But such non-religious debates centering around policy measures couldn&#39;t keep either our leaders or voters enticed for long. Their wish was fulfilled when Rahul Gandhi referred to GST as &#39;Gabbar Singh Tax&#39;. I am sure Rahul was referring to what he thought the arbitrary and coercive nature of GST, but the public debate immediately shifted towards name calling. With each passing round, the political leaders of opposing parties tried to prove their&nbsp;better sense of humour over the other. All this tamasha happened at the expense of serious political debate of course.</p>

<p>One would expect, particularly learning from better days of Indian democracy and that of the US, that political leaders would enter into a verbal duel with each other over health, education, municipal administration, infrastructure building and the hazards of pollution. Matters that affect our lives, our children&#39;s lives. But no, we prefer, rather rejoice, to go hoarse over Ram Mandir, Babur, Aurangzeb, Gujarati asmita, calling each other &#39;<em>neech</em>&#39;, demand for reservation and use it to rouse populist sentiment.</p>

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<h5>Instead of such rabble-rousing, why can&#39;t we enter into a constructive political discourse where we really try to figure out how we can build a neat and clean city like Surat or Rajkot.</h5>
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<p>Instead of such rabble-rousing, why can&#39;t we enter into a constructive political discourse where we really try to figure out how we can build a neat and clean city like Surat or Rajkot. Such cities were in a deplorable mess not that many years ago. But with proper drainage and sewage system, the cities have completely undergone a makeover. Why can&#39;t we make all Indian cities like that? I am sure that there would be the question of resource constraint. Then, let&#39;s talk about resources and how we can mobilise it and put it to proper use.</p>

<p>I am equally surprised how pollution never figures in our electoral campaign but Ram Mandir does? The famous London smog almost killed Prime Minister Churchill&#39;s career but our leaders are pretty well surviving as we bicker over Babri Masjid and Ram Mandir. Pray, tell me what is more crucial to our survival: clean air or a place to pray?</p>

<p>A country gets a political system it deserves. Until and unless we evolve ourselves into a conscious democracy, we don&#39;t start asking tough questions and demand better living conditions for our children, we are a doomed nation.</p>

<p>India aspires to be a modern superpower but our political culture and rhetoric smack of primitive feudal ideas.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


India aspires to be a modern superpower but our political culture and rhetoric smack of primitive feudal ideas

For a democracy to function, elections are crucial. The Indian state of Gujarat is going to the polls tomorrow. This will be a bitterly contested run to state power as it is the home ground of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After their UP debacle, the Congress is pumped up too with carefully chosen electoral partners. They have tied up with disgruntled Patidar community leader Hardik Patel as well as have strong support from the Dalit and the Muslim community. While the whole country debates the shifting dynamics of Gujarati politics, keeping itself engrossed with nitty-gritty details over seats, leaders, areas of influence, we are neglecting to sift through the political discourse that is developing around this state election. What the leaders say in the election campaigns and what the voters want to listen may be very different from the election manifesto that the political parties release amidst much fanfare. × Beyond seats and leaders, voters and voting pattern an election can give us foray into the mind of the nation. What the leaders say in the election campaigns and what the voters want to listen may be very different from the election manifesto that the political parties release amidst much fanfare. While the manifestoes may register all the politically correct and so-called progressive ideas and plans directed at nation-building, what the leaders go out to say in political rallies is completely different. This year's Gujarat state election best illustrates the point. Months before the Gujarat election dates were announced, the political leaders, as well as, the media houses were referring to Gujarat development model as if it will be the most important criterion in deciding the fate of this election. The newsrooms were abuzz with words such as infrastructure, foreign direct investment, employment generation and other economic jargons. We were splitting hair as to between Kerala and Gujarat's development path what we should choose and what we let go. GST figured too. Just like demonetisation, the GST kept Indians busy. We discussed Moody ratings, ease of doing business, doing away with double taxation. All discussions did not revolve around positives though, we were somewhat clueless too about rates of GST and what differences it made to past and current prices. But such non-religious debates centering around policy measures couldn't keep either our leaders or voters enticed for long. Their wish was fulfilled when Rahul Gandhi referred to GST as 'Gabbar Singh Tax'. I am sure Rahul was referring to what he thought the arbitrary and coercive nature of GST, but the public debate immediately shifted towards name calling. With each passing round, the political leaders of opposing parties tried to prove their better sense of humour over the other. All this tamasha happened at the expense of serious political debate of course. One would expect, particularly learning from better days of Indian democracy and that of the US, that political leaders would enter into a verbal duel with each other over health, education, municipal administration, infrastructure building and the hazards of pollution. Matters that affect our lives, our children's lives. But no, we prefer, rather rejoice, to go hoarse over Ram Mandir, Babur, Aurangzeb, Gujarati asmita, calling each other 'neech', demand for reservation and use it to rouse populist sentiment. Instead of such rabble-rousing, why can't we enter into a constructive political discourse where we really try to figure out how we can build a neat and clean city like Surat or Rajkot. × Instead of such rabble-rousing, why can't we enter into a constructive political discourse where we really try to figure out how we can build a neat and clean city like Surat or Rajkot. Such cities were in a deplorable mess not that many years ago. But with proper drainage and sewage system, the cities have completely undergone a makeover. Why can't we make all Indian cities like that? I am sure that there would be the question of resource constraint. Then, let's talk about resources and how we can mobilise it and put it to proper use. I am equally surprised how pollution never figures in our electoral campaign but Ram Mandir does? The famous London smog almost killed Prime Minister Churchill's career but our leaders are pretty well surviving as we bicker over Babri Masjid and Ram Mandir. Pray, tell me what is more crucial to our survival: clean air or a place to pray? A country gets a political system it deserves. Until and unless we evolve ourselves into a conscious democracy, we don't start asking tough questions and demand better living conditions for our children, we are a doomed nation. India aspires to be a modern superpower but our political culture and rhetoric smack of primitive feudal ideas. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Why don't we speak of progressive ideas in election campaigns

<p>Yesterday it was declared that Rahul Gandhi will be the president of Congress party. Rahul Gandhi has submitted his application for the president&#39;s post. Top leaders and senior persons are blessing him. Congress supporters all over India are celebrating too. Rahul Gandhi himself went to Pranab Mukherjee&#39;s house to seek blessings. Senior members like Sushil Shinde and former chief minister of New Delhi, Sheila Dixit congratulated him. Former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh also came to greet him.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>This shows that Rahul Gandhi is all set to be the president of the Congress party. You will be surprised to know that there is a committee also which has been set up for choosing the party president.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>On 5th December, the committee will check the enrolled names. Then it will be clear whether any other person is in the race or not. Then on the 16th, the voting will happen and on 19th the results will be out.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>But sources claim that the coronation ceremony will take place on 11th December itself as there is no scope for any other contender.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Party workers are very happy as they are considering Rahul Gandhi as the new hope and beginning of a new era. But amidst all of this, Manishankar Ayyar of Congress gave a controversial statement and mentioned about Jehangir,&nbsp; Shahjahan and Aurangzeb. After that Prime minister Narendra Modi compared Rahul Gandhi with Aurangzeb.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Again history has become very important for people. People are talking about Mughals and especially about Aurangzeb. Today&#39;s generation thinks whatever is written in the books is true.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>You must have heard the glorious sagas of the Mughal emperors from many intellectuals. Many people are talking about Mughal emperors and some of these intellectuals claim Akbar as the champion of secularism. They also say that during the reign of the Mughals, India became the &quot;golden bird&quot;. The economy was racing ahead, and Aurangzeb brought many changes for the betterment of the economy.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>While researching, we read M A Khan&#39;s book &quot;Islamic Jihad: A Legacy of Forced Conversion, Imperialism, and Slavery&quot;. He has written a lot about the Mughal empire. We also read a book by Fran&ccedil;ois Gautier &quot;Rewriting Indian History&quot;.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The most pertinent question is, was secularism introduced by Mughal emperor Akbar?</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>M A Khan has mentioned in his book that Akbar invaded Chittor in 1568 and killed almost 8000 Rajput soldiers. He forced all the widows to become the slaves but they refused and did Jauhar (Self-immolation) to save their honour. M A Khan has written a lot about Mughal cruelty.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>M A Khan has mentioned one book named &quot;Al-Tareekh&quot; by a historian Ibn Aksari. He cited that Aurangzeb used to give higher posts to the Hindu by changing their religion. If a Hindu prisoner showed readiness to change their religion then he used to release him.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the year 1658, Aurangzeb said he would give Rs 4&nbsp; to men and Rs 2&nbsp; to women if they change their religion.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>There were tax exemptions also for those who used to change their religion.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>On page 39, Fran&ccedil;ois Gautier has written in his book &quot;Rewriting Indian history&quot; that the temples were demolished and mosques were built in that place. The document written at the time of Aurangzeb has details that 63 temples were demolished. Abu Tarab was appointed for it and he used to look after the demolition.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the book &quot;The world Economy&quot; it is mentioned that in the Gupta empire, India&#39;s GDP was 30 per cent of world&#39;s GDP. During Aurangzeb&#39;s rule,&nbsp; India&#39;s GDP was 22.5 per cent.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Gupta empire is 1300 years older than Mughal empire. That means India was quite a prosperous nation far before the Mughals came.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>It is unfortunate that when European countries are moving towards industrialisation, Indian politicians, in very similar ways to that of Aurangzeb, are making new policies to paint the country with communal colours.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


It is unfortunate that when European countries are moving towards industrialisation, Indian politicians, in very similar ways to that of Aurangzeb, are making new policies to paint the country with communal colours.

Yesterday it was declared that Rahul Gandhi will be the president of Congress party. Rahul Gandhi has submitted his application for the president's post. Top leaders and senior persons are blessing him. Congress supporters all over India are celebrating too. Rahul Gandhi himself went to Pranab Mukherjee's house to seek blessings. Senior members like Sushil Shinde and former chief minister of New Delhi, Sheila Dixit congratulated him. Former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh also came to greet him. This shows that Rahul Gandhi is all set to be the president of the Congress party. You will be surprised to know that there is a committee also which has been set up for choosing the party president. On 5th December, the committee will check the enrolled names. Then it will be clear whether any other person is in the race or not. Then on the 16th, the voting will happen and on 19th the results will be out. But sources claim that the coronation ceremony will take place on 11th December itself as there is no scope for any other contender. Party workers are very happy as they are considering Rahul Gandhi as the new hope and beginning of a new era. But amidst all of this, Manishankar Ayyar of Congress gave a controversial statement and mentioned about Jehangir, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb. After that Prime minister Narendra Modi compared Rahul Gandhi with Aurangzeb. Again history has become very important for people. People are talking about Mughals and especially about Aurangzeb. Today's generation thinks whatever is written in the books is true. You must have heard the glorious sagas of the Mughal emperors from many intellectuals. Many people are talking about Mughal emperors and some of these intellectuals claim Akbar as the champion of secularism. They also say that during the reign of the Mughals, India became the "golden bird". The economy was racing ahead, and Aurangzeb brought many changes for the betterment of the economy. While researching, we read M A Khan's book "Islamic Jihad: A Legacy of Forced Conversion, Imperialism, and Slavery". He has written a lot about the Mughal empire. We also read a book by François Gautier "Rewriting Indian History". The most pertinent question is, was secularism introduced by Mughal emperor Akbar? M A Khan has mentioned in his book that Akbar invaded Chittor in 1568 and killed almost 8000 Rajput soldiers. He forced all the widows to become the slaves but they refused and did Jauhar (Self-immolation) to save their honour. M A Khan has written a lot about Mughal cruelty. M A Khan has mentioned one book named "Al-Tareekh" by a historian Ibn Aksari. He cited that Aurangzeb used to give higher posts to the Hindu by changing their religion. If a Hindu prisoner showed readiness to change their religion then he used to release him. In the year 1658, Aurangzeb said he would give Rs 4 to men and Rs 2 to women if they change their religion. There were tax exemptions also for those who used to change their religion. On page 39, François Gautier has written in his book "Rewriting Indian history" that the temples were demolished and mosques were built in that place. The document written at the time of Aurangzeb has details that 63 temples were demolished. Abu Tarab was appointed for it and he used to look after the demolition. In the book "The world Economy" it is mentioned that in the Gupta empire, India's GDP was 30 per cent of world's GDP. During Aurangzeb's rule, India's GDP was 22.5 per cent. Gupta empire is 1300 years older than Mughal empire. That means India was quite a prosperous nation far before the Mughals came. It is unfortunate that when European countries are moving towards industrialisation, Indian politicians, in very similar ways to that of Aurangzeb, are making new policies to paint the country with communal colours. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Rahul's coronation and not so glorious reign of Aurangzeb

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the Constitution Day celebration, emphasised the need for the government and judiciary to be on the same page for realising the dream of a &#39;New India&#39;, and doubted whether they are working in unison. Though Modi spoke in a placid manner, his Minister of Law and Justice Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad was harsher while reminding the judiciary that law-making must be left in the realm of those elected to make the law and judiciary should not behave like a super-legislature.</p>

<p>He also mockingly reminded that independence of the judiciary is &lsquo;important&rsquo; but judicial accountability probity and propriety are too indispensable. The message was a patent that this government like any other authoritative government wants a committed judiciary i.e. a judiciary committed to the policies of the government.</p>

<p>The idea and substance of a committed judiciary were practised in the United States. It is well known that Chief Justice John Marshall imposed upon his colleagues the practice of delivering only unanimous opinions in order to secure the fledgling authority of the Supreme Court.</p>

<p>President Thomas Jefferson&rsquo;s objections to this development and his initiatives against this practice, including the appointments of justices of his own choice are equally well documented. Jefferson&rsquo;s appointment of William Johnson as Associate Justice and his subsequent stream of advice to him on breaking Chief Justice Marshall&rsquo;s hold on the court displays his aspiration of having committed judges.</p>

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<h5>When the nation&rsquo;s senior-most judges questioned the government in the name of constitution and justice, they were superseded.</h5>
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<p>The Indian Supreme Court could not remain aloof to this idea of the committed judiciary. Since inception, the government attempted to confine the role of judges. Once Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru while discussing the role of judges expressed his view in following words: &ldquo;If we go wrong here and there, it can be pointed out but in the ultimate analysis no judiciary can stand in judgement over the sovereign will of the entire community. A judge can correct the wrong here and there; they cannot arrogate to themselves the position of the super house of a parliament.&rdquo;</p>

<p>The craving of having a committed judiciary got more prominence with Indira Gandhi when her election was set aside by the Allahabad High Court and some of her political decisions were challenged in cases like Privy Purse case and Bank Nationalisation Case.</p>

<p>When the nation&rsquo;s senior-most judges questioned the government in the name of Constitution and justice, they were superseded. Many judges of the High Court who did not toe the line with the government were transferred. Attempts were made to install &lsquo;committed&rsquo; judges in the Supreme Court.</p>

<p>These installed committed judges tried to protect the interest of the government and when they could not, they penned down dissenting opinions to prove his loyalty. An attempt was also made by the committed Chief Justice of India to overrule the &lsquo;basic structure doctrine&rsquo; by creating a bunch of committed and like-minded judges but fortunately could not succeed.</p>

<p>Mrs Gandhi vindicated her claim for &lsquo;commitment&rsquo; by referring President Roosevelt of the United States of America has appointed judges who were committed to his programmes.</p>

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<h5>The judges must function without fear and favour otherwise the question of their being impartial or independent will be rendered nugatory.</h5>
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<p>The behaviour of the Judge is the fortress for the people to reap the fruits of the democracy, liberty and justice and the antithesis rocks the bottom of the rule of law. The judges must function without fear and favour otherwise the question of their being impartial or independent will be rendered nugatory.</p>

<p>They are required to &lsquo;uphold the constitution and the laws&rsquo;, &lsquo;without fear&rsquo; and favour. If Judiciary is committed to the policies of the government, the &lsquo;independence of judiciary&rsquo; and the &lsquo;system of checks and balances&rsquo; which are essential features of the constitution will be in peril and constitutional democracy will be reduced to the dictatorship of the majority.</p>

<p>It will also destroy the federal fabric, another basic structure of the constitution. It will create distrust among the federal Union. There are so many disputes between the States and they would not have trust in the Central Government because they might sense that the Centre would favour those States where their own political party is in power.</p>

<p>But they would have faith in the judiciary which is equipped with jurisdiction to solve these disputes and preserve the federal identity of the constitution. The idea of the committed judiciary will spoil this federal trust and confidence.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


The idea of the committed judiciary will spoil this federal trust and confidence

Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the Constitution Day celebration, emphasised the need for the government and judiciary to be on the same page for realising the dream of a 'New India', and doubted whether they are working in unison. Though Modi spoke in a placid manner, his Minister of Law and Justice Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad was harsher while reminding the judiciary that law-making must be left in the realm of those elected to make the law and judiciary should not behave like a super-legislature. He also mockingly reminded that independence of the judiciary is ‘important’ but judicial accountability probity and propriety are too indispensable. The message was a patent that this government like any other authoritative government wants a committed judiciary i.e. a judiciary committed to the policies of the government. The idea and substance of a committed judiciary were practised in the United States. It is well known that Chief Justice John Marshall imposed upon his colleagues the practice of delivering only unanimous opinions in order to secure the fledgling authority of the Supreme Court. President Thomas Jefferson’s objections to this development and his initiatives against this practice, including the appointments of justices of his own choice are equally well documented. Jefferson’s appointment of William Johnson as Associate Justice and his subsequent stream of advice to him on breaking Chief Justice Marshall’s hold on the court displays his aspiration of having committed judges. When the nation’s senior-most judges questioned the government in the name of constitution and justice, they were superseded. × The Indian Supreme Court could not remain aloof to this idea of the committed judiciary. Since inception, the government attempted to confine the role of judges. Once Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru while discussing the role of judges expressed his view in following words: “If we go wrong here and there, it can be pointed out but in the ultimate analysis no judiciary can stand in judgement over the sovereign will of the entire community. A judge can correct the wrong here and there; they cannot arrogate to themselves the position of the super house of a parliament.” The craving of having a committed judiciary got more prominence with Indira Gandhi when her election was set aside by the Allahabad High Court and some of her political decisions were challenged in cases like Privy Purse case and Bank Nationalisation Case. When the nation’s senior-most judges questioned the government in the name of Constitution and justice, they were superseded. Many judges of the High Court who did not toe the line with the government were transferred. Attempts were made to install ‘committed’ judges in the Supreme Court. These installed committed judges tried to protect the interest of the government and when they could not, they penned down dissenting opinions to prove his loyalty. An attempt was also made by the committed Chief Justice of India to overrule the ‘basic structure doctrine’ by creating a bunch of committed and like-minded judges but fortunately could not succeed. Mrs Gandhi vindicated her claim for ‘commitment’ by referring President Roosevelt of the United States of America has appointed judges who were committed to his programmes. The judges must function without fear and favour otherwise the question of their being impartial or independent will be rendered nugatory. × The behaviour of the Judge is the fortress for the people to reap the fruits of the democracy, liberty and justice and the antithesis rocks the bottom of the rule of law. The judges must function without fear and favour otherwise the question of their being impartial or independent will be rendered nugatory. They are required to ‘uphold the constitution and the laws’, ‘without fear’ and favour. If Judiciary is committed to the policies of the government, the ‘independence of judiciary’ and the ‘system of checks and balances’ which are essential features of the constitution will be in peril and constitutional democracy will be reduced to the dictatorship of the majority. It will also destroy the federal fabric, another basic structure of the constitution. It will create distrust among the federal Union. There are so many disputes between the States and they would not have trust in the Central Government because they might sense that the Centre would favour those States where their own political party is in power. But they would have faith in the judiciary which is equipped with jurisdiction to solve these disputes and preserve the federal identity of the constitution. The idea of the committed judiciary will spoil this federal trust and confidence. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Why judiciary can't be committed to the government

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that Congress should stick to the truth and added that people of Gujarat &#39;&#39;do not like poll time lollipops and false promises of the Congress&#39;&#39;.</p>

<p>Campaigning in Bhavnagar for the upcoming Gujarat elections, Modi said &#39;&#39;I am seeing videos of Congress supporters saying, vote for Congress on 9th and 14th and then we will do &#39;Dadagiri&#39; for 5 years. This is not the Gujarat that the people desire.&#39;&#39;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I appeal to the Congress to stick to the truth. The people of Gujarat do not like poll time lollipops and false promises of the Congress: PM Modi in Bhavnagar <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/CcT8neCelA">pic.twitter.com/CcT8neCelA</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937619412281991168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Modi also criticised lawyer and Congress leader Kapil Sibal on the occasion. Congress has a very able lawyer in Kapil Sibal, he said and added &#39;&#39;he is always handling all the indefensible and wrong matters. In 2007 he came to Viramgam and said after the results are out Modi will be in Jail. He was very powerful in that government,&#39;&#39; Modi said.</p>

<p>Taking a dig at Congress for the drubbing it suffered at the Uttar Pradesh Assembly hustings, Modi said the people of UP knew the Congress and their leadership well and they rejected Congress repeatedly.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Congress has a very able lawyer in Kapil Sibal. He is always handling all the indefensible and wrong matters. In 2007 he came to Viramgam and said after the results are out Modi will be in Jail. He was very powerful in that government: PM Modi in Bhavnagar <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/7A4hi0L5Uz">pic.twitter.com/7A4hi0L5Uz</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937618384081973249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&#39;&#39;The people of UP know the Congress and their leadership well. And see how they have rejected Congress repeatedly,&#39;&#39; he said.</p>

<p>&#39;&#39;I fail to understand why is Congress once again doing what it always did in the past- divide people - be it on caste lines, communal lines, between villages and cities. Congress has learnt &#39;divide and rule&#39; from our colonial rulers rather well,&#39;&#39; Modi said.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The people of UP know the Congress and their leadership well. And see how they have rejected Congress repeatedly: PM in Bhavnagar <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/gg3simshBJ">pic.twitter.com/gg3simshBJ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937615759500443656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Gujarat has grown due to the power of Shanti, Ekta and Sadbhavana, Modi said.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Gujarat has grown due to the power of Shanti, Ekta and Sadbhavana, Modi said

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that Congress should stick to the truth and added that people of Gujarat ''do not like poll time lollipops and false promises of the Congress''. Campaigning in Bhavnagar for the upcoming Gujarat elections, Modi said ''I am seeing videos of Congress supporters saying, vote for Congress on 9th and 14th and then we will do 'Dadagiri' for 5 years. This is not the Gujarat that the people desire.'' I appeal to the Congress to stick to the truth. The people of Gujarat do not like poll time lollipops and false promises of the Congress: PM Modi in Bhavnagar #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/CcT8neCelA — ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2017 × Modi also criticised lawyer and Congress leader Kapil Sibal on the occasion. Congress has a very able lawyer in Kapil Sibal, he said and added ''he is always handling all the indefensible and wrong matters. In 2007 he came to Viramgam and said after the results are out Modi will be in Jail. He was very powerful in that government,'' Modi said. Taking a dig at Congress for the drubbing it suffered at the Uttar Pradesh Assembly hustings, Modi said the people of UP knew the Congress and their leadership well and they rejected Congress repeatedly. Congress has a very able lawyer in Kapil Sibal. He is always handling all the indefensible and wrong matters. In 2007 he came to Viramgam and said after the results are out Modi will be in Jail. He was very powerful in that government: PM Modi in Bhavnagar #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/7A4hi0L5Uz — ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2017 × ''The people of UP know the Congress and their leadership well. And see how they have rejected Congress repeatedly,'' he said. ''I fail to understand why is Congress once again doing what it always did in the past- divide people - be it on caste lines, communal lines, between villages and cities. Congress has learnt 'divide and rule' from our colonial rulers rather well,'' Modi said. The people of UP know the Congress and their leadership well. And see how they have rejected Congress repeatedly: PM in Bhavnagar #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/gg3simshBJ — ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2017 × Gujarat has grown due to the power of Shanti, Ekta and Sadbhavana, Modi said.

People of Gujarat do not like poll time lollipops and false promises: Modi in Bhavnagar

<p>Tributes poured in from prime minister, finance minister, home minister and several other senior political leaders and film personalities to veteran Bollywood superstar Shashi Kapoor who died aged 79 on Monday.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi showered praise on the actor&#39;s acting ability and said &#39;&#39;his brilliant acting will be remembered for generations to come. Saddened by his demise&#39;&#39;.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shashi Kapoor&#39;s versatility could be seen in his movies as well as in theatre, which he promoted with great passion. His brilliant acting will be remembered for generations to come. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers.</p>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/937673001390059520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Home Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the inimitable mannerism of the veteran actor and said &quot;Sashi Kapoor charmed a generation of Indians&#39;&#39;.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor,&nbsp; I&amp;B Minister Smriti Irani&nbsp;also paid rich tributes to the veteran actor.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">With his impressive talent and inimitable mannerism actor Shashi Kapoor charmed a generation of Indians. He was a fine actor and a wonderful human being. Saddened to learn of his demise. May his soul rest in peace.</p>
&mdash; Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) <a href="https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh/status/937667705661882368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Condolences on the sad demise of veteran actor <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShashiKapoor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ShashiKapoor</a> ji. He was a towering personality of the silver screen &amp; known for his impeccable acting across the world. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved family. May the departed soul rest in peace.</p>
&mdash; Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) <a href="https://twitter.com/arunjaitley/status/937682475668594688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I feel a part of me is gone. A great actor, smart, cosmopolitan, impossibly handsome &amp; w/a name that was often confused w/mine. (My office got two calls from journalists today about my reportedly serious ill-health!) I will miss <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShashiKapoor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ShashiKapoor</a>. Condolences2his family&amp;all his fans <a href="https://t.co/fSz3jafPZJ">pic.twitter.com/fSz3jafPZJ</a></p>
&mdash; Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/937669513214009344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Saddened by the demise of legendary actor Shashi Kapoor ji. His contribution to Indian Cinema is monumental. Shashi ji&rsquo;s passing away marks the end of an era. My deepest condolences to his loved ones, colleagues and fans. May his soul rest in peace. Om Shanti!</p>
&mdash; Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) <a href="https://twitter.com/smritiirani/status/937669702079451136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">A legend has passed away. Shashi Kapoor will remain in our hearts forever. My condolences to his loved ones and all his fans. <a href="https://t.co/OmLvtvYZtb">pic.twitter.com/OmLvtvYZtb</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/937687437828022277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor paid tributes

Tributes poured in from prime minister, finance minister, home minister and several other senior political leaders and film personalities to veteran Bollywood superstar Shashi Kapoor who died aged 79 on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi showered praise on the actor's acting ability and said ''his brilliant acting will be remembered for generations to come. Saddened by his demise''. Shashi Kapoor's versatility could be seen in his movies as well as in theatre, which he promoted with great passion. His brilliant acting will be remembered for generations to come. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 4, 2017 × Home Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the inimitable mannerism of the veteran actor and said "Sashi Kapoor charmed a generation of Indians''. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, I&B Minister Smriti Irani also paid rich tributes to the veteran actor. With his impressive talent and inimitable mannerism actor Shashi Kapoor charmed a generation of Indians. He was a fine actor and a wonderful human being. Saddened to learn of his demise. May his soul rest in peace. — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 4, 2017 × Condolences on the sad demise of veteran actor #ShashiKapoor ji. He was a towering personality of the silver screen & known for his impeccable acting across the world. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved family. May the departed soul rest in peace. — Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) December 4, 2017 × I feel a part of me is gone. A great actor, smart, cosmopolitan, impossibly handsome & w/a name that was often confused w/mine. (My office got two calls from journalists today about my reportedly serious ill-health!) I will miss #ShashiKapoor. Condolences2his family&all his fans pic.twitter.com/fSz3jafPZJ — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 4, 2017 × Saddened by the demise of legendary actor Shashi Kapoor ji. His contribution to Indian Cinema is monumental. Shashi ji’s passing away marks the end of an era. My deepest condolences to his loved ones, colleagues and fans. May his soul rest in peace. Om Shanti! — Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) December 4, 2017 × A legend has passed away. Shashi Kapoor will remain in our hearts forever. My condolences to his loved ones and all his fans. pic.twitter.com/OmLvtvYZtb — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 4, 2017 ×

Shashi Kapoor's demise: Modi, Rahul pay tribute

<p>Those releasing fatwas against &#39;nationalists&#39; should see the effort undertaken to get Father Tom back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.</p>

<p>Speaking about the efforts taken by the Central government to bring back father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was freed after being kept in captivity by ISIS for 18 months in strife-torn Yemen, Modi said those who are releasing Fatwas against &#39;nationalists&#39; should see the effort we undertook to get Father Tom back. Father Tom was guided by his love for Lord Christ &amp; was working. &quot;We got Father Tom back. We also got back Father Prem, who was kidnapped in Afghanistan,&#39;&#39; Modi said.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Those who are releasing Fatwas against &#39;nationalists&#39; should see the effort we undertook to get Father Tom back. Father Tom was guided by his love for Lord Christ &amp; was working. We got Father Tom back. We also got back Father Prem, who was kidnapped in Afghanistan: PM in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ugwo4BHwLP">pic.twitter.com/Ugwo4BHwLP</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937304632774221824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/modi-three-results-certain-gujarat-polls-local-up-polls-congress-president-elections-25753">Modi was addressing an&nbsp;election rally in Ahmedabad.</a></p>

<p>Modi&nbsp;also stressed the importance of healthcare in Gujarat and said that healthcare facilities affected the poor adversely and they wanted to change that.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lack of healthcare facilities affects the poor adversely. We want to change that and that is why we made stents cheaper: PM Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a> <a href="https://t.co/rSAEmE5isr">pic.twitter.com/rSAEmE5isr</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937300905950507008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bharuch-and-kutch-have-significant-muslim-populations-developed-rapidly-under-bjp-pm-modi-in-gujarat-25732">&#39;&#39;Lack of healthcare facilities affects the poor adversely.</a> We want to change that and that is why we made stents cheaper,&#39;&#39; Modi said at an election rally in Ahmedabad on Sunday.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Priority is to improve health infrastructure and boost innovation in the sector: PM Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a> <a href="https://t.co/D6HwaBColY">pic.twitter.com/D6HwaBColY</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937301209953611776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Priority is to improve health infrastructure and boost innovation in the sector, he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Modi also had a word of praise for External Affairs Minister&nbsp;Sushma Swaraj.&nbsp;&quot;Have you seen how active Sushma Swaraj ji is? Guided by humanitarian values, she is serving so many people in need- they can be in any part of the world but she helps them,&#39;&#39; Modi said.</p>

<p>Our nurses were stranded in West Asia. When these nurses, who are doing such humanitarian work, are stranded how can anyone sleep in peace? Every effort was undertaken to bring them back home, Modi added.</p>


'It is our 'nationalism' that made us get Father Tom and Father Prem back,' Modi, who was campaigning in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, said

Those releasing fatwas against 'nationalists' should see the effort undertaken to get Father Tom back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday. Speaking about the efforts taken by the Central government to bring back father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was freed after being kept in captivity by ISIS for 18 months in strife-torn Yemen, Modi said those who are releasing Fatwas against 'nationalists' should see the effort we undertook to get Father Tom back. Father Tom was guided by his love for Lord Christ & was working. "We got Father Tom back. We also got back Father Prem, who was kidnapped in Afghanistan,'' Modi said. Those who are releasing Fatwas against 'nationalists' should see the effort we undertook to get Father Tom back. Father Tom was guided by his love for Lord Christ & was working. We got Father Tom back. We also got back Father Prem, who was kidnapped in Afghanistan: PM in #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/Ugwo4BHwLP — ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2017 × Modi was addressing an election rally in Ahmedabad. Modi also stressed the importance of healthcare in Gujarat and said that healthcare facilities affected the poor adversely and they wanted to change that. Lack of healthcare facilities affects the poor adversely. We want to change that and that is why we made stents cheaper: PM Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/rSAEmE5isr — ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2017 × ''Lack of healthcare facilities affects the poor adversely. We want to change that and that is why we made stents cheaper,'' Modi said at an election rally in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Priority is to improve health infrastructure and boost innovation in the sector: PM Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/D6HwaBColY — ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2017 × Priority is to improve health infrastructure and boost innovation in the sector, he added. Modi also had a word of praise for External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. "Have you seen how active Sushma Swaraj ji is? Guided by humanitarian values, she is serving so many people in need- they can be in any part of the world but she helps them,'' Modi said. Our nurses were stranded in West Asia. When these nurses, who are doing such humanitarian work, are stranded how can anyone sleep in peace? Every effort was undertaken to bring them back home, Modi added.

Those releasing fatwas against 'nationalists' should see effort we took to get Father Tom back: Modi

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted the nation of the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi, which marks the birthday of Prophet Muhammad.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Greetings on Id-E-Milad. May the teachings of Prophet Mohammad further the spirit of harmony in our society. <a href="https://t.co/DpGJI8BZUN">https://t.co/DpGJI8BZUN</a></p>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/936784953689325570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Prime Minister took to Twitter and said, &quot;Greetings on Id-E-Milad. May the teachings of Prophet Mohammad further the spirit of harmony in our society.&quot;</p>

<p>Milad-un-Nabi is commemorated in Rabi&#39;al-awwal, the third month in the religious calendar.Based on the lunar calendar, the date of Milad-un-Nabi varies around the world.</p>

<p>In some parts of India, Karnataka and Telangana, the festival did not start until Saturday because the moon was not sighted until later.</p>


The Prime Minister took to Twitter to greet the nation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted the nation of the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi, which marks the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. Greetings on Id-E-Milad. May the teachings of Prophet Mohammad further the spirit of harmony in our society. https://t.co/DpGJI8BZUN — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 2, 2017 × The Prime Minister took to Twitter and said, "Greetings on Id-E-Milad. May the teachings of Prophet Mohammad further the spirit of harmony in our society." Milad-un-Nabi is commemorated in Rabi'al-awwal, the third month in the religious calendar.Based on the lunar calendar, the date of Milad-un-Nabi varies around the world. In some parts of India, Karnataka and Telangana, the festival did not start until Saturday because the moon was not sighted until later.

PM Modi greets nation on occasion of Milad-un-Nabi

<p>External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a stopover in Iran&nbsp;on her way back from Russia to meet Iran foreign minister of&nbsp; Dr.Javed Zarif in Tehran.</p>

<p>She met the Iran minister over a luncheon meeting.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Reports indicate that the two foreign ministers discussed issues of mutual interests.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The two counterparts discussed the implementation of the Chabahar port, which is expected to boost trade relations between India, Afghanistan and Iran, an&nbsp;external affairs source said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The MEA officials have said that it was a technical stopover and not a planned one.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met Foreign Minister of Iran Dr. Javad Zarif in Tehran <a href="https://t.co/1nQzSdkv4G">pic.twitter.com/1nQzSdkv4G</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/936957125485502464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Swaraj was on a three-day visit to Russia to attend the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/sco-all-you-need-to-know-about-shanghai-cooperation-organisation-7095" target="_blank">Shanghai Cooperation Organisation</a> meeting.</p>

<p>In the SCO meeting, she had emphasised on the connectivity between the SCO countries. She said&nbsp; &quot;Connectivity with SCO countries is India&#39;s priority. We want connectivity to pave the way for cooperation and trust between our societies.&quot; &quot;For this, respect for sovereignty is essential. Inclusivity, transparency and sustainability are imperative,&quot; she added.</p>

<p>She also invited the SCO members to participate in India&#39;s growth story.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;In the background of sluggish economic growth in the world, India&#39;s economic growth is expected to accelerate in the long-term and we would like the other SCO members to be part of India&#39;s growth story,&quot; &quot;Slowdown in the world economy accompanied with increasing tide of protectionism and policy uncertainties will require measures of matching proportions,&quot;.</p>

<p>Talking about the connectivity between India and Afghanistan, which she termed as an important priority sector for India, she stated that the connectivity with Afghanistan had improved with the operationalisation of the Air Freight Corridor between Kabul, Kandahar and New Delhi this June.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Taking forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s vision, Swaraj said, &quot;I believe that this is the starting point of our journey, to realise the full spectrum of connectivity - from culture to commerce, from traditions to technology, from investments to IT, from services to strategy, and from people to politics.&quot;</p>

<p>The 16th Meeting of Government of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was organised in the Sochi city of Russia.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The meeting was held on November 30-December 1.</p>

<p>She also attended a joint dinner hosted by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The Russian PM had hosted the dinner in honour of the participants of the meeting of the council.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This was the first meeting of the Council after India became a full member of the SCO.</p>

<p>India and Pakistan&nbsp;became a full-fledged member of the SCO in June.&nbsp;</p>

<p>India&#39;s membership was backed by Russia while Pakistan was supported by China.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With agency inputs)</em></p>


Swaraj was on a three-day visit to Russia to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made a stopover in Iran on her way back from Russia to meet Iran foreign minister of Dr.Javed Zarif in Tehran. She met the Iran minister over a luncheon meeting. Reports indicate that the two foreign ministers discussed issues of mutual interests. The two counterparts discussed the implementation of the Chabahar port, which is expected to boost trade relations between India, Afghanistan and Iran, an external affairs source said. The MEA officials have said that it was a technical stopover and not a planned one. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met Foreign Minister of Iran Dr. Javad Zarif in Tehran pic.twitter.com/1nQzSdkv4G — ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2017 × Swaraj was on a three-day visit to Russia to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting. In the SCO meeting, she had emphasised on the connectivity between the SCO countries. She said "Connectivity with SCO countries is India's priority. We want connectivity to pave the way for cooperation and trust between our societies." "For this, respect for sovereignty is essential. Inclusivity, transparency and sustainability are imperative," she added. She also invited the SCO members to participate in India's growth story. "In the background of sluggish economic growth in the world, India's economic growth is expected to accelerate in the long-term and we would like the other SCO members to be part of India's growth story," "Slowdown in the world economy accompanied with increasing tide of protectionism and policy uncertainties will require measures of matching proportions,". Talking about the connectivity between India and Afghanistan, which she termed as an important priority sector for India, she stated that the connectivity with Afghanistan had improved with the operationalisation of the Air Freight Corridor between Kabul, Kandahar and New Delhi this June. Taking forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, Swaraj said, "I believe that this is the starting point of our journey, to realise the full spectrum of connectivity - from culture to commerce, from traditions to technology, from investments to IT, from services to strategy, and from people to politics." The 16th Meeting of Government of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was organised in the Sochi city of Russia. The meeting was held on November 30-December 1. She also attended a joint dinner hosted by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The Russian PM had hosted the dinner in honour of the participants of the meeting of the council. This was the first meeting of the Council after India became a full member of the SCO. India and Pakistan became a full-fledged member of the SCO in June. India's membership was backed by Russia while Pakistan was supported by China. (With agency inputs)

Sushma Swaraj meets Iran foreign minister in Tehran

<p>In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his predecessor Manmohan Singh today said Modi failed to understand the &quot;pains&quot; of his note ban and GST decisions were going to unleash on the people of his own home state.</p>

<p>Calling demonetisation an &quot;uninformed, half-baked crusade&quot; and GST a &quot;badly designed and hastily implemented&quot; measure, Singh also lamented the &quot;low-level rhetoric&quot; used by the ruling party.</p>

<p>&quot;I wish the prime minister would find more dignified ways of impressing upon the crowds and seeking their votes...,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;Just as you were recovering from one blow (of demonetisation), came the GST. Nobody consulted you or tried to understand how your dhandha (business) works,&quot; he told a gathering of members of the local business community here.</p>

<p>&quot;The prime minister is from Gujarat, and he claims to understand Gujarat and the poor more than anyone else. How is it that he never understood the pains his decisions will unleash on you?&quot; Singh asked.</p>

<p>&quot;Your business works on trust and relationships. Without trust in each other, Surat will collapse. You extended this trust to the prime minister and his promise of &#39;acchhe din&#39; (good days). The hope symbolised in those dreams now lies shattered,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>In Surat alone, 89,000 powerlooms were sold as scrap and it led to a loss of 31,000 jobs, Singh said. &quot;There are countless such examples from industrial clusters and big mandis (markets) from across the country.&quot;</p>

<p>China benefited from this situation, he claimed.</p>

<p>&quot;In FY 2016-17, India&#39;s imports from China stood at Rs 1.96 lakh crore. During the same period in FY 2017-18, the imports from China increased to Rs 2.41 lakh crore. This unprecedented increase in imports by more than Rs 45,000 crore, a 23 per cent increase in a year, can be attributed largely to demonetisation and GST.</p>

<p>&quot;These twin blows damaged India&#39;s MSME sector and our businesses had to turn to Chinese imports at the cost of India jobs,&quot; the senior Congress leader said.<br />
On demonetisation, Singh said, &quot;This is an uninformed, half-baked crusade on black money where he (Modi) painted everyone as a thief, while real culprits have gotten away.&quot;</p>

<p>The Goods and Services Tax was &quot;badly designed and hastily implemented&quot;, the economist-turned-politician said.</p>

<p>Maintaining that demonetisation was not the solution to the problem of black money and tax evasion, Singh said the costs of demonetisation substantially exceeded its benefits, and the decision &quot;proved to be mere bluster to reap political dividends while the real offenders have escaped&quot;.</p>

<p>Demonetisation and GST have also &quot;sown a deep-rooted fear of tax terrorism among the business community&quot;, he said.</p>

<p>&quot;At a time when the economy has slowed down considerably, despite favourable global macro-economic conditions, the fear of tax terrorism has eroded the confidence of the businesses to invest,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;This attitude of suspecting everyone to be a thief or anti-national, the low-level rhetoric is damaging the democratic discourse and has real consequences for how we relate to one another as citizens. Political leaders must stick to the high road,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Singh said on every social indicator, from infant and maternal mortality rates to female literacy, Gujarat has fallen behind the best performing states, including Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.</p>

<p>He said the recent agitations by the youth cutting across different sections of the society was an indication of the deep dissatisfaction with the performance of successive BJP governments.</p>

<p>The former prime minister said a Congress government in the state will hear the voice of every Gujarati regardless of caste, creed, gender or class.</p>

<p>Later, talking to reporters, Singh strongly denied Modi&#39;s allegation that the Congress and Congress-led governments hated Gujaratis.</p>

<p>&quot;Nothing can be farther from the truth. I realise that many things are said in election times. But when they are gross distortions, they need to be rebutted,&quot; he said, adding that Jawaharlal Nehru, the country&#39;s first prime minister, and the &quot;most famous Gujarati&quot; Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel worked hand-in-hand, and &quot;nothing is gained, as is often attempted by Modi, by pitting the two great leaders apart.&quot;</p>

<p>Modi was &quot;denigrating the country&quot; when claiming that Congress party did nothing in 70 years, the former PM said.</p>

<p>&quot;I wish the prime minister would find more dignified ways of impressing upon the crowds and seeking their votes without resorting to statements which denigrate our country,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;...While denigrating the past, the prime minister also tends to exaggerate what he will do in future. He was recently quoted in the press as saying that India will become a developed country by 2022,&quot; Singh said, adding that to achieve that, India needed to grow at the rate of 35 per cent per year.</p>

<p>The government should get out of the &quot;culture of constant self-praise&quot;, Singh said.</p>

<p>&quot;In the ten years of UPA-I and II, when I was the prime minister, we produced 7.8 per cent GDP growth on average. This includes the slow-down in the last two years of our government. When the present government took over, they said they would take growth to 8 to 10 per cent. Modi so far has produced an average of only 7.3 per cent in the first three years,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>


"The prime minister is from Gujarat, and he claims to understand Gujarat and the poor more than anyone else. How is it that he never understood the pains his decisions will unleash on you?" Singh asked.

In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his predecessor Manmohan Singh today said Modi failed to understand the "pains" of his note ban and GST decisions were going to unleash on the people of his own home state. Calling demonetisation an "uninformed, half-baked crusade" and GST a "badly designed and hastily implemented" measure, Singh also lamented the "low-level rhetoric" used by the ruling party. "I wish the prime minister would find more dignified ways of impressing upon the crowds and seeking their votes...," he said. "Just as you were recovering from one blow (of demonetisation), came the GST. Nobody consulted you or tried to understand how your dhandha (business) works," he told a gathering of members of the local business community here. "The prime minister is from Gujarat, and he claims to understand Gujarat and the poor more than anyone else. How is it that he never understood the pains his decisions will unleash on you?" Singh asked. "Your business works on trust and relationships. Without trust in each other, Surat will collapse. You extended this trust to the prime minister and his promise of 'acchhe din' (good days). The hope symbolised in those dreams now lies shattered," he said. In Surat alone, 89,000 powerlooms were sold as scrap and it led to a loss of 31,000 jobs, Singh said. "There are countless such examples from industrial clusters and big mandis (markets) from across the country." China benefited from this situation, he claimed. "In FY 2016-17, India's imports from China stood at Rs 1.96 lakh crore. During the same period in FY 2017-18, the imports from China increased to Rs 2.41 lakh crore. This unprecedented increase in imports by more than Rs 45,000 crore, a 23 per cent increase in a year, can be attributed largely to demonetisation and GST. "These twin blows damaged India's MSME sector and our businesses had to turn to Chinese imports at the cost of India jobs," the senior Congress leader said. On demonetisation, Singh said, "This is an uninformed, half-baked crusade on black money where he (Modi) painted everyone as a thief, while real culprits have gotten away." The Goods and Services Tax was "badly designed and hastily implemented", the economist-turned-politician said. Maintaining that demonetisation was not the solution to the problem of black money and tax evasion, Singh said the costs of demonetisation substantially exceeded its benefits, and the decision "proved to be mere bluster to reap political dividends while the real offenders have escaped". Demonetisation and GST have also "sown a deep-rooted fear of tax terrorism among the business community", he said. "At a time when the economy has slowed down considerably, despite favourable global macro-economic conditions, the fear of tax terrorism has eroded the confidence of the businesses to invest," he said. "This attitude of suspecting everyone to be a thief or anti-national, the low-level rhetoric is damaging the democratic discourse and has real consequences for how we relate to one another as citizens. Political leaders must stick to the high road," he said. Singh said on every social indicator, from infant and maternal mortality rates to female literacy, Gujarat has fallen behind the best performing states, including Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. He said the recent agitations by the youth cutting across different sections of the society was an indication of the deep dissatisfaction with the performance of successive BJP governments. The former prime minister said a Congress government in the state will hear the voice of every Gujarati regardless of caste, creed, gender or class. Later, talking to reporters, Singh strongly denied Modi's allegation that the Congress and Congress-led governments hated Gujaratis. "Nothing can be farther from the truth. I realise that many things are said in election times. But when they are gross distortions, they need to be rebutted," he said, adding that Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first prime minister, and the "most famous Gujarati" Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel worked hand-in-hand, and "nothing is gained, as is often attempted by Modi, by pitting the two great leaders apart." Modi was "denigrating the country" when claiming that Congress party did nothing in 70 years, the former PM said. "I wish the prime minister would find more dignified ways of impressing upon the crowds and seeking their votes without resorting to statements which denigrate our country," he said. "...While denigrating the past, the prime minister also tends to exaggerate what he will do in future. He was recently quoted in the press as saying that India will become a developed country by 2022," Singh said, adding that to achieve that, India needed to grow at the rate of 35 per cent per year. The government should get out of the "culture of constant self-praise", Singh said. "In the ten years of UPA-I and II, when I was the prime minister, we produced 7.8 per cent GDP growth on average. This includes the slow-down in the last two years of our government. When the present government took over, they said they would take growth to 8 to 10 per cent. Modi so far has produced an average of only 7.3 per cent in the first three years," he said.

Manmohan to PM: Find 'more dignified ways' to seek votes

<p>With the Gujarat Assembly election drawing ever nearer, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reached out to BJP&#39;s Mahila Morcha through the Narendra Modi app.</p>

<p>As part of a special campaign outreach, the Prime Minister held a live interaction in Gujarati with the women workers of the party this evening, and talked about the developmental works undertaken by the party.</p>

<p>The election campaign for the polls reached a notch higher as Prime Minister Modi kick-started his campaign on November 28, to attend at least 20 public meetings and rallies in the next 15 days.</p>

<p>The outreach to the women wing of the party is aimed at expanding the campaign to the women voters in the state, who constitute almost half the voters in the polls.</p>

<p>Interestingly, the BJP has fielded only 11 women candidates for the 182-member assembly, marginally ahead of Congress, which has fielded only 10 women candidates.Gujarat will go to polls in two phases; the first phase will be held on December 9, while the second phase is scheduled for December 14.&nbsp;</p>


As part of a special campaign outreach, the Prime Minister held a live interaction in Gujarati with the women workers of the party this evening and talked about the developmental works undertaken by the party

With the Gujarat Assembly election drawing ever nearer, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reached out to BJP's Mahila Morcha through the Narendra Modi app. As part of a special campaign outreach, the Prime Minister held a live interaction in Gujarati with the women workers of the party this evening, and talked about the developmental works undertaken by the party. The election campaign for the polls reached a notch higher as Prime Minister Modi kick-started his campaign on November 28, to attend at least 20 public meetings and rallies in the next 15 days. The outreach to the women wing of the party is aimed at expanding the campaign to the women voters in the state, who constitute almost half the voters in the polls. Interestingly, the BJP has fielded only 11 women candidates for the 182-member assembly, marginally ahead of Congress, which has fielded only 10 women candidates.Gujarat will go to polls in two phases; the first phase will be held on December 9, while the second phase is scheduled for December 14.

PM Modi interacts with BJP's Mahila Morcha via NM app

<p>Former US President Barack Obama is going to address a town hall in Delhi today for the Obama Foundation.</p>

<p>Obama will be speaking at a media conclave where he will also interact with nearly 300 young leaders from across the country.</p>

<p>&quot;The town hall will expand the conversation about what it means to be an active citizen and make an impact and how the Obama Foundation can support emerging leaders in this effort,&quot; said an official statement on Obama Foundation&#39;s website.</p>

<p>&quot;We&#39;ll also invite people across India to share their questions for President Obama online and anyone anywhere can tune-in to watch the Town Hall live on Obama.org.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Former US President is also expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.</p>

<p>The town hall will begin at 3:45 pm and will be streamed live at Obama.org and on its Facebook page and YouTube channel.</p>

<p>Prior to this, Obama has hosted events with young leaders in Germany, Indonesia, and Brazil.</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Former US President is also expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Former US President Barack Obama is going to address a town hall in Delhi today for the Obama Foundation. Obama will be speaking at a media conclave where he will also interact with nearly 300 young leaders from across the country. "The town hall will expand the conversation about what it means to be an active citizen and make an impact and how the Obama Foundation can support emerging leaders in this effort," said an official statement on Obama Foundation's website. "We'll also invite people across India to share their questions for President Obama online and anyone anywhere can tune-in to watch the Town Hall live on Obama.org." Former US President is also expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The town hall will begin at 3:45 pm and will be streamed live at Obama.org and on its Facebook page and YouTube channel. Prior to this, Obama has hosted events with young leaders in Germany, Indonesia, and Brazil.

Barack Obama to address town hall in Delhi today

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday invoked late President APJ Abdul Kalam to urge the media to give up negativity and focus on positive developments to help give direction to the country.</p>

<p>Modi made the remarks while addressing the inaugural session of the &#39;Hindustan Times Leadership Summit - 2017&#39; here.</p>

<p>The prime minister also said that each institution involved in nation building should identify challenges before the country and resolve to solve these at their respective levels by 2022, when the country completes 75 years of independence.</p>

<p>&quot;He (Kalam) had few years ago asked why our media is so negative? These are not my words, (he had said) why is that in India, we are embarrassed about our capabilities and achievements?</p>

<p>&quot;We are a great country, we have unprecedented stories of success. Still, we refuse to accept them. Why is it so? These were Kalam&#39;s words,&quot; Modi said.</p>

<p>The prime minister suggested that the media can discuss the issue in seminars and their newsrooms to bring about an &quot;irreversible change&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;I urge the media to be resolute and also inspire others. Be part of this journey of resolution the way you played an active role in turning the Clean India mission into a public campaign...Increase your partnership...Cooperate in giving direction to the country,&quot; he urged.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The prime minister suggested that the media can discuss the issue in seminars and their newsrooms to bring about an "irreversible change".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday invoked late President APJ Abdul Kalam to urge the media to give up negativity and focus on positive developments to help give direction to the country. Modi made the remarks while addressing the inaugural session of the 'Hindustan Times Leadership Summit - 2017' here. The prime minister also said that each institution involved in nation building should identify challenges before the country and resolve to solve these at their respective levels by 2022, when the country completes 75 years of independence. "He (Kalam) had few years ago asked why our media is so negative? These are not my words, (he had said) why is that in India, we are embarrassed about our capabilities and achievements? "We are a great country, we have unprecedented stories of success. Still, we refuse to accept them. Why is it so? These were Kalam's words," Modi said. The prime minister suggested that the media can discuss the issue in seminars and their newsrooms to bring about an "irreversible change". "I urge the media to be resolute and also inspire others. Be part of this journey of resolution the way you played an active role in turning the Clean India mission into a public campaign...Increase your partnership...Cooperate in giving direction to the country," he urged.

Shun negativity, focus on country's success stories: PM to media

<p>A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi of propagating &#39;grand stupid thought&#39; on Goods and Service Tax (GST), Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram hit out at PM by saying CEA Dr Arvind Subramaniam and many other economists are stupid? &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
&quot;If it is Grand Stupid Thought to argue for a cap of the tax rate at 18%, then CEA Dr Arvind Subramaniam and many other economists are stupid. &nbsp;Is that what PM is saying?,&#39;&#39; Chidambaram tweeted today morning. &nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">If it is Grand Stupid Thought to argue for a cap of the tax rate at 18%, then CEA Dr Arvind Subramaniam and many other economists are stupid. Is that what PM is saying?</p>
&mdash; P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) <a href="https://twitter.com/PChidambaram_IN/status/936083726307508225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><br />
In December, 2015, a panel headed by Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian has recommended a standard rate of 17-18 per cent under the then proposed goods and services tax (GST). The panel had submitted its recommendations to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
The CEA report suggested a 40 per cent GST rate for luxury goods and tobacco at the higher-end and 12 per cent at the lower-end for essential goods.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
&#39;&#39;Has PM read the CEA&#39;s report on Revenue Neutral Rate? Did not CEA recommend an RNR of 15-15.5%?,&#39;&#39; former FM said in another tweet. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
&#39;&#39;Why can&#39;t the normal GST rate be 15% and RNR plus rate on luxury goods be 18%?,&#39;&#39; he said in another tweet. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
The former FM also took potshots at the ruling NDA for not slashing the petrol and diesel prices despite the crude oil prices falling by 50 per cent since BJP led NDA came to power.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
&#39;&#39;Tax and spend is the credo of the BJP government. Example: when crude oil prices fell by 50%, prices of petrol and diesel remained the same,&#39;&#39; Chidambaram stated in another tweet.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
Addressing a huge rally in Morbi town in Gujarat, which goes to polls in the first phase on December 9, Modi attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for calling GST &#39;Gabbar Singh Tax&#39; and said a recently emerged &quot;economist&quot; was propagating a &quot;grand stupid thought&quot; by suggesting that GST rate be capped at 18 per cent.&nbsp;</p>


In December 2015, a panel headed by Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian has recommended a standard rate of 17-18 per cent under the then proposed goods and services tax (GST).

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi of propagating 'grand stupid thought' on Goods and Service Tax (GST), Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram hit out at PM by saying CEA Dr Arvind Subramaniam and many other economists are stupid? "If it is Grand Stupid Thought to argue for a cap of the tax rate at 18%, then CEA Dr Arvind Subramaniam and many other economists are stupid. Is that what PM is saying?,'' Chidambaram tweeted today morning. If it is Grand Stupid Thought to argue for a cap of the tax rate at 18%, then CEA Dr Arvind Subramaniam and many other economists are stupid. Is that what PM is saying? — P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) November 30, 2017 × In December, 2015, a panel headed by Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian has recommended a standard rate of 17-18 per cent under the then proposed goods and services tax (GST). The panel had submitted its recommendations to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The CEA report suggested a 40 per cent GST rate for luxury goods and tobacco at the higher-end and 12 per cent at the lower-end for essential goods. ''Has PM read the CEA's report on Revenue Neutral Rate? Did not CEA recommend an RNR of 15-15.5%?,'' former FM said in another tweet. ''Why can't the normal GST rate be 15% and RNR plus rate on luxury goods be 18%?,'' he said in another tweet. The former FM also took potshots at the ruling NDA for not slashing the petrol and diesel prices despite the crude oil prices falling by 50 per cent since BJP led NDA came to power. ''Tax and spend is the credo of the BJP government. Example: when crude oil prices fell by 50%, prices of petrol and diesel remained the same,'' Chidambaram stated in another tweet. Addressing a huge rally in Morbi town in Gujarat, which goes to polls in the first phase on December 9, Modi attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for calling GST 'Gabbar Singh Tax' and said a recently emerged "economist" was propagating a "grand stupid thought" by suggesting that GST rate be capped at 18 per cent.

Chidambaram hits out at Modi over 'grand stupid thought' jibe on Rahul

<p>The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/live-updates-general-entrepreneurship-summit-25317" target="_blank">Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017</a> organised in Hyderabad was inaugurated after PM Modi and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-india-an-inspiration-for-the-world-ivanka-trump-at-ges-2017-25369" target="_blank">advisor to the US president Ivanka Trump</a> pressed a button on robot &quot;Mitra&quot;.</p>

<p>Mitra is a humanoid invented by a Bengaluru based company&nbsp;&quot;Invento Robotics&quot;.</p>

<p>The founder of the company are Balaji Vishwanathan, Mahalakshmi Radhakrishnan, and Bharath Kumar.</p>

<p>Invento Robotics wants to &quot;Make in India&quot; for the world. The robots are being manufactured in Bengaluru.</p>

<p>Robot&nbsp;&quot;Mitra&quot; was developed in October 2016.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In 2015, the team made a robot which drew a lot of appreciation during a maker fair. The founders then realised that the concept can work better to inspire for &quot;Make in India&quot;.</p>

<p>The 5 ft tall humanoid has been designed with an ability of face detection, speech detection, face recognition, contextual support and autonomous navigation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Its founder Vishwanathan said that Mitra is capable of helping businesses do better consumer targetting.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mitra has been working in Canara Bank and PVR Cinemas in Bengaluru.The robot speaks to the customers, reviews their preferences based on previous purchases and suggests them for a perfect purchase.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Vishwanathan added that the robot can be used as a customer service agent in multiple domains like banks, hospitals, airports, hotels.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The founder further claims that Canara bank is planning to get robots work for them in 500 bank branches.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The company is currently funding itself by rentals and sales. The company&#39;s major revenue is earned by renting out Mitra which accounts for Rs 25,000- Rs 15,000.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The robot is rented out for wedding and birthday parties where the humanoid moves around playing songs and taking pictures.</p>

<p>The robot costs Rs 8 lakh.</p>

<p>The company will soon introduce a female version of the humanoid. It will be called &quot;Mitri&quot;. The only difference of the female humanoid will be its body design.</p>


Mitra is a humanoid invented by a Bengaluru based company?'Invento Robotics'

The Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017 organised in Hyderabad was inaugurated after PM Modi and advisor to the US president Ivanka Trump pressed a button on robot "Mitra". Mitra is a humanoid invented by a Bengaluru based company "Invento Robotics". The founder of the company are Balaji Vishwanathan, Mahalakshmi Radhakrishnan, and Bharath Kumar. Invento Robotics wants to "Make in India" for the world. The robots are being manufactured in Bengaluru. Robot "Mitra" was developed in October 2016. In 2015, the team made a robot which drew a lot of appreciation during a maker fair. The founders then realised that the concept can work better to inspire for "Make in India". The 5 ft tall humanoid has been designed with an ability of face detection, speech detection, face recognition, contextual support and autonomous navigation. Its founder Vishwanathan said that Mitra is capable of helping businesses do better consumer targetting. Mitra has been working in Canara Bank and PVR Cinemas in Bengaluru.The robot speaks to the customers, reviews their preferences based on previous purchases and suggests them for a perfect purchase. Vishwanathan added that the robot can be used as a customer service agent in multiple domains like banks, hospitals, airports, hotels. The founder further claims that Canara bank is planning to get robots work for them in 500 bank branches. The company is currently funding itself by rentals and sales. The company's major revenue is earned by renting out Mitra which accounts for Rs 25,000- Rs 15,000. The robot is rented out for wedding and birthday parties where the humanoid moves around playing songs and taking pictures. The robot costs Rs 8 lakh. The company will soon introduce a female version of the humanoid. It will be called "Mitri". The only difference of the female humanoid will be its body design.

GES 2017: Meet 'Mitra', the humanoid from Hyderabad

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/live-updates-general-entrepreneurship-summit-25317">GES Live Updates: I was extremely excited to come to Hyderabad, the IT hub - Ivanka Trump</a></p>

<p>US President daughter Donald Trump&#39;s daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump is leading American delegation of officials, women entrepreneurs and businessmen for the three-day Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017 in Hyderabad.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pope-francis-meets-aung-san-suu-kyi-as-rohingya-crisis-simmers-25346">Pope Francis meets Aung San Suu Kyi, avoids using the term &#39;Rohingya&#39;</a></p>

<p>A day after meeting the military chief, Pope Francis met Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi at the presidential palace in Naypyidaw today. The Pope avoided using the term &quot;Rohingya&quot; during the address to the nation which was closely watched by the mainly Buddhist population of the country.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-prime-minister-narendra-modi-inaugurates-hyderabad-metro-25343">Watch: PM Modi inaugurates Hyderabad Metro, CM KC Rao, Governor Narasimhan join inaugural ride</a></p>

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of Hyderabad Metro project today, he also took a ride along with Telangana Chief Minister KC Rao and Governer ESL Narasimhan.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pujara-rises-to-2nd-kohli-stays-5th-in-latest-icc-rankings-25323">ICC Test rankings: Pujara climbs to 2nd spot, Kohli stays at 5th</a></p>

<p>Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara jumped a couple of rungs to second, while skipper Virat Kohli held on to the fifth spot in the latest ICC rankings for Test batsmen, issued here today.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/indonesian-authorities-extend-bali-airport-closure-over-volcanic-ash-25298">Bali airport closed for </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/indonesian-authorities-extend-bali-airport-closure-over-volcanic-ash-25298">second</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/indonesian-authorities-extend-bali-airport-closure-over-volcanic-ash-25298"> day over fears of volcano eruption</a></p>

<p>Indonesian authorities on Tuesday extended the closure of the international airport on the resort island of Bali for a second day over fears of a volcanic eruption. Bali&#39;s Ngurah Rai airport will remain closed until at least Wednesday morning local time.&nbsp;</p>


GES Live Updates: I was extremely excited to come to Hyderabad, the IT hub - Ivanka Trump US President daughter Donald Trump's daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump is leading American delegation of officials, women entrepreneurs and businessmen for the three-day Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017 in Hyderabad. Pope Francis meets Aung San Suu Kyi, avoids using the term 'Rohingya' A day after meeting the military chief, Pope Francis met Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi at the presidential palace in Naypyidaw today. The Pope avoided using the term "Rohingya" during the address to the nation which was closely watched by the mainly Buddhist population of the country. Watch: PM Modi inaugurates Hyderabad Metro, CM KC Rao, Governor Narasimhan join inaugural ride Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of Hyderabad Metro project today, he also took a ride along with Telangana Chief Minister KC Rao and Governer ESL Narasimhan. ICC Test rankings: Pujara climbs to 2nd spot, Kohli stays at 5th Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara jumped a couple of rungs to second, while skipper Virat Kohli held on to the fifth spot in the latest ICC rankings for Test batsmen, issued here today. Bali airport closed for second day over fears of volcano eruption Indonesian authorities on Tuesday extended the closure of the international airport on the resort island of Bali for a second day over fears of a volcanic eruption. Bali's Ngurah Rai airport will remain closed until at least Wednesday morning local time.

WION Evening News Brief, November 28, 2017

<p>Today, my morning started with a very mixed feeling. It happens to be the National Organ Donation Day, and coming from a family with a large number of Diabetic patients, this day is of crucial importance to me. Diabetes slowly gnaws away one&#39;s body, rendering the organs dysfunctional, the skin fragile and itchy, and the muscles languid. When you watch your nearest and dearest ones suffering from kidney failure or losing the eye-sight, you do wish the world was more sympathetic and supportive to the cause of organ donation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>People without a properly functioning organ are akin to physically disabled people. Someone with a dysfunctional kidney is as much helpless as one without eyesight or amputated legs and arms. Thus, closely coupled with this very personal concern for people with disability is a larger anxiety about how we respond to disability in India.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>India does not behave well with physically disabled; we have little time, patience or empathy for them. Society considers them as a burden and little ones as much as old people suffering from disabilities are subjected to ridicule. Bollywood is no exception. In fact, the tinsel town has added to society&#39;s mockery of the disabled by making slapstick comedy scenes in movies, such as Humshakals, Golmaal 2 and Houseful 3.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a country where diseases are often linked to sins committed in either this life or in the past life, if not by the person concerned then by his/her parents, disability is seen as a bane, a burden. But instead of empowering these people so that they could live a life of independence, our apathy is pushing them further into oblivion and into a dark dungeon of pessimism.</p>

<p>India&#39;s prime minister Narendra Modi in his Maan ki Baat speech to the nation has congratulated the Indian blind cricket team for winning the T20 World Cup for the Blind. This is a very fine gesture. For a very long time, we have celebrated the winning performance of our able-bodied male cricketers. The fact that even a team of blind players can make the nation proud, is definitely a game changer. This shows a shift in our attitude to excellence in sports and our ideas about victory.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>I am hoping that the prime minister did not choose to congratulate the cricket team because it won a thrashing victory against Pakistan. I believe the prime minister chose to celebrate the indomitable spirit of these people rather than one win against India&#39;s arch nemesis as he also mentioned, in the same speech, the Indian sportspersons who won medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. As a nation of people who are obsessed with their national cricket team led by superman Virat Kohli, this is indeed a welcome break. Though it is too early to tell, this may also mean that with the prime minister making special mention, players from other sports may get a better chance of getting sponsorship, media coverage and improved training opportunities. &nbsp;</p>

<p>But simply congratulating the winners who have made India proud at the international arena will not make India more habitable for the physically disabled. For that, we need a conscious effort, an informed team of policymakers, and commitment on the part of the state as well as the civil society to translate those policies into action. &nbsp;</p>

<p>As a nation, we are not sensitive to the needs of the physically disabled in the public spaces. I know many heart patients who have gone through a heart transplant and are scared to visit the malls. They can&#39;t climb steps and would definitely prefer a ramp to walk into the mall. Very few of Indian malls or for that matter almost none of the shopping complexes, comprising of small shops have ramps. Under the circumstance, how will someone with any form of disability be able to perform the normal functions of life? Already challenged by diseases, our callousness is making their lives even more challenging.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>India desperately needs more disability-friendly public buildings. Our cinema halls, bus stands, libraries, marts and offices need to cater to the physically disabled.&nbsp; I have always wondered why there is not a single toilet in my office that is accessible to people with physical problems. Similarly, our public transports are equally apathetic. Buses in the uses all come equipped with automatic staircases which can come down to the level of the footpath, so that anyone with a disability can get into the bus in the wheelchair. I still remember in one of my cross-country bus journeys in the US, we waited for 3 hours because the stairs got jammed, preventing someone with an amputated leg to get into the bus. The bus did not leave without taking the passenger concerned.</p>

<p>India is getting all these fancy, air-conditioned buses with huge glass windows but none of these are equipped to serve better the physically disabled.</p>

<p>So, as a nation which is fast developing, it will be prudent to not only pay lip-service to the disabled. As we work towards encouraging more people to donate their working organs to those without, we should also strive to make the world more habitable for them. If India&#39;s public spaces are made more hospitable to people with special needs, it will definitely help to challenge the taboo against physically handicapped. Far from being a burden to the society, then they will become an asset. Even without being a trailblazer, such a person can be a valuable member of the civil society.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


If India's public spaces are made more hospitable to people with special needs, it will definitely help to challenge the taboo against physically disabled.

Today, my morning started with a very mixed feeling. It happens to be the National Organ Donation Day, and coming from a family with a large number of Diabetic patients, this day is of crucial importance to me. Diabetes slowly gnaws away one's body, rendering the organs dysfunctional, the skin fragile and itchy, and the muscles languid. When you watch your nearest and dearest ones suffering from kidney failure or losing the eye-sight, you do wish the world was more sympathetic and supportive to the cause of organ donation. People without a properly functioning organ are akin to physically disabled people. Someone with a dysfunctional kidney is as much helpless as one without eyesight or amputated legs and arms. Thus, closely coupled with this very personal concern for people with disability is a larger anxiety about how we respond to disability in India. India does not behave well with physically disabled. × India does not behave well with physically disabled; we have little time, patience or empathy for them. Society considers them as a burden and little ones as much as old people suffering from disabilities are subjected to ridicule. Bollywood is no exception. In fact, the tinsel town has added to society's mockery of the disabled by making slapstick comedy scenes in movies, such as Humshakals, Golmaal 2 and Houseful 3. In a country where diseases are often linked to sins committed in either this life or in the past life, if not by the person concerned then by his/her parents, disability is seen as a bane, a burden. But instead of empowering these people so that they could live a life of independence, our apathy is pushing them further into oblivion and into a dark dungeon of pessimism. India's prime minister Narendra Modi in his Maan ki Baat speech to the nation has congratulated the Indian blind cricket team for winning the T20 World Cup for the Blind. This is a very fine gesture. For a very long time, we have celebrated the winning performance of our able-bodied male cricketers. The fact that even a team of blind players can make the nation proud, is definitely a game changer. This shows a shift in our attitude to excellence in sports and our ideas about victory. But simply congratulating the winners who have made India proud at the international arena will not make India more habitable for the physically disabled. × I am hoping that the prime minister did not choose to congratulate the cricket team because it won a thrashing victory against Pakistan. I believe the prime minister chose to celebrate the indomitable spirit of these people rather than one win against India's arch nemesis as he also mentioned, in the same speech, the Indian sportspersons who won medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. As a nation of people who are obsessed with their national cricket team led by superman Virat Kohli, this is indeed a welcome break. Though it is too early to tell, this may also mean that with the prime minister making special mention, players from other sports may get a better chance of getting sponsorship, media coverage and improved training opportunities. But simply congratulating the winners who have made India proud at the international arena will not make India more habitable for the physically disabled. For that, we need a conscious effort, an informed team of policymakers, and commitment on the part of the state as well as the civil society to translate those policies into action. As a nation, we are not sensitive to the needs of the physically disabled in the public spaces. I know many heart patients who have gone through a heart transplant and are scared to visit the malls. They can't climb steps and would definitely prefer a ramp to walk into the mall. Very few of Indian malls or for that matter almost none of the shopping complexes, comprising of small shops have ramps. Under the circumstance, how will someone with any form of disability be able to perform the normal functions of life? Already challenged by diseases, our callousness is making their lives even more challenging. Our cinema halls, bus stands, libraries, marts and offices need to cater to the physically disabled. × India desperately needs more disability-friendly public buildings. Our cinema halls, bus stands, libraries, marts and offices need to cater to the physically disabled. I have always wondered why there is not a single toilet in my office that is accessible to people with physical problems. Similarly, our public transports are equally apathetic. Buses in the uses all come equipped with automatic staircases which can come down to the level of the footpath, so that anyone with a disability can get into the bus in the wheelchair. I still remember in one of my cross-country bus journeys in the US, we waited for 3 hours because the stairs got jammed, preventing someone with an amputated leg to get into the bus. The bus did not leave without taking the passenger concerned. India is getting all these fancy, air-conditioned buses with huge glass windows but none of these are equipped to serve better the physically disabled. So, as a nation which is fast developing, it will be prudent to not only pay lip-service to the disabled. As we work towards encouraging more people to donate their working organs to those without, we should also strive to make the world more habitable for them. If India's public spaces are made more hospitable to people with special needs, it will definitely help to challenge the taboo against physically handicapped. Far from being a burden to the society, then they will become an asset. Even without being a trailblazer, such a person can be a valuable member of the civil society.

Opinion: Modi praises blind cricketers but is India sensitive to the disabled

<p>Former union minister and journalist Arun Shourie has&nbsp;said there is &quot;too much centralisation of power in the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office due to the insecurity of the &ldquo;top boss&#39;,&quot;&nbsp;news reports said.</p>

<p>Shourie added that in his 40 years of viewing politics in Inda, he had never come across an &quot;exaggeration of falsehoods&quot;&nbsp;of the kind happening at present, stating that Modi is a very &quot;astute politician&quot;.</p>

<p>Shourie was speaking on Sunday at the Times Lit Fest in Delhi, where he said: &quot;A person who is psychologically secure, he will not be nervous of any situation. And a person who is psychologically insecure will never allow others who have a base of expertise to come near (him).&#39;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;I fear this will get worse because Modi realises he has not been able to, and won&#39;t be able to, deliver on his promise of development. So they will only work harder to do what they do best: divide people and then conquer,&quot; Shourie added.</p>

<p>Shourie further urged the people to not only look at what a person or leader has been doing in the past but to examine their work &ldquo;minutely&rdquo;.</p>

<p>He also expressed his concern over the&nbsp;rise of communal incidents in India, saying that it was dangerous when groups indulging&nbsp;in violence &quot;marry the state&quot;.&nbsp;</p>


Shourie added that in his 40 years of viewing politics in Inda he had never come across an 'exaggeration of falsehoods'?of the kind happening at present

Former union minister and journalist Arun Shourie has said there is "too much centralisation of power in the Prime Minister’s Office due to the insecurity of the “top boss'," news reports said. Shourie added that in his 40 years of viewing politics in Inda, he had never come across an "exaggeration of falsehoods" of the kind happening at present, stating that Modi is a very "astute politician". Shourie was speaking on Sunday at the Times Lit Fest in Delhi, where he said: "A person who is psychologically secure, he will not be nervous of any situation. And a person who is psychologically insecure will never allow others who have a base of expertise to come near (him).' "I fear this will get worse because Modi realises he has not been able to, and won't be able to, deliver on his promise of development. So they will only work harder to do what they do best: divide people and then conquer," Shourie added. Shourie further urged the people to not only look at what a person or leader has been doing in the past but to examine their work “minutely”. He also expressed his concern over the rise of communal incidents in India, saying that it was dangerous when groups indulging in violence "marry the state".

Too much centralisation of power in PMO due to insecurity of 'top boss': Arun Shourie

<p>&quot;I am grateful for all the &#39;kichad&#39; being thrown at me,&quot; Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while launching his campaign for&nbsp;Gujarat assembly elections on&nbsp;Monday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;After all, a lotus blooms only in &#39;kichad&#39;, so I don&#39;t mind if more is thrown at me,&quot; Modi added.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="ro"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> Prime Minister Narendra Modi address a public meeting in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gujarat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gujarat</a>&#39;s Bhuj <a href="https://t.co/Et530PU8mv">https://t.co/Et530PU8mv</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/935024863596519424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Modi was addressing a public gathering in Bhuj - the start of his campaigning in the state for the upcoming Gujarat polls.</p>

<p>Modi added that &quot;Gujarat is my soul and mother&quot; and that my relationship with you is that of equality since you call me brother.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Modi also said that the Congress had insulted Sardar Patel but the people of Gujarat still forgave them.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But he added that they (the people of Gujarat) would no longer tolerate any attack on their prestige.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Officers did not want to get posted to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kutch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kutch</a> region as the water here was black in colour. Congress did not allow Narmada water to come to Kutch region. What if the Narmada waters had come to Kutch 30 years earlier? It would have made such a big different: PM Modi in Kutch <a href="https://t.co/FFdzeys1wF">pic.twitter.com/FFdzeys1wF</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/935030255714156544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kutch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kutch</a> ek aisi jagah hai jahan ek taraf registaan hai aur doosri taraf Pakistan hai. Kisi ne socha nahi tha ki yahan kheti bhi ho sakti hai par yahan dariya tak le aaye: PM Modi in Gujarat <a href="https://t.co/GAKpXBswwn">pic.twitter.com/GAKpXBswwn</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/935031262867218432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">When big earthquakes take place ppl say see this building has fell but in Kutch ppl say this school, this hospital, these buildings were made after the earthquake. All this was done on war footing by the army of Kutch which consists of its ppl: PM in Bhuj <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/oOPhNKY01J">pic.twitter.com/oOPhNKY01J</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/935031523467657216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


'After all, a lotus blooms only in 'kichad', so I don't mind if more is thrown at me,' Modi added.?

"I am grateful for all the 'kichad' being thrown at me," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while launching his campaign for Gujarat assembly elections on Monday. "After all, a lotus blooms only in 'kichad', so I don't mind if more is thrown at me," Modi added. #WATCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi address a public meeting in #Gujarat's Bhuj https://t.co/Et530PU8mv — ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2017 × Modi was addressing a public gathering in Bhuj - the start of his campaigning in the state for the upcoming Gujarat polls. Modi added that "Gujarat is my soul and mother" and that my relationship with you is that of equality since you call me brother. Modi also said that the Congress had insulted Sardar Patel but the people of Gujarat still forgave them. But he added that they (the people of Gujarat) would no longer tolerate any attack on their prestige. Officers did not want to get posted to #Kutch region as the water here was black in colour. Congress did not allow Narmada water to come to Kutch region. What if the Narmada waters had come to Kutch 30 years earlier? It would have made such a big different: PM Modi in Kutch pic.twitter.com/FFdzeys1wF — ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2017 × #Kutch ek aisi jagah hai jahan ek taraf registaan hai aur doosri taraf Pakistan hai. Kisi ne socha nahi tha ki yahan kheti bhi ho sakti hai par yahan dariya tak le aaye: PM Modi in Gujarat pic.twitter.com/GAKpXBswwn — ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2017 × When big earthquakes take place ppl say see this building has fell but in Kutch ppl say this school, this hospital, these buildings were made after the earthquake. All this was done on war footing by the army of Kutch which consists of its ppl: PM in Bhuj #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/oOPhNKY01J — ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2017 ×

Watch: I am grateful for all the 'kichad' being thrown at me, says PM Modi

<p>India has been raising the issue of terror. Initially, the world didn&#39;t take India&nbsp;seriously but now they are realizing destruction caused by terrorism, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio programme.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Paying his tributes to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, PM said &ldquo;We salute all those brave women and men who were killed in 26/11 attacks in Mumbai&#39;&#39;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">For over 4 decades, India has been raising the issue of terror. Initially the world did not take us seriously but now the world is realising the destructive aspects of terrorism: PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MannKiBaat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MannKiBaat</a> <a href="https://t.co/mPGGAfzrex">pic.twitter.com/mPGGAfzrex</a></p>
&mdash; PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/934657761534623750?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Emphasising the contributions of Dr BR Ambedkar in drafting Indian Constitution, Modi said Indian Constitution safeguards the rights of the poor and weaker sections of society and added &#39;&#39;makers of Constitution worked hard to give us a Constitution we would be proud of. Our Constitution safeguards the rights of the poor and weaker sections of society&#39;&#39;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The PM also reminded the nation that 26th November is Constitution Day on the occasion.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The makers of our Constitution worked hard to give us a Constitution we would be proud of. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MannKiBaat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MannKiBaat</a> <a href="https://t.co/IDYtT30WsP">https://t.co/IDYtT30WsP</a> <a href="https://t.co/WMPz2RPtHQ">pic.twitter.com/WMPz2RPtHQ</a></p>
&mdash; PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/934656837160378368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Speaking about caring for the soil and prudent use of fertilizers, he said &#39;&#39;I am very glad to see that my farmer brothers have come forward to implement suggestions made in soil health card. Farmers realized that proper soil care is needed to increase production and that if we take care of our soil, it will also care for us,&#39;&#39; he said.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Soil is integral to our existence. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MannKiBaat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MannKiBaat</a> <a href="https://t.co/S7YZor0LNI">pic.twitter.com/S7YZor0LNI</a></p>
&mdash; PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/934659844241367040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Excess use of urea type fertilizers harms the soil, he further said.</p>

<p>Recalling the Navy&#39;s roles in times of war and peace, Modi said Indian Navy has served our nation with great diligence. Most of the world&#39;s naval forces allow women on warships, but very few people know that 800-900 years ago in Chola Navy, women in large numbers played a significant role in the war. They in fact used to participate in the war, Mod said during the Mann Ki Baat address.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">India&#39;s glorious naval tradition dates back to times of the Chola Empire and the empire of Shivaji Maharaj. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MannKiBaat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MannKiBaat</a> <a href="https://t.co/bap7lIm4tJ">pic.twitter.com/bap7lIm4tJ</a></p>
&mdash; PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/934659074251091968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>In the coming days &#39;Eid e Milad un Nabi &#39; will be celebrated, Prophet Mohammad Sahab was born on this day, I extend my wishes to all countrymen, Modi said.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Paying his tributes to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, PM said ?We salute all those brave women and men who were killed in 26/11 attacks in Mumbai''

India has been raising the issue of terror. Initially, the world didn't take India seriously but now they are realizing destruction caused by terrorism, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio programme. Paying his tributes to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, PM said “We salute all those brave women and men who were killed in 26/11 attacks in Mumbai''. For over 4 decades, India has been raising the issue of terror. Initially the world did not take us seriously but now the world is realising the destructive aspects of terrorism: PM @narendramodi #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/mPGGAfzrex — PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 26, 2017 × Emphasising the contributions of Dr BR Ambedkar in drafting Indian Constitution, Modi said Indian Constitution safeguards the rights of the poor and weaker sections of society and added ''makers of Constitution worked hard to give us a Constitution we would be proud of. Our Constitution safeguards the rights of the poor and weaker sections of society''. The PM also reminded the nation that 26th November is Constitution Day on the occasion. The makers of our Constitution worked hard to give us a Constitution we would be proud of. #MannKiBaat https://t.co/IDYtT30WsP pic.twitter.com/WMPz2RPtHQ — PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 26, 2017 × Speaking about caring for the soil and prudent use of fertilizers, he said ''I am very glad to see that my farmer brothers have come forward to implement suggestions made in soil health card. Farmers realized that proper soil care is needed to increase production and that if we take care of our soil, it will also care for us,'' he said. Soil is integral to our existence. #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/S7YZor0LNI — PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 26, 2017 × Excess use of urea type fertilizers harms the soil, he further said. Recalling the Navy's roles in times of war and peace, Modi said Indian Navy has served our nation with great diligence. Most of the world's naval forces allow women on warships, but very few people know that 800-900 years ago in Chola Navy, women in large numbers played a significant role in the war. They in fact used to participate in the war, Mod said during the Mann Ki Baat address. India's glorious naval tradition dates back to times of the Chola Empire and the empire of Shivaji Maharaj. #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/bap7lIm4tJ — PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 26, 2017 × In the coming days 'Eid e Milad un Nabi ' will be celebrated, Prophet Mohammad Sahab was born on this day, I extend my wishes to all countrymen, Modi said.

Salute brave men and women who died on 26/11: Modi on Mann Ki Baat

<p>Citing a media report, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi by saying that Modi&#39;s &quot;Make In India&quot; project&nbsp;died turning Gujarati taxpayers Rs 33,000 crore into ash.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">PM&rsquo;s pet &ldquo;Make in India&rdquo; project just died. 33,000 crores of Gujarati taxpayer money turned to ash. Who is accountable? <a href="https://t.co/pQ9HUK6Ui1">https://t.co/pQ9HUK6Ui1</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/934627151927586816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Gandhi also asked&nbsp;who should be held accountable for the money becoming &quot;ash&quot;.</p>

<p>The media report claimed that the average daily production of Nano cars at the Tata Motor&#39;s Sanand plant was down to just two.</p>

<p>(Also read -&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/production-for-tata-nano-may-soon-terminate-as-dealers-stop-placing-orders-25161">Tata&#39;s Nano may soon be phased out: Reports</a>)</p>

<p>Earlier this month, Rahul Gandhi had claimed that Rs.&nbsp;33,000 crore&nbsp;worth of &quot;benefits&quot; were given to the Nano car plant in Sanand, near Ahmedabad.</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi is currently campaigning in the Gujarat for upcoming elections in the state. (Also read -&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/modijis-friends-have-caused-pollution-in-gujarat-rahul-gandhi-25025">&#39;Modi<em>ji&#39;</em>s friends&#39; have caused pollution in Gujarat: Rahul Gandhi</a>)</p>

<p>Tata Motors&#39;&nbsp;Nano, launched in 2008 as the world&#39;s cheapest car, may soon be phased out since dealers in most parts of the country have stopped placing orders for the vehicle.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi by saying that Modi's 'Make In India' project just died turning Gujarati taxpayers Rs 33,000 crore into ash

Citing a media report, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi by saying that Modi's "Make In India" project died turning Gujarati taxpayers Rs 33,000 crore into ash. PM’s pet “Make in India” project just died. 33,000 crores of Gujarati taxpayer money turned to ash. Who is accountable? https://t.co/pQ9HUK6Ui1 — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) November 26, 2017 × Gandhi also asked who should be held accountable for the money becoming "ash". The media report claimed that the average daily production of Nano cars at the Tata Motor's Sanand plant was down to just two. (Also read - Tata's Nano may soon be phased out: Reports) Earlier this month, Rahul Gandhi had claimed that Rs. 33,000 crore worth of "benefits" were given to the Nano car plant in Sanand, near Ahmedabad. Rahul Gandhi is currently campaigning in the Gujarat for upcoming elections in the state. (Also read - 'Modiji's friends' have caused pollution in Gujarat: Rahul Gandhi) Tata Motors' Nano, launched in 2008 as the world's cheapest car, may soon be phased out since dealers in most parts of the country have stopped placing orders for the vehicle.

Rahul uses Nano closing report to attack PM Modi's 'Make in India'

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistans-army-silent-as-islamists-police-clash-again-25183">Islamabad: Protesters, security forces clash again; army still not seen</a></p>

<p>Islamist party activists on Sunday clashed with Pakistani security forces for a second day outside the capital, Islamabad, burning vehicles before withdrawing to a protest camp they have occupied for more than two weeks, police said. Despite orders from the civilian government to the army on Saturday night to help restore order, no troops were at the scene around the protest camp in Faizabad.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/madhya-pradesh-cabinet-approves-death-sentence-for-rape-convicts-25187">Madhya Pradesh cabinet approves death sentence for rape convicts</a></p>

<p>The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Sunday approved death sentence for rape convicts in the cases involving girls of 12 years of age and below.&nbsp;<br />
The cabinet also passed a resolution for death sentence for gang rape convicts.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/have-not-been-able-to-remove-internal-weaknesses-pm-modi-on-national-law-day-25182">Have not been able to remove internal weaknesses: PM Modi on National Law Day</a></p>

<p>The prime minister praised the Indian Constitution as being both &quot;as sensitive as it is lively&quot; and as effective as it is accountable&quot; as he addressed a valedictory event in New Delhi on the occasion of National Law Day.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/2nd-test-day-3-india-declare-on-610-6-lead-by-405-25177">2nd Test, Day 3: Kohli scores </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/2nd-test-day-3-india-declare-on-610-6-lead-by-405-25177">double</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/2nd-test-day-3-india-declare-on-610-6-lead-by-405-25177"> ton, India declare at 610/6</a></p>

<p>Skipper Virat Kohli battered a lackadaisical Sri Lanka attack into submission with his fifth double hundred as India piled up a gigantic 610/6 before declaring their first innings on the third day, to literally outbat the island nation in the second Test.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pv-sindhu-loses-hong-kong-open-final-wins-silver-25169">PV Sindhu loses Hong Kong Open final</a></p>

<p>India ace shuttler PV Sindhu on Sunday lost the Hong Kong Open Super Series women&#39;s singles final to defending champion Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei.</p>

<p>PV Sindhu lost 18-21, 18-21 against the world no 1.</p>


Islamabad: Protesters, security forces clash again; army still not seen Islamist party activists on Sunday clashed with Pakistani security forces for a second day outside the capital, Islamabad, burning vehicles before withdrawing to a protest camp they have occupied for more than two weeks, police said. Despite orders from the civilian government to the army on Saturday night to help restore order, no troops were at the scene around the protest camp in Faizabad. Madhya Pradesh cabinet approves death sentence for rape convicts The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Sunday approved death sentence for rape convicts in the cases involving girls of 12 years of age and below. The cabinet also passed a resolution for death sentence for gang rape convicts. Have not been able to remove internal weaknesses: PM Modi on National Law Day The prime minister praised the Indian Constitution as being both "as sensitive as it is lively" and as effective as it is accountable" as he addressed a valedictory event in New Delhi on the occasion of National Law Day. 2nd Test, Day 3: Kohli scores double ton, India declare at 610/6 Skipper Virat Kohli battered a lackadaisical Sri Lanka attack into submission with his fifth double hundred as India piled up a gigantic 610/6 before declaring their first innings on the third day, to literally outbat the island nation in the second Test. PV Sindhu loses Hong Kong Open final India ace shuttler PV Sindhu on Sunday lost the Hong Kong Open Super Series women's singles final to defending champion Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei. PV Sindhu lost 18-21, 18-21 against the world no 1.

WION evening news brief, November 26, 2017

<p>Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in poll-bound Gujarat on Friday and alleged that the latter did not want the &quot;truth&quot; behind the multi-crore Rafale deal and Jay Shah issue to come out before the Assembly election in his home state.</p>

<p>He also alleged that the NDA government was delaying the Winter Session of Parliament as Modi was not ready to discuss the Rafale and Jay Shah issues in the House before the Gujarat polls.</p>

<p>&quot;I would ask Modi<em>ji </em>three questions (on the Rafale deal). First, is there a difference in the cost of planes in the first and the second contract (signed with a French firm) and did India pay more or less money as per the second contract?</p>

<p>&quot;And, has the industrialist (whose company has formed a joint venture with the French firm), who was given the contract, ever manufactured planes?,&quot; he asked while addressing a public gathering here in Gandhinagar district.</p>

<p>The Congress leader also sought to know if the due procedure was followed while inking the deal with France last year to procure the Rafale fighter jets.</p>

<p>&quot;And a more important question, did you follow the due government procedure? Why the (then) was the defence minister was seen catching fish in Goa? And, was an approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security taken (for the mega-deal)?&quot; he asked.</p>

<p>The Congress vice-president alleged that the prime minister was avoiding answering these questions due to the fear that the &quot;truth&quot; would come out before the crucial polls in his home state.</p>

<p>&quot;Narendra Modiji is not replying to these questions because he wants that the truth of Rafale and Jay Shah should not come before the public ahead of the Gujarat elections,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;Rafale is a matter related to the Indian Air Force, national security, martyrs. Modiji will have to answer these questions before the people of the country and Gujarat,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The 47-year-old Amethi MP said while the media persons asked him a lot of questions, they did not do the same with the prime minister over the Rafale and Jay Shah issues.</p>

<p>&quot;Modiji will make many tours of Gujarat. Press reporters ask me various questions. Why don&#39;t you ask Modi about the Rafale deal and Jay Shah? The people should also ask Modiji about Rafale and Jay Shah when he comes to Gujarat,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The prime minister is scheduled to address a series of poll rallies in Gujarat in support of the BJP candidates next week.</p>

<p>The 182-member Gujarat Assembly will go to the polls in two phases -- on December 9 and 14. Counting of votes will be taken up on December 18.</p>


'Narendra Modiji is not replying to these questions because he wants that the truth of Rafale and Jay Shah should not come before the public ahead of the Gujarat elections,' said the Congress vice-president

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in poll-bound Gujarat on Friday and alleged that the latter did not want the "truth" behind the multi-crore Rafale deal and Jay Shah issue to come out before the Assembly election in his home state. He also alleged that the NDA government was delaying the Winter Session of Parliament as Modi was not ready to discuss the Rafale and Jay Shah issues in the House before the Gujarat polls. "I would ask Modiji three questions (on the Rafale deal). First, is there a difference in the cost of planes in the first and the second contract (signed with a French firm) and did India pay more or less money as per the second contract? "And, has the industrialist (whose company has formed a joint venture with the French firm), who was given the contract, ever manufactured planes?," he asked while addressing a public gathering here in Gandhinagar district. The Congress leader also sought to know if the due procedure was followed while inking the deal with France last year to procure the Rafale fighter jets. "And a more important question, did you follow the due government procedure? Why the (then) was the defence minister was seen catching fish in Goa? And, was an approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security taken (for the mega-deal)?" he asked. The Congress vice-president alleged that the prime minister was avoiding answering these questions due to the fear that the "truth" would come out before the crucial polls in his home state. "Narendra Modiji is not replying to these questions because he wants that the truth of Rafale and Jay Shah should not come before the public ahead of the Gujarat elections," he said. "Rafale is a matter related to the Indian Air Force, national security, martyrs. Modiji will have to answer these questions before the people of the country and Gujarat," he said. The 47-year-old Amethi MP said while the media persons asked him a lot of questions, they did not do the same with the prime minister over the Rafale and Jay Shah issues. "Modiji will make many tours of Gujarat. Press reporters ask me various questions. Why don't you ask Modi about the Rafale deal and Jay Shah? The people should also ask Modiji about Rafale and Jay Shah when he comes to Gujarat," he said. The prime minister is scheduled to address a series of poll rallies in Gujarat in support of the BJP candidates next week. The 182-member Gujarat Assembly will go to the polls in two phases -- on December 9 and 14. Counting of votes will be taken up on December 18.

Rahul trains guns on PM Modi over Rafale deal, again

<p>Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday lashed out at the Prime Minister and state Chief Minister Vijay Goel over &#39;Gujarat model&#39; and termed it as &#39;Narendra Modi marketing model&#39;.</p>

<p>&quot;Using the power of women in Gujarat, small and medium businesses and utilizing the power of youth after educating them is real &#39;Gujarat model&#39;. What has been done by the BJP government in the past 22 years is not Gujarat model, instead it is &#39;&#39;Narendra Modi marketing model&#39;&#39; and now it has become Vijay Rupani model,&quot; Rahul said.</p>

<p>While addressing a crowd in Ahmedabad, Rahul said that the real Gujarat model is in the utilization of the power of women, small and medium businesses and educated youths.</p>

<p>This is not the first time that the Congress has questioned the state&#39;s model of development.</p>

<p>&quot;Gujarat doesn&#39;t just belong to 5-10 big industrialists. The state belongs to the farmers, the labourers and the small-scale businessmen,&quot; said Rahul, who is on a two-day tour to Gujarat and is interacting with fishermen in Porbandar, Dalits in Sanand and pharmaceutical industrialists, doctors and teachers at separate events in Ahmedabad.</p>

<p>He also criticised the BJP-led government in Gujarat for stopping the subsidy given to fishermen to buy diesel for their boats.Rahul also claimed that Gujarat during the tenure of Narendra Modi as chief minister gave away Rs 33,000 crore to Tata Motors for its Nano car plant.</p>

<p>His scathing remark comes a month after former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed doubt on the development in Gujarat under the saffron party.</p>

<p>Gujarat will be going to polls in two phases - on December 9 and 14, respectively and counting of votes will take place on December 18.</p>

<p>Subsequently, Prime Minister Modi is all set to visit Gujarat and address eight rallies in different parts of Saurashtra and south Gujarat between November 27 and 29.</p>


While addressing a crowd in Ahmedabad, Rahul said that the real Gujarat model is in the utilisation of power of women, small and medium businesses and educated youths

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday lashed out at the Prime Minister and state Chief Minister Vijay Goel over 'Gujarat model' and termed it as 'Narendra Modi marketing model'. "Using the power of women in Gujarat, small and medium businesses and utilizing the power of youth after educating them is real 'Gujarat model'. What has been done by the BJP government in the past 22 years is not Gujarat model, instead it is ''Narendra Modi marketing model'' and now it has become Vijay Rupani model," Rahul said. While addressing a crowd in Ahmedabad, Rahul said that the real Gujarat model is in the utilization of the power of women, small and medium businesses and educated youths. This is not the first time that the Congress has questioned the state's model of development. "Gujarat doesn't just belong to 5-10 big industrialists. The state belongs to the farmers, the labourers and the small-scale businessmen," said Rahul, who is on a two-day tour to Gujarat and is interacting with fishermen in Porbandar, Dalits in Sanand and pharmaceutical industrialists, doctors and teachers at separate events in Ahmedabad. He also criticised the BJP-led government in Gujarat for stopping the subsidy given to fishermen to buy diesel for their boats.Rahul also claimed that Gujarat during the tenure of Narendra Modi as chief minister gave away Rs 33,000 crore to Tata Motors for its Nano car plant. His scathing remark comes a month after former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed doubt on the development in Gujarat under the saffron party. Gujarat will be going to polls in two phases - on December 9 and 14, respectively and counting of votes will take place on December 18. Subsequently, Prime Minister Modi is all set to visit Gujarat and address eight rallies in different parts of Saurashtra and south Gujarat between November 27 and 29.

Gujarat model is 'Narendra Modi marketing model': Rahul Gandhi

<p>Ahead of the next month&#39;s Assembly elections in Gujarat, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who is on the first day of his two-day campaign tour of Gujarat, on Friday addressed farmers at the coastal town of Porbandar.<br />
<br />
The Congress vice-president alleged that because of the pollution caused by 10-15 industrialists, who were &quot;Modiji&#39;s friends&quot;, the fishermen were forced to venture deep into the sea.</p>

<p>&quot;I have learnt that now you have to go deeper into the sea to catch fish. Why? Because of pollution. But, who caused this? Definitely not the fishermen. It was caused by some 10- 15 industrialists who are Modiji&#39;s friends...He took all your money and gave it to those 10-15 persons,&quot; he alleged.</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi added that instead of doing anything concrete for the fishermen, Modi has gifted ports to &quot;some of his industrialist friends&quot;.</p>

<p>He also criticised the BJP-led government in Gujarat for stopping the Rs 300 crore subsidy that the Congress government gave to fishermen to buy diesel for their boats, and claimed that on the other hand, during Narendra Modi&#39;s tenure as chief minister, &nbsp;the Gujarat government gave away Rs 33,000 crore to Tata Motors for its Nano car plant.</p>

<p>&quot;When Congress was in power, fishermen used to get 25 per cent subsidy on the purchase of diesel. That subsidy, which was just Rs 300 crore (per annum), has been abolished by the BJP government here. What kind of magic is this? They can give Rs 33,000 crore for Nano factory but they can&#39;t give Rs 300 crore to you,&quot; he asked.</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi also promised to create a separate ministry for fisheries if the party came to power at the Centre.</p>

<p>&quot;Fishermen&#39;s work is equivalent to that of farmers. Sometime back, you demanded that if there is a ministry to look after the agriculture sector, then why not for fishermen? I agree with you, and I promise that the Congress will set it up after forming the government at the Centre,&quot; Rahul Gandhi said.</p>

<p>Taking a jibe at Modi&#39;s radio programme &#39;Mann ki Baat&#39;, the Congress leader promised that the doors of Congress government will be opened once the party comes to power in Gujarat.</p>

<p>He expressed confidence that the Congress will emerge victorious in the state, where the party has been out of power for 22 years.</p>

<p>&quot;I am confident that the Congress will win this election. After that, doors of the Chief Minister&#39;s Office and the Assembly will be opened for you, so that you can tell us your &#39;mann ki baat&#39;. Till now, those doors were open only for the rich, and only their voice was heard. Your voice never reached the government,&quot; he alleged.</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi will interact with Dalits, doctors, teachers and villagers during his two-day visit which covers Porbandar, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Arvalli, Mahisagar and Dahod districts.</p>

<p>Polling for the two-phase elections in the state, having a total of 182 seats, will take place on December 9 and 14.</p>

<p>Counting of votes will take place on December 18.</p>

<p>Eighty-nine seats of Saurashtra and south Gujarat region are going to polls in the first phase. The remaining 93 seats in the central and northern region will vote in the second phase.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(<em>With inputs from PTI</em>)<br />
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Addressing a rally in Porbandar, the Congress vice-president alleged that because of the pollution caused by 10-15 industrialists, who were 'Modiji's friends', the fishermen were forced to venture deep into the sea

Ahead of the next month's Assembly elections in Gujarat, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who is on the first day of his two-day campaign tour of Gujarat, on Friday addressed farmers at the coastal town of Porbandar. The Congress vice-president alleged that because of the pollution caused by 10-15 industrialists, who were "Modiji's friends", the fishermen were forced to venture deep into the sea. "I have learnt that now you have to go deeper into the sea to catch fish. Why? Because of pollution. But, who caused this? Definitely not the fishermen. It was caused by some 10- 15 industrialists who are Modiji's friends...He took all your money and gave it to those 10-15 persons," he alleged. Rahul Gandhi added that instead of doing anything concrete for the fishermen, Modi has gifted ports to "some of his industrialist friends". He also criticised the BJP-led government in Gujarat for stopping the Rs 300 crore subsidy that the Congress government gave to fishermen to buy diesel for their boats, and claimed that on the other hand, during Narendra Modi's tenure as chief minister, the Gujarat government gave away Rs 33,000 crore to Tata Motors for its Nano car plant. "When Congress was in power, fishermen used to get 25 per cent subsidy on the purchase of diesel. That subsidy, which was just Rs 300 crore (per annum), has been abolished by the BJP government here. What kind of magic is this? They can give Rs 33,000 crore for Nano factory but they can't give Rs 300 crore to you," he asked. Rahul Gandhi also promised to create a separate ministry for fisheries if the party came to power at the Centre. "Fishermen's work is equivalent to that of farmers. Sometime back, you demanded that if there is a ministry to look after the agriculture sector, then why not for fishermen? I agree with you, and I promise that the Congress will set it up after forming the government at the Centre," Rahul Gandhi said. Taking a jibe at Modi's radio programme 'Mann ki Baat', the Congress leader promised that the doors of Congress government will be opened once the party comes to power in Gujarat. He expressed confidence that the Congress will emerge victorious in the state, where the party has been out of power for 22 years. "I am confident that the Congress will win this election. After that, doors of the Chief Minister's Office and the Assembly will be opened for you, so that you can tell us your 'mann ki baat'. Till now, those doors were open only for the rich, and only their voice was heard. Your voice never reached the government," he alleged. Rahul Gandhi will interact with Dalits, doctors, teachers and villagers during his two-day visit which covers Porbandar, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Arvalli, Mahisagar and Dahod districts. Polling for the two-phase elections in the state, having a total of 182 seats, will take place on December 9 and 14. Counting of votes will take place on December 18. Eighty-nine seats of Saurashtra and south Gujarat region are going to polls in the first phase. The remaining 93 seats in the central and northern region will vote in the second phase. (With inputs from PTI)

'Modiji's friends' have caused pollution in Gujarat: Rahul Gandhi

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