Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf intends to come out of his self-imposed exile to fight the country&#39;s general elections in 2018.

Musharraf stressed on the need to &quot;create a third political force&quot; to &quot;introduce better practical democracy&quot;.

Speaking to WION&#39;s Palki Sharma, the 73-year-old confirmed his intention to contend next year&#39;s elections: &quot;Yes, I am (looking to relaunch my political career.&quot;

However, Musharraf said he didn&#39;t have any ambitions to be the country&#39;s prime minister.

&quot;I want to create a political force. A third political force. But not necessarily be the next prime minister,&quot; the Dubai-based retired army chief said.

&quot;There are many good people who can run Pakistan,&quot; the former president said. &quot;I would like to contribute by using all my experience to guide someone who is good.&quot;

The former military ruler also downplayed criticism of his plan to ally with either&nbsp;Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) or cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

He said his earlier decision to join them was the need of the hour to ensure the country rid itself of corruption and nepotism.

&quot;It didn&rsquo;t come under criticism. I think, that was the call of the day. I think the requirement of a third political force that I am talking of needs combination or&nbsp;joining alliances of like-minded people, who see Pakistan in an enlightened and progressive way.&quot;

Musharraf, who took over the reins of Pakistan following a coup in 1999, was in a self-imposed exile since 2008. He returned to Pakistan in 2013 to contest the general elections, following which the government initiated a trial against him for treason.

Watch WION&#39;s two-part interview with former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XxyMjuvcaPM" width="560"></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1UM__upStLo" width="560"></iframe>

(WION)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The former military ruler tells WION's Palki Sharma that he wants to 'create a third political force' in the country

Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf intends to come out of his self-imposed exile to fight the country's general elections in 2018. Musharraf stressed on the need to "create a third political force" to "introduce better practical democracy". Speaking to WION's Palki Sharma, the 73-year-old confirmed his intention to contend next year's elections: "Yes, I am (looking to relaunch my political career." However, Musharraf said he didn't have any ambitions to be the country's prime minister. "I want to create a political force. A third political force. But not necessarily be the next prime minister," the Dubai-based retired army chief said. "There are many good people who can run Pakistan," the former president said. "I would like to contribute by using all my experience to guide someone who is good." The former military ruler also downplayed criticism of his plan to ally with either Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) or cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan Tehreek-i-Insaf. He said his earlier decision to join them was the need of the hour to ensure the country rid itself of corruption and nepotism. "It didn’t come under criticism. I think, that was the call of the day. I think the requirement of a third political force that I am talking of needs combination or joining alliances of like-minded people, who see Pakistan in an enlightened and progressive way." Musharraf, who took over the reins of Pakistan following a coup in 1999, was in a self-imposed exile since 2008. He returned to Pakistan in 2013 to contest the general elections, following which the government initiated a trial against him for treason. Watch WION's two-part interview with former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf. (WION)

Pakistan: Musharraf looks to contend next year's elections

Tamil Nadu&#39;s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party leader MK&nbsp;Stalin on Saturday lashed at the Narendra Modi-led central government for its &#39; Hindi imposition&#39;, accusing them of violating the Constitution and rights of non-Hindi speaking citizens.

In a video posted on his Twitter account, Stalin said that right from the day of assuming office, the Modi-led BJP has been attempting to destroy and decimate the unity of the nation.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StopHindiChauvinism?src=hash">#StopHindiChauvinism</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stopHindiImposition?src=hash">#stopHindiImposition</a> <a href="https://t.co/cvN12LcZXF">pic.twitter.com/cvN12LcZXF</a>
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He said that the recent proposal on the parliamentary committee to make it mandatory for those MPs and central ministers who know Hindi to the use it as their official language, both in speech and writing, is a recent example of such efforts.

&quot;The BJP government has also obtained permission from the President for usage of Hindi in Airport announcements, press news and advertisements and going one step further have made Hindi a compulsory subject for CBSE schools across the country,&quot; he said.

Stalin added that it is very concerning that it is not an exception but rather the rule.

He pointed that all the Central Government&#39;s cesses and schemes are titled only either in Hindi or Sanskrit and then transliterated to other languages adding that recently, even the milestones on the National Highways have been re-lettered in Hindi, after erasing the earlier signage in English, which was universally recognisable.

&quot;By forcing Hindi onto its citizens - from Primary school students to Parliament, the BJP government is betraying all non-Hindi speaking residents of the country including future generations,&quot; said Stalin as he accused the Centre of violating the Indian Constitution that ensures equal rights to all the citizens in all dimensions.

&quot;According to the schedule 8 of the Constitution of India all languages including Tamil should be announced as official languages,&quot; he said adding, &quot;I condemn the efforts taken so far in this pursuit - on behalf of the DMK and of all non-Hindi speaking citizens of this nation.&quot;

He also warned the Central Government &quot;to not sow seeds of emergence of third generation Anti-Hindi Imposition protests through its brute force maneuvers to push India into becoming Hindia.&quot;&nbsp;

(ANI)

&nbsp;

'By forcing Hindi onto its citizens the BJP government is betraying all non-Hindi speaking residents of the country', the DMK party leader said

Tamil Nadu's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party leader MK Stalin on Saturday lashed at the Narendra Modi-led central government for its ' Hindi imposition', accusing them of violating the Constitution and rights of non-Hindi speaking citizens. In a video posted on his Twitter account, Stalin said that right from the day of assuming office, the Modi-led BJP has been attempting to destroy and decimate the unity of the nation. #StopHindiChauvinism #stopHindiImposition pic.twitter.com/cvN12LcZXF — M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) April 22, 2017 × He said that the recent proposal on the parliamentary committee to make it mandatory for those MPs and central ministers who know Hindi to the use it as their official language, both in speech and writing, is a recent example of such efforts. "The BJP government has also obtained permission from the President for usage of Hindi in Airport announcements, press news and advertisements and going one step further have made Hindi a compulsory subject for CBSE schools across the country," he said. Stalin added that it is very concerning that it is not an exception but rather the rule. He pointed that all the Central Government's cesses and schemes are titled only either in Hindi or Sanskrit and then transliterated to other languages adding that recently, even the milestones on the National Highways have been re-lettered in Hindi, after erasing the earlier signage in English, which was universally recognisable. "By forcing Hindi onto its citizens - from Primary school students to Parliament, the BJP government is betraying all non-Hindi speaking residents of the country including future generations," said Stalin as he accused the Centre of violating the Indian Constitution that ensures equal rights to all the citizens in all dimensions. "According to the schedule 8 of the Constitution of India all languages including Tamil should be announced as official languages," he said adding, "I condemn the efforts taken so far in this pursuit - on behalf of the DMK and of all non-Hindi speaking citizens of this nation." He also warned the Central Government "to not sow seeds of emergence of third generation Anti-Hindi Imposition protests through its brute force maneuvers to push India into becoming Hindia." (ANI)

India: Stalin lashes out at PM Modi over 'Hindi imposition'

Imagine the response by any of the previous Indian governments on Kashmir if today&#39;s&nbsp;situation had come to&nbsp;pass. Emissaries would have been activated, delegations would have camped in the valley, some would have received invites to come to Delhi and reassurance would have directly come from the Prime Minister&rsquo;s office. None of this&nbsp;has happened.

The unique form of protest--pelting of stones, participation of students, schools and hospitals being shut--is a feature consistent for almost a year now. And this has happened in a regime which started with the process of reconciliation and meeting of two ends of political spectrum, that being Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the People&#39;s Democratic Party (PDP).

But the dream went bust and the government was accused of not reaching out. The fact that the current collapse of civil administration&nbsp;receives a mute response from the Centre is because it suits its larger politics. Kashmir, instead of being treated as a people&rsquo;s problem, is being played out as a theatre for a type of nationalism which BJP has successfully churned for electoral politics. It is for this reason that for the first time, &quot;human right&quot; as a word is also being used for the army and paramilitary forces.

But this did not happen overnight.

&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

The voices supporting talks or reconciliation in the national narrative have&nbsp;been sidelined as&nbsp;the weak liberal category, making any pitch on their part feeble and without public support. It is in this climate, Kashmir continues to bleed and Kashmiris refuse to participate in hope for the announcement of a grand gesture. Unfortunately, the gesture will not come because the government has already handed over a choice between terrorism and tourism to the people. The government has already thrown in its towel, realising that every attempt by the Home Minister Rajnath Singh has failed.

It is for this reason attempt made by BJP leader Yashwant Sinha did not cut any ice with the Centre. Since the government runs the risk of looking weak, the matter has been parceled&nbsp;to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, whose political capital runs shallow. To expect a package or a complete U-turn by the government on this issue would be to fool oneself. What is evident is that the Centre has dug in its feet on Kashmir and has decided to tackle it from the angle of nationalism.

Now the question is,&nbsp;how will this approach&nbsp;evolve in the long run? The approach rests on the premise that the protest run out of steam and players will come back to the talking table tired, sooner or later. But the risk of this strategy is higher than those tried before.

Today Kashmir has a plethora of street fighters who are children. None of them are getting integrated into&nbsp;the state and political structure of the government.

How will the state then deal with this generation when it gets out of the school and colleges without any sense of engagement with the mainland?&nbsp;

Many in the ruling dispensation argue that the situation is not as bad as when Kashmiri Hindus had to leave valley. At that point of time, the migration represented failure of the state to give security to the minority, and civil society, at large, did not attack Hindus. Today civil society&nbsp;is not only alienated from the state but it has bankrupted local political players of credibility and gravitas, creating consequences for Delhi in long run.

For this very reason Kashmir, today, is very different from the Kashmir of the past. There is a departure from the cycle of violence which the Centre is used to. The new generation is asking fundamental questions on article 370. The article 370 is a commitment made by India at the time of accession. India agreed for a Kashmiri exceptionalism. Whether we like it or not, the fact that we are far removed from Kashmir when we talk about changing the alignment&nbsp;destroys our own credibility. The symbols of unity act as instruments for further violence and divisive politics.

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&nbsp;

The fact that the mainstream discourse challenges the unique identity of India has itself become a political problem. Indian politicians and resurgent middle-class need to rise above the cacophony of nationalism, homogeneity of symbols and concept of India First in which instead of people, territory comes first.

It is not possible for the Centre to hide behind the logic of normal Ladakh and Jammu. It cannot afford to have an ego with its own people even if empathy has died a slow death in popular discourse. The former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee understood it well. It is for this reason he continues to be the most remembered leader in the valley. He understood the power of hope.

Vajpayee&rsquo;s narrative rested on it. This similar narrative was used by late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. He raised the bar of hope when he formed the government in Srinagar. People felt that Mufti would usher certain long pending changes. The change didn&rsquo;t happen, and he passed away creating anger, resentment and rage. It is for this reason PDP leaders came under attack from its own people.

It&rsquo;s not PDP alone. The mainstream parties in Kashmir today stand discredited. To begin with, we can restore some credibility to them by giving into some of their civil administrative demand and make people in the valley feel that it is their representative who is ruling them and not the political players associated with Delhi durbar. Lastly, what works in the rest of India may not work in Kashmir or North East.

(WION)

Instead of treating Kashmir as a people?s problem, it is being played out as a theatre for nationalism which BJP has used successfully

Imagine the response by any of the previous Indian governments on Kashmir if today's situation had come to pass. Emissaries would have been activated, delegations would have camped in the valley, some would have received invites to come to Delhi and reassurance would have directly come from the Prime Minister’s office. None of this has happened. The unique form of protest--pelting of stones, participation of students, schools and hospitals being shut--is a feature consistent for almost a year now. And this has happened in a regime which started with the process of reconciliation and meeting of two ends of political spectrum, that being Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP). But the dream went bust and the government was accused of not reaching out. The fact that the current collapse of civil administration receives a mute response from the Centre is because it suits its larger politics. Kashmir, instead of being treated as a people’s problem, is being played out as a theatre for a type of nationalism which BJP has successfully churned for electoral politics. It is for this reason that for the first time, "human right" as a word is also being used for the army and paramilitary forces. But this did not happen overnight. The voices supporting talks or reconciliation in the national narrative have been sidelined as the weak liberal category × The voices supporting talks or reconciliation in the national narrative have been sidelined as the weak liberal category, making any pitch on their part feeble and without public support. It is in this climate, Kashmir continues to bleed and Kashmiris refuse to participate in hope for the announcement of a grand gesture. Unfortunately, the gesture will not come because the government has already handed over a choice between terrorism and tourism to the people. The government has already thrown in its towel, realising that every attempt by the Home Minister Rajnath Singh has failed. It is for this reason attempt made by BJP leader Yashwant Sinha did not cut any ice with the Centre. Since the government runs the risk of looking weak, the matter has been parceled to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, whose political capital runs shallow. To expect a package or a complete U-turn by the government on this issue would be to fool oneself. What is evident is that the Centre has dug in its feet on Kashmir and has decided to tackle it from the angle of nationalism. Now the question is, how will this approach evolve in the long run? The approach rests on the premise that the protest run out of steam and players will come back to the talking table tired, sooner or later. But the risk of this strategy is higher than those tried before. Today Kashmir has a plethora of street fighters who are children. None of them are getting integrated into the state and political structure of the government. How will the state then deal with this generation when it gets out of the school and colleges without any sense of engagement with the mainland? Many in the ruling dispensation argue that the situation is not as bad as when Kashmiri Hindus had to leave valley. At that point of time, the migration represented failure of the state to give security to the minority, and civil society, at large, did not attack Hindus. Today civil society is not only alienated from the state but it has bankrupted local political players of credibility and gravitas, creating consequences for Delhi in long run. For this very reason Kashmir, today, is very different from the Kashmir of the past. There is a departure from the cycle of violence which the Centre is used to. The new generation is asking fundamental questions on article 370. The article 370 is a commitment made by India at the time of accession. India agreed for a Kashmiri exceptionalism. Whether we like it or not, the fact that we are far removed from Kashmir when we talk about changing the alignment destroys our own credibility. The symbols of unity act as instruments for further violence and divisive politics. The symbols of unity act as instruments for further violence and divisive politics. × The fact that the mainstream discourse challenges the unique identity of India has itself become a political problem. Indian politicians and resurgent middle-class need to rise above the cacophony of nationalism, homogeneity of symbols and concept of India First in which instead of people, territory comes first. It is not possible for the Centre to hide behind the logic of normal Ladakh and Jammu. It cannot afford to have an ego with its own people even if empathy has died a slow death in popular discourse. The former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee understood it well. It is for this reason he continues to be the most remembered leader in the valley. He understood the power of hope. Vajpayee’s narrative rested on it. This similar narrative was used by late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. He raised the bar of hope when he formed the government in Srinagar. People felt that Mufti would usher certain long pending changes. The change didn’t happen, and he passed away creating anger, resentment and rage. It is for this reason PDP leaders came under attack from its own people. It’s not PDP alone. The mainstream parties in Kashmir today stand discredited. To begin with, we can restore some credibility to them by giving into some of their civil administrative demand and make people in the valley feel that it is their representative who is ruling them and not the political players associated with Delhi durbar. Lastly, what works in the rest of India may not work in Kashmir or North East. (WION)

Hope dies a slow death

India risks straining public finances and undermining already ailing state banks, economists said, after a $5.6 billion loan write-off for farmers in Uttar Pradesh and moves to do something similar in at least four other states.

One of the first acts of the new government in India&#39;s most populous state following last month&#39;s election triumph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was to keep a promise to provide debt relief to 21.5 million farmers.

Taking their cue from Uttar Pradesh, more state governments could waive loans to farmers, senior officials there said, to fulfil election pledges or woo rural voters before further polls in the run-up to a general election in 2019 when Modi is expected to run for a second term.&nbsp;

&quot;This will spread like a contagious disease to most parts of the country and you will very soon see at least 3-4 states announcing similar farm loan waivers,&quot; said Ashok Gulati, a farm economist who advised India&#39;s last government.

Economists caution that the move could encourage indebted farmers not to repay loans, deepening malaise at public sector banks already saddled with most of India&#39;s $150 billion in stressed loans.

Uttar Pradesh will cover the cost of the waivers by issuing bonds. This would in turn constrain India&#39;s sovereign credit because such bonds are backstopped by the federal government, the economists said.

India&#39;s total public sector debt, as a share of gross domestic product, stands at around 66 per cent - high compared to other emerging economies.

Economists at Merrill Lynch estimate that states will end up writing off debts equivalent to 2 per cent of GDP - the bulk of all outstanding loans to farmers.

&nbsp;

LEVERAGE LEVELS

Ratings agencies would like to see India&#39;s debt-to-GDP ratio fall below 60 per cent over the next three years to justify an upgrade in its sovereign rating. Yet debt waivers would, even if staggered, force up borrowing, analysts said.

&quot;The loan waivers would likely worsen the fiscal deficits and leverage levels of the state governments, unless other resources are mobilised or expenditure is controlled,&quot; said Aditi Nayar of ICRA, an affiliate of Moody&#39;s Investors Service.

&quot;There is a significant risk that productive capital spending may end up being reduced to fund a portion of the loan waivers.&quot;

A government-appointed panel has suggested capping the states&#39; debt at 20 per cent of India&#39;s GDP, while Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel has said the Uttar Pradesh loan waiver &quot;undermines honest credit culture&quot;.

&nbsp;

WHO&#39;S NEXT?

The western state of Maharashtra and Punjab in the north are expected to announce similar loan waivers soon, senior officials in both states told Reuters.

In Maharashtra, ruled by the BJP, farmers are clamouring for a bailout after two years of drought and falling commodity prices. In Punjab, known as India&#39;s grain bowl, the opposition Congress party won last month&#39;s election partly on the promise of a farm loan waiver.

In southern Tamil Nadu, reeling from dry weather, a court asked the state government to write off loans to all farmers.

Farmers from Tamil Nadu recently protested in New Delhi, showing the skulls of neighbours who had committed suicide to press their demand for drought relief and loan write-offs.

&nbsp;

WON&#39;T PAY

Some of India&#39;s 263 million farmers have decided not to repay their debts, expecting loan waivers to mean they don&#39;t have to.

&quot;I am not going to repay the loan because defaulters benefited from the previous waiver and I didn&#39;t get any government help even as I repaid the loan on time,&quot; said Gorakh Patil, a farmer from Jalgaon in western India.

Patil was referring to an $11 billion national farm loan waiver in 2008 that helped the Congress party-led coalition of the day win re-election the following year. But non-performing assets jumped.

Gross non-performing loans in agriculture and its allied sectors surged to 588 billion rupees ($9.12 billion) at the end of the December quarter, from 97.4 billion rupees in the 2007/08 fiscal year, RBI data show.

&quot;There&#39;s no benefit from such waivers,&quot; said a director at one state bank who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. &quot;If you give any benefit across the board, it definitely has an adverse effect on credit discipline.&quot;

(Reuters)

More state governments could waive loans to farmers to fulfil election pledges to woo rural voters before the 2019 election

India risks straining public finances and undermining already ailing state banks, economists said, after a $5.6 billion loan write-off for farmers in Uttar Pradesh and moves to do something similar in at least four other states. One of the first acts of the new government in India's most populous state following last month's election triumph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was to keep a promise to provide debt relief to 21.5 million farmers. Taking their cue from Uttar Pradesh, more state governments could waive loans to farmers, senior officials there said, to fulfil election pledges or woo rural voters before further polls in the run-up to a general election in 2019 when Modi is expected to run for a second term. "This will spread like a contagious disease to most parts of the country and you will very soon see at least 3-4 states announcing similar farm loan waivers," said Ashok Gulati, a farm economist who advised India's last government. Economists caution that the move could encourage indebted farmers not to repay loans, deepening malaise at public sector banks already saddled with most of India's $150 billion in stressed loans. Uttar Pradesh will cover the cost of the waivers by issuing bonds. This would in turn constrain India's sovereign credit because such bonds are backstopped by the federal government, the economists said. India's total public sector debt, as a share of gross domestic product, stands at around 66 per cent - high compared to other emerging economies. Economists at Merrill Lynch estimate that states will end up writing off debts equivalent to 2 per cent of GDP - the bulk of all outstanding loans to farmers. LEVERAGE LEVELS Ratings agencies would like to see India's debt-to-GDP ratio fall below 60 per cent over the next three years to justify an upgrade in its sovereign rating. Yet debt waivers would, even if staggered, force up borrowing, analysts said. "The loan waivers would likely worsen the fiscal deficits and leverage levels of the state governments, unless other resources are mobilised or expenditure is controlled," said Aditi Nayar of ICRA, an affiliate of Moody's Investors Service. "There is a significant risk that productive capital spending may end up being reduced to fund a portion of the loan waivers." A government-appointed panel has suggested capping the states' debt at 20 per cent of India's GDP, while Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel has said the Uttar Pradesh loan waiver "undermines honest credit culture". WHO'S NEXT? The western state of Maharashtra and Punjab in the north are expected to announce similar loan waivers soon, senior officials in both states told Reuters. In Maharashtra, ruled by the BJP, farmers are clamouring for a bailout after two years of drought and falling commodity prices. In Punjab, known as India's grain bowl, the opposition Congress party won last month's election partly on the promise of a farm loan waiver. In southern Tamil Nadu, reeling from dry weather, a court asked the state government to write off loans to all farmers. Farmers from Tamil Nadu recently protested in New Delhi, showing the skulls of neighbours who had committed suicide to press their demand for drought relief and loan write-offs. WON'T PAY Some of India's 263 million farmers have decided not to repay their debts, expecting loan waivers to mean they don't have to. "I am not going to repay the loan because defaulters benefited from the previous waiver and I didn't get any government help even as I repaid the loan on time," said Gorakh Patil, a farmer from Jalgaon in western India. Patil was referring to an $11 billion national farm loan waiver in 2008 that helped the Congress party-led coalition of the day win re-election the following year. But non-performing assets jumped. Gross non-performing loans in agriculture and its allied sectors surged to 588 billion rupees ($9.12 billion) at the end of the December quarter, from 97.4 billion rupees in the 2007/08 fiscal year, RBI data show. "There's no benefit from such waivers," said a director at one state bank who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. "If you give any benefit across the board, it definitely has an adverse effect on credit discipline." (Reuters)

Farm loan write-offs win votes in India, but may hurt economy

Controversial Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has won Time magazine&#39;s readers&#39; poll of the 100 most influential people in the world, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not garner any votes in the online survey. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Modi had been named among the probable contenders for the annual list of the most influential people in the world. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

However, Modi had not garnered any &quot;yes&quot; votes at the close of the voting, with the polls showing he had got &quot;zero per cent&quot; votes along with other contenders such as Microsoft&#39;s India-born CEO Satya Nadella, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and President Donald Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner. Trump garnered 2 per cent votes. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Modi had been named among the magazine&#39;s probable contenders in last year&#39;s Time 100 list also. He was named by Time editors among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015 and Obama had written a profile for him for the magazine. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Duterte had consistently led the Time 100 Reader Poll, an online survey in which the publication had asked its readers to vote for who should be included in this year&#39;s Time 100 list of the world&#39;s most influential people. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Duterte, who has made lewd remarks against the US, its former president Barack Obama and several others, received 5 per cent of the total &quot;yes&quot; votes in the poll which closed midnight yesterday. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Time said since taking office in June, Duterte has waged an aggressive war on drugs that has killed more than 8,000 people in the Philippines and his controversial anti-drug campaign has inspired growing opposition from human rights groups and some political leaders, including Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Closely following Duterte in the Time 100 poll were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pope Francis, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg &mdash; all of whom received three per cent of the total &quot;yes&quot; votes. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders had won the readers&#39; poll last year while Russian President Vladimir Putin had won in 2015. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Last year, Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan, tennis star Sania Mirza, actress Priyanka Chopra, Google&#39;s India-born CEO Sundar Pichai and founders of Indian e-commerce major Flipkart Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal were among Time&#39;s list of the 100 most influential people.

(PTI)

Modi had been named among the magazine's probable contenders in last year's Time 100 list also

Controversial Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has won Time magazine's readers' poll of the 100 most influential people in the world, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not garner any votes in the online survey. Modi had been named among the probable contenders for the annual list of the most influential people in the world. However, Modi had not garnered any "yes" votes at the close of the voting, with the polls showing he had got "zero per cent" votes along with other contenders such as Microsoft's India-born CEO Satya Nadella, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner. Trump garnered 2 per cent votes. Modi had been named among the magazine's probable contenders in last year's Time 100 list also. He was named by Time editors among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015 and Obama had written a profile for him for the magazine. Duterte had consistently led the Time 100 Reader Poll, an online survey in which the publication had asked its readers to vote for who should be included in this year's Time 100 list of the world's most influential people. Duterte, who has made lewd remarks against the US, its former president Barack Obama and several others, received 5 per cent of the total "yes" votes in the poll which closed midnight yesterday. Time said since taking office in June, Duterte has waged an aggressive war on drugs that has killed more than 8,000 people in the Philippines and his controversial anti-drug campaign has inspired growing opposition from human rights groups and some political leaders, including Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo. Closely following Duterte in the Time 100 poll were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pope Francis, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg — all of whom received three per cent of the total "yes" votes. Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders had won the readers' poll last year while Russian President Vladimir Putin had won in 2015. Last year, Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan, tennis star Sania Mirza, actress Priyanka Chopra, Google's India-born CEO Sundar Pichai and founders of Indian e-commerce major Flipkart Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal were among Time's list of the 100 most influential people. (PTI)

Indian PM Narendra Modi gets zero votes in TIME readers' poll of influential people

One recent afternoon, dozens of young Hindu men, swords drawn and saffron scarves draped around their necks, rode motorcycles through a Muslim neighbourhood near the capital of India&#39;s most populous state and chanted &quot;Hail Lord Ram!&quot;

In the preceding weeks they and their peers had acted as informers, police officials say, helping them identify thousands of Muslim-run butchers&#39; shops that have since been shut and urging officers to stop Muslim youths talking to Hindu girls in the street.

Their organisation is the Hindu Yuva Vahini (Hindu Youth Force), a private militia set up in 2002 by Yogi Adityanath, a local priest and politician, to assert the dominance of India&#39;s main religion which he felt was being eroded by minority faiths.

Since Adityanath&#39;s promotion last month to chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, home to 220 million people of which a fifth are Muslims, the group has become emboldened, openly proclaiming its Hindu roots and putting pressure on police.

The appointment of the 44-year-old, known for his fiery anti-Muslim rhetoric and a campaign against &quot;Love Jihad&quot; - or the conversion of Hindu women to Islam - has shocked some Indians, who say it undermines the country&#39;s secular status.

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They worry that Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s &quot;development for all&quot; agenda will be overtaken by radical, Hindu-first policies with the potential to stoke communal tensions that have erupted sporadically through India&#39;s 70-year history.

Adityanath declined to be interviewed for this article.

&quot;Blood can be shed, and Muslims will feel the pain,&quot; Pankaj Singh, a senior leader of the Hindu Youth Force, told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the rally in Unnao, an hour&#39;s drive southwest of the capital Lucknow.

Such comments have sent a chill through some in the Muslim community, on the defensive in Uttar Pradesh since this year&#39;s election in which Adityanath rallied the Hindu majority and delivered a resounding victory to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In return for his successful campaign, the party handed the priest one of India&#39;s most powerful positions, emboldening his militia to act and speak more openly than it did under the previous administration.

Based in Uttar Pradesh and funded by members who want to win favour with local power brokers, the youth force says it is 2 million strong and growing.

In Unnao, police stood back as members blocked traffic, honked horns and shouted pro-Hindu slogans on the busy streets. Muslims who came out to watch did so quietly from their doorways.

HINDU RIGHT, HINDU RADICAL

Modi himself is the product of the Hindu right, coming from the BJP and its powerful parent movement, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), that nurtured him early in his career.

But since sweeping to power in 2014, he has focussed on economic reforms that he hopes will drag India into the modern era and create enough jobs for a swelling workforce.

Adityanath represented the BJP during the Uttar Pradesh state polls earlier this year, and helped Modi consolidate power as he bids for re-election in a national ballot in 2019.

The priest, however, has often defied BJP discipline and is not part of the RSS machine, raising fears that Modi may have unleashed radical &quot;Hindutva&quot;, or religious-nationalist forces that he will struggle to contain.

&quot;The BJP has no command over this organisation. They respond to Adityanath and no one else,&quot; said Gilles Verniers, assistant professor of political sciences at Ashoka University.

A close aide to Modi said it was Adityanath&#39;s job to maintain law and order in the state.

&quot;The onus lies on him. It is his duty to take care of his vigilante group,&quot; said the aide.

Daljit Singh Chawdhary, additional director general of police for Uttar Pradesh, dismissed the threat of the youth force acting outside the law.

&quot;We are not tolerating any vigilante group taking the law into their (own) hands, while at the same time anyone is free to provide us with tip-offs,&quot; he said.

&quot;We have had no recent complaints against the Hindu Yuva Vahini, so there is no reason for us to take action against them.&quot;

DEVOTION AND POWER

The original source of Adityanath&#39;s power is an ancient temple in Gorakhpur, eastern Uttar Pradesh, where people treat the shaven-headed priest with reverence.

Soon after he was named chief minister last month, a devotee collected dust from the rug on which Adityanath had walked, so as to worship it.

Built on such devotion, the youth force has evolved into a powerful group that dispenses justice and has proved itself a formidable vote-getter.

The BJP&#39;s national spokesman, Nalin Kohli, said the party&#39;s victory in Uttar Pradesh was not only thanks to Adityanath and his private militia. But Singh expressed little doubt about the group&#39;s importance in securing the result.

&quot;Modi won Uttar Pradesh because of Adityanath&#39;s ground force,&quot; Singh said.

One of Adityanath&#39;s first directives after becoming chief minister was to impose a ban on Uttar Pradesh slaughterhouses that operated without licences.

Most Indian states have laws that ban the slaughter of cows, considered sacred by Hindus, while buffalo slaughter requires permission from state governments.

Butchers in Uttar Pradesh have long complained that authorities failed to issue new licences, although the outgoing government allowed them to continue operating anyway, ensuring employment and food for the Muslims who dominate the industry.

Adityanath&#39;s militia has been pushing police to enforce rules calling for a complete ban on illegal slaughterhouses and the sale of meat from unlicenced shops.

&quot;We got the police to shut down 45,000 small meat shops in less than 24 hours ... they would have failed without our informers,&quot; said Singh, who added that he reported daily to Adityanath. &quot;They (police) know we are the real heroes now.&quot;

Chandani Qureshi, a mother of four, said her husband worked as a sweeper in a meat shop in Lucknow. Her family relied on his daily wage of 300 rupees ($4) to survive.

&quot;The chief minister&#39;s men came with orange flags, broke the window panes of our shops and threw knives and weighing scales out on the street,&quot; she said, sitting in her one-room home. &quot;We had no power to stop them.&quot;

Owners of large abattoirs have sought injunctions to block Adityanath&#39;s orders to ban unlicenced slaughterhouses and thousands of butchers have protested against the ban, yet some doubt they will prevail.

&quot;I don&#39;t think we can defeat Adityanath&#39;s militia. It would be better if we start selling something else,&quot; said Mohammed Faizan, who inherited a meat shop from his grandfather.

Uttar Pradesh&#39;s deputy chief minister and state BJP president, Keshav Prasad Maurya, said his government would not let slaughterhouses sell cow and buffalo meat. It wanted shop owners instead to start selling chicken and eggs.

&quot;The dairy business is more profitable than the beef trade,&quot; he said.

He also said members of Adityanath&#39;s militia were acting as responsible citizens. &quot;It would be wrong to consider them as a parallel administration.&quot;

&quot;HANDS OFF HINDU GIRLS&quot;

At the rally in Unnao, Singh stood on a rickety stage and awarded idols of Hindu gods to youths for halting sales of beef, stopping religious intermarriage and composing poetry in honour of cows.

As well as helping to close down butchers, the militia has been tipping off &quot;Anti-Romeo Squads&quot;, groups of police who intervene to prevent young men and women meeting publicly.

A police official who oversees 64 such squads said the units were formed to tackle sexual harassment of women, but admitted that there had been cases where militia members pressured policemen to target Muslim men seen in the company of Hindu women. He declined to be named.

Muslims say they are being singled out.

&quot;They think our boys are villains,&quot; said Irshad Sheikh, whose son was detained by police recently.

Singh, the youth force leader, rejected suggestions that the squads deliberately targeted Muslims.

At the rally, he met the father of a 21-year-old Hindu woman who was recently forced by members of the militia to call off her wedding to a Muslim man.

&quot;For centuries, Muslims have been playing the dirty game of converting Hindus,&quot; Singh said, as his men returned from their run through the Muslim neighbourhood. &quot;But now if they touch a Hindu girl, we can fight with our swords.&quot;

The woman&#39;s father, Subhash Chandra, said he welcomed the militia&#39;s intervention.

&quot;The Muslim boy trapped her and wanted to convert her. I am lucky that Yogi Adityanath&#39;s people saved my daughter&#39;s life. How can a Hindu become a Muslim? It is a sin to convert anyone.&quot;

(Reuters)

Police said the organisation had acted as informers, helped shut thousands of butchers' shops & urged police to stop boys talking to girls

One recent afternoon, dozens of young Hindu men, swords drawn and saffron scarves draped around their necks, rode motorcycles through a Muslim neighbourhood near the capital of India's most populous state and chanted "Hail Lord Ram!" In the preceding weeks they and their peers had acted as informers, police officials say, helping them identify thousands of Muslim-run butchers' shops that have since been shut and urging officers to stop Muslim youths talking to Hindu girls in the street. Their organisation is the Hindu Yuva Vahini (Hindu Youth Force), a private militia set up in 2002 by Yogi Adityanath, a local priest and politician, to assert the dominance of India's main religion which he felt was being eroded by minority faiths. Since Adityanath's promotion last month to chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, home to 220 million people of which a fifth are Muslims, the group has become emboldened, openly proclaiming its Hindu roots and putting pressure on police. The appointment of the 44-year-old, known for his fiery anti-Muslim rhetoric and a campaign against "Love Jihad" - or the conversion of Hindu women to Islam - has shocked some Indians, who say it undermines the country's secular status. Daljit Singh Chawdhary, additional director general of police for Uttar Pradesh, dismissed the threat of the youth force acting outside the law × They worry that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "development for all" agenda will be overtaken by radical, Hindu-first policies with the potential to stoke communal tensions that have erupted sporadically through India's 70-year history. Adityanath declined to be interviewed for this article. "Blood can be shed, and Muslims will feel the pain," Pankaj Singh, a senior leader of the Hindu Youth Force, told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the rally in Unnao, an hour's drive southwest of the capital Lucknow. Such comments have sent a chill through some in the Muslim community, on the defensive in Uttar Pradesh since this year's election in which Adityanath rallied the Hindu majority and delivered a resounding victory to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In return for his successful campaign, the party handed the priest one of India's most powerful positions, emboldening his militia to act and speak more openly than it did under the previous administration. Based in Uttar Pradesh and funded by members who want to win favour with local power brokers, the youth force says it is 2 million strong and growing. In Unnao, police stood back as members blocked traffic, honked horns and shouted pro-Hindu slogans on the busy streets. Muslims who came out to watch did so quietly from their doorways. HINDU RIGHT, HINDU RADICAL Modi himself is the product of the Hindu right, coming from the BJP and its powerful parent movement, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), that nurtured him early in his career. But since sweeping to power in 2014, he has focussed on economic reforms that he hopes will drag India into the modern era and create enough jobs for a swelling workforce. Adityanath represented the BJP during the Uttar Pradesh state polls earlier this year, and helped Modi consolidate power as he bids for re-election in a national ballot in 2019. The priest, however, has often defied BJP discipline and is not part of the RSS machine, raising fears that Modi may have unleashed radical "Hindutva", or religious-nationalist forces that he will struggle to contain. "The BJP has no command over this organisation. They respond to Adityanath and no one else," said Gilles Verniers, assistant professor of political sciences at Ashoka University. A close aide to Modi said it was Adityanath's job to maintain law and order in the state. "The onus lies on him. It is his duty to take care of his vigilante group," said the aide. Daljit Singh Chawdhary, additional director general of police for Uttar Pradesh, dismissed the threat of the youth force acting outside the law. "We are not tolerating any vigilante group taking the law into their (own) hands, while at the same time anyone is free to provide us with tip-offs," he said. "We have had no recent complaints against the Hindu Yuva Vahini, so there is no reason for us to take action against them." DEVOTION AND POWER The original source of Adityanath's power is an ancient temple in Gorakhpur, eastern Uttar Pradesh, where people treat the shaven-headed priest with reverence. Soon after he was named chief minister last month, a devotee collected dust from the rug on which Adityanath had walked, so as to worship it. Built on such devotion, the youth force has evolved into a powerful group that dispenses justice and has proved itself a formidable vote-getter. The BJP's national spokesman, Nalin Kohli, said the party's victory in Uttar Pradesh was not only thanks to Adityanath and his private militia. But Singh expressed little doubt about the group's importance in securing the result. "Modi won Uttar Pradesh because of Adityanath's ground force," Singh said. One of Adityanath's first directives after becoming chief minister was to impose a ban on Uttar Pradesh slaughterhouses that operated without licences. Most Indian states have laws that ban the slaughter of cows, considered sacred by Hindus, while buffalo slaughter requires permission from state governments. Butchers in Uttar Pradesh have long complained that authorities failed to issue new licences, although the outgoing government allowed them to continue operating anyway, ensuring employment and food for the Muslims who dominate the industry. Adityanath's militia has been pushing police to enforce rules calling for a complete ban on illegal slaughterhouses and the sale of meat from unlicenced shops. "We got the police to shut down 45,000 small meat shops in less than 24 hours ... they would have failed without our informers," said Singh, who added that he reported daily to Adityanath. "They (police) know we are the real heroes now." Chandani Qureshi, a mother of four, said her husband worked as a sweeper in a meat shop in Lucknow. Her family relied on his daily wage of 300 rupees ($4) to survive. "The chief minister's men came with orange flags, broke the window panes of our shops and threw knives and weighing scales out on the street," she said, sitting in her one-room home. "We had no power to stop them." Owners of large abattoirs have sought injunctions to block Adityanath's orders to ban unlicenced slaughterhouses and thousands of butchers have protested against the ban, yet some doubt they will prevail. "I don't think we can defeat Adityanath's militia. It would be better if we start selling something else," said Mohammed Faizan, who inherited a meat shop from his grandfather. Uttar Pradesh's deputy chief minister and state BJP president, Keshav Prasad Maurya, said his government would not let slaughterhouses sell cow and buffalo meat. It wanted shop owners instead to start selling chicken and eggs. "The dairy business is more profitable than the beef trade," he said. He also said members of Adityanath's militia were acting as responsible citizens. "It would be wrong to consider them as a parallel administration." "HANDS OFF HINDU GIRLS" At the rally in Unnao, Singh stood on a rickety stage and awarded idols of Hindu gods to youths for halting sales of beef, stopping religious intermarriage and composing poetry in honour of cows. As well as helping to close down butchers, the militia has been tipping off "Anti-Romeo Squads", groups of police who intervene to prevent young men and women meeting publicly. A police official who oversees 64 such squads said the units were formed to tackle sexual harassment of women, but admitted that there had been cases where militia members pressured policemen to target Muslim men seen in the company of Hindu women. He declined to be named. Muslims say they are being singled out. "They think our boys are villains," said Irshad Sheikh, whose son was detained by police recently. Singh, the youth force leader, rejected suggestions that the squads deliberately targeted Muslims. At the rally, he met the father of a 21-year-old Hindu woman who was recently forced by members of the militia to call off her wedding to a Muslim man. "For centuries, Muslims have been playing the dirty game of converting Hindus," Singh said, as his men returned from their run through the Muslim neighbourhood. "But now if they touch a Hindu girl, we can fight with our swords." The woman's father, Subhash Chandra, said he welcomed the militia's intervention. "The Muslim boy trapped her and wanted to convert her. I am lucky that Yogi Adityanath's people saved my daughter's life. How can a Hindu become a Muslim? It is a sin to convert anyone." (Reuters)

On streets of Uttar Pradesh, Hindu Yuva Vahini calls the shots

Hindu nationalist Yogi Adityanath, the head of India&#39;s politically most critical state, has likened politicians keeping mum about the triple talaq issue to those who remained quiet during the forcible disrobing of a woman in one of the Hindu epics.

Referring to an episode in Mahabharata where a key character Draupadi was disrobed in front of several people, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh said: &quot;These days there is a new debate in the country. Some people are maintaining a silence on this issue. This reminds me of Draupadi being disrobed in an assembly and she asks a question to the gathering as to who is responsible for this?&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;Those who are the accomplices and those who maintained silence on this issue are equally responsible,&quot; Adityanath said.

In Islamic law, a man can say the word &#39;talaq&#39;&nbsp;(divorce) thrice to dissolve his marriage -- a custom that has come under heavy scrutiny in India, especially from Muslim women and right-wing political parties.

He also condemned those who were against the common civil code in India -- a common set of personal laws for all citizens of the country, irrespective of their religion.

Currently, Indians are governed by different personal laws depending on their religion.

Yogi&#39;s remarks come a day after his Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised the triple talaq, saying the practice was holding Muslim women back.

On Sunday, India&#39;s Muslim personal law board -- who have stoutly defended the Sharia practice of divorce -- softened their stance, saying they would ensure that the triple talaq would be exercised in the rarest of the rare cases.

They also plan to socially boycott people who use&nbsp;the divorce procedure without giving valid reasons or wantonly.

The constitutional validity of triple talaq is currently under review in India&#39;s Supreme Court.

Last year, a high court in India had said that the Islamic practice violated the equality of women.

The federal government had, earlier this week, told the Supreme Court that the practices of &#39;triple talaq&#39;, &#39;nikah halala&#39; and polygamy had an adverse impact on the social status and dignity of Muslim women and denied them the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

Rights activists and several Muslim women have also railed against the Islamic practice of triple talaq.

But the Muslim personal law board maintain that the issue of triple talaq remains outside the realms of the judiciary.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The chief minister of India's most populous state also called for a uniform set of personal laws in the country

Hindu nationalist Yogi Adityanath, the head of India's politically most critical state, has likened politicians keeping mum about the triple talaq issue to those who remained quiet during the forcible disrobing of a woman in one of the Hindu epics. Referring to an episode in Mahabharata where a key character Draupadi was disrobed in front of several people, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh said: "These days there is a new debate in the country. Some people are maintaining a silence on this issue. This reminds me of Draupadi being disrobed in an assembly and she asks a question to the gathering as to who is responsible for this?" "Those who are the accomplices and those who maintained silence on this issue are equally responsible," Adityanath said. In Islamic law, a man can say the word 'talaq' (divorce) thrice to dissolve his marriage -- a custom that has come under heavy scrutiny in India, especially from Muslim women and right-wing political parties. He also condemned those who were against the common civil code in India -- a common set of personal laws for all citizens of the country, irrespective of their religion. Currently, Indians are governed by different personal laws depending on their religion. Yogi's remarks come a day after his Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised the triple talaq, saying the practice was holding Muslim women back. On Sunday, India's Muslim personal law board -- who have stoutly defended the Sharia practice of divorce -- softened their stance, saying they would ensure that the triple talaq would be exercised in the rarest of the rare cases. They also plan to socially boycott people who use the divorce procedure without giving valid reasons or wantonly. The constitutional validity of triple talaq is currently under review in India's Supreme Court. Last year, a high court in India had said that the Islamic practice violated the equality of women. The federal government had, earlier this week, told the Supreme Court that the practices of 'triple talaq', 'nikah halala' and polygamy had an adverse impact on the social status and dignity of Muslim women and denied them the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Rights activists and several Muslim women have also railed against the Islamic practice of triple talaq. But the Muslim personal law board maintain that the issue of triple talaq remains outside the realms of the judiciary. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Yogi Adityanath invokes disrobing scene from Hindu epic to assail triple talaq sympathisers

Asserting that triple talaq was a menace crippling the lives of Muslim women in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to attack the issue on a grass-root level.

&quot;Our Muslim sisters deserve justice. We should try to solve this issue at the district level. We should also proceed on the formula of a new India. We can&#39;t simply move forward on a slow pace, but charge ahead with full speed,&quot; the Prime Minister said during the BJP National Executive Meeting here.

During a discussion on the National Commission for Backward Classes, Prime Minister suggested that the party should hold conferences for &#39;backward Muslims&#39;.

Making an intervention during the discussion on the motion for granting constitutional status to the national commission for backward classes, the Prime Minister highlighted that there are sections among Muslims, who are backward, adding that they should be included in the discussion over backward classes.

Meanwhile, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMLPB) today stated that those who give triple talaq without the reasons prescribed by the Sharia law will face social boycott.

The Board further noted that there has been misunderstanding on this issue, and that it will issue a code of conduct on it.

The AIMPLB, which has opposed the PILs filed against the triple talaq in the Supreme Court, had earlier on Wednesday said the board will do away with the practice of verbal divorce in one-and-a half years, adding there is no need for government interference.

A five-judge constitution bench of the apex court will start hearing from May 11 the petitions against triple talaq.

The court will hear pleas filed by several Muslim women challenging the practice under which men can divorce their wives instantly by uttering the word talaq thrice.&nbsp;

<a href="http://aninews.in/" target="_blank">(ANI)</a>

Taking the controversial issue of triple talaq head on, the prime minister exhorted the need for India to 'move forward'

Asserting that triple talaq was a menace crippling the lives of Muslim women in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to attack the issue on a grass-root level. "Our Muslim sisters deserve justice. We should try to solve this issue at the district level. We should also proceed on the formula of a new India. We can't simply move forward on a slow pace, but charge ahead with full speed," the Prime Minister said during the BJP National Executive Meeting here. During a discussion on the National Commission for Backward Classes, Prime Minister suggested that the party should hold conferences for 'backward Muslims'. Making an intervention during the discussion on the motion for granting constitutional status to the national commission for backward classes, the Prime Minister highlighted that there are sections among Muslims, who are backward, adding that they should be included in the discussion over backward classes. Meanwhile, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMLPB) today stated that those who give triple talaq without the reasons prescribed by the Sharia law will face social boycott. The Board further noted that there has been misunderstanding on this issue, and that it will issue a code of conduct on it. The AIMPLB, which has opposed the PILs filed against the triple talaq in the Supreme Court, had earlier on Wednesday said the board will do away with the practice of verbal divorce in one-and-a half years, adding there is no need for government interference. A five-judge constitution bench of the apex court will start hearing from May 11 the petitions against triple talaq. The court will hear pleas filed by several Muslim women challenging the practice under which men can divorce their wives instantly by uttering the word talaq thrice. (ANI)

Triple talaq crippling lives of Muslim women: India PM Modi

BJP president Amit Shah Saturday&nbsp;cautioned party leaders against complacency, saying it is yet to reach the peak as he rolled out plans for its expansion in states where it has been traditionally weak.

In his inaugural address at the BJP&#39;s two-day national executive here, he also asserted that the party&#39;s &quot;golden era&quot; would arrive when it rules across the country, from panchayats to Parliament. 
 
Top party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were in attendance as he asked the organisation to resolve for victory in the next round of assembly elections due in Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, noting that a similar resolve was made last year during the national executive meeting in Allahabad for five state elections, including in Uttar Pradesh.

Laying down his ambitious growth plan for the party in south and eastern India, the BJP president rejected the contention that the saffron surge had reached its peak with its domination of central and western India and maiden wins in states like Assam and Manipur.

13 chief ministers of the party, the most BJP has ever had, were also in the audience.

Amit Shah said he will spend 95 days touring the country to meet party leaders and workers and asked senior leaders and union ministers to give 15 days to strengthen the organisation while speaking about its growth prospects in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Odisha.

&quot;The BJP is yet to reach its peak. Its golden era will arrive when it rules from panchayat to assemblies across the country and Parliament,&quot; he said.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad briefed reporters on his speech in a closed-door meeting of the party leaders.

He, however, steered clear of recent controversial issues like killing of a man in BJP-ruled Rajasthan by cow vigilantes and deepening impasse in Kashmir, where his party is in power in partnership with PDP.

Ravi Shankar Prasad suggested that a reference to Kashmir may be made during the national executive.

The party&#39;s gold era, he said, will coincide with India&#39;s golden era and it will emerge as a great nation in the world.

The BJP&#39;s massive wins in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have changed the experts&#39; definition of big victories, usually 
associated with two-thirds majority, as it won more than 75 per cent of seats as people have embraced &quot;our politics of 
performance&quot; and rejected opposition parties&#39; politics of brazen appeasement, rank family promotion and casteism, Amit Shah said.

The BJP has also disproved the claims that it can defeat the Congress but not strong regional parties by routing the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party in UT, he said.

Amit Shah said when the BJP won 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP in 2014, it was said that it was a &quot;sudden&quot; development but by sweeping the state in the assembly polls the party has proved that people have embraced it &quot;decisively and whole- heartedly&quot;.

Its win in the state polls was due to the Modi government&#39;s pro-poor and welfare policies, Shah said, reaffirming that the prime minister was the most popular leader since Independence.

Hitting out at the Left government in Kerala over the killing of the BJP and RSS workers allegedly by communist cadres, he said his party will continue to oppose it peacefully and ensure that the &quot;lotus blooms&quot;&nbsp;there as well as Tripura, another Left-ruled state. 
 
The BJP national president said he would spend three days in Kerala as part of the organisational expansion drive. The Modi government, he said, has done more work in three years than other governments had done in two-three terms as he hailed its policies.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI) 
&nbsp;

Top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 13 chief ministers of the party, were also in attendance

BJP president Amit Shah Saturday cautioned party leaders against complacency, saying it is yet to reach the peak as he rolled out plans for its expansion in states where it has been traditionally weak. In his inaugural address at the BJP's two-day national executive here, he also asserted that the party's "golden era" would arrive when it rules across the country, from panchayats to Parliament. Top party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were in attendance as he asked the organisation to resolve for victory in the next round of assembly elections due in Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, noting that a similar resolve was made last year during the national executive meeting in Allahabad for five state elections, including in Uttar Pradesh. Laying down his ambitious growth plan for the party in south and eastern India, the BJP president rejected the contention that the saffron surge had reached its peak with its domination of central and western India and maiden wins in states like Assam and Manipur. 13 chief ministers of the party, the most BJP has ever had, were also in the audience. Amit Shah said he will spend 95 days touring the country to meet party leaders and workers and asked senior leaders and union ministers to give 15 days to strengthen the organisation while speaking about its growth prospects in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Odisha. "The BJP is yet to reach its peak. Its golden era will arrive when it rules from panchayat to assemblies across the country and Parliament," he said. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad briefed reporters on his speech in a closed-door meeting of the party leaders. He, however, steered clear of recent controversial issues like killing of a man in BJP-ruled Rajasthan by cow vigilantes and deepening impasse in Kashmir, where his party is in power in partnership with PDP. Ravi Shankar Prasad suggested that a reference to Kashmir may be made during the national executive. The party's gold era, he said, will coincide with India's golden era and it will emerge as a great nation in the world. The BJP's massive wins in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have changed the experts' definition of big victories, usually associated with two-thirds majority, as it won more than 75 per cent of seats as people have embraced "our politics of performance" and rejected opposition parties' politics of brazen appeasement, rank family promotion and casteism, Amit Shah said. The BJP has also disproved the claims that it can defeat the Congress but not strong regional parties by routing the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party in UT, he said. Amit Shah said when the BJP won 71 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP in 2014, it was said that it was a "sudden" development but by sweeping the state in the assembly polls the party has proved that people have embraced it "decisively and whole- heartedly". Its win in the state polls was due to the Modi government's pro-poor and welfare policies, Shah said, reaffirming that the prime minister was the most popular leader since Independence. Hitting out at the Left government in Kerala over the killing of the BJP and RSS workers allegedly by communist cadres, he said his party will continue to oppose it peacefully and ensure that the "lotus blooms" there as well as Tripura, another Left-ruled state. The BJP national president said he would spend three days in Kerala as part of the organisational expansion drive. The Modi government, he said, has done more work in three years than other governments had done in two-three terms as he hailed its policies. (PTI)

BJP will rule from panchayats to Parliament: Party president Amit Shah outlines election roadmap at Odisha meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today led a roadshow and mingled with crowds at several places breaking security protocol as he arrived here to attend the two-day BJP national executive meeting with saffron expansion in Odisha being its key agenda.

A large number of people stood along the road as Modi stood on his Range Rover&#39;s foot rest with its door open acknowledging the cheering and slogan-chanting masses.

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Odisha: PM Modi waves at supporters as he proceeds towards the venue of BJP National Executive Meet in Bhubaneshwar. <a href="https://t.co/oeVnkHsNjR">pic.twitter.com/oeVnkHsNjR</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/853210033592643584">April 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Odisha BJP chief Basanta Panda claimed that his road show will herald a &quot;new era of politics&quot; in the state, hopeful that his party, always a marginal force in this eastern state, will emerge as the key challenger to the ruling BJD by the time next Lok Sabha and assembly polls arrive in 2019.

It was almost a 9-km long roadshow starting from the city airport to the Raj Bhawan and then to the executive meeting venue.

Modi, who was clad in all white, beamed and waved at the people gathered on both sides of the road for a glimpse with lotus flowers in their hands.

Defying the security cordon he even got off his vehicle a couple of times, walked up to people, greeted them and even shook hands with some of them.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a> Live : PM Modi in Bhubaneswar, Odisha <a href="https://t.co/Ae2CSh9xTL">https://t.co/Ae2CSh9xTL</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/853209092654981120">April 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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He also offered floral tributes to freedom fighters and illustrious sons of the soil on his way to the Raj Bhavan.

As the Prime Minister&#39;s 9 km-long roadshow passed through the main road connecting the airport and the Raj Bhavan, the air was rent with the chants of &#39;Modi .. Modi&#39;, &#39;Bharat Mata Ki Jai&#39; and &#39;Bande Mataram&#39;.

The state BJP also organised folk dance, songs and folk music at different places along the route taken by the Prime Minister.

He received lotus flowers when he was felicitated by members of the BJP&#39;s Mahila Morcha in front of the Raj Bhavan.

After a 20-minute halt at Raj Bhavan, Modi resumed his roadshow. He got off the vehicle and walked about half-a-km near Jaidev Vihar to mingle freely with the people before arriving at Janata Maidan, the venue of the two-day national executive.

(PTI)

Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party staged the roadshow as means to expand the party's base in east India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today led a roadshow and mingled with crowds at several places breaking security protocol as he arrived here to attend the two-day BJP national executive meeting with saffron expansion in Odisha being its key agenda. A large number of people stood along the road as Modi stood on his Range Rover's foot rest with its door open acknowledging the cheering and slogan-chanting masses. Odisha: PM Modi waves at supporters as he proceeds towards the venue of BJP National Executive Meet in Bhubaneshwar. pic.twitter.com/oeVnkHsNjR — ANI (@ANI_news) April 15, 2017 × Odisha BJP chief Basanta Panda claimed that his road show will herald a "new era of politics" in the state, hopeful that his party, always a marginal force in this eastern state, will emerge as the key challenger to the ruling BJD by the time next Lok Sabha and assembly polls arrive in 2019. It was almost a 9-km long roadshow starting from the city airport to the Raj Bhawan and then to the executive meeting venue. Modi, who was clad in all white, beamed and waved at the people gathered on both sides of the road for a glimpse with lotus flowers in their hands. Defying the security cordon he even got off his vehicle a couple of times, walked up to people, greeted them and even shook hands with some of them. #WATCH Live : PM Modi in Bhubaneswar, Odisha https://t.co/Ae2CSh9xTL — ANI (@ANI_news) April 15, 2017 × He also offered floral tributes to freedom fighters and illustrious sons of the soil on his way to the Raj Bhavan. As the Prime Minister's 9 km-long roadshow passed through the main road connecting the airport and the Raj Bhavan, the air was rent with the chants of 'Modi .. Modi', 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Bande Mataram'. The state BJP also organised folk dance, songs and folk music at different places along the route taken by the Prime Minister. He received lotus flowers when he was felicitated by members of the BJP's Mahila Morcha in front of the Raj Bhavan. After a 20-minute halt at Raj Bhavan, Modi resumed his roadshow. He got off the vehicle and walked about half-a-km near Jaidev Vihar to mingle freely with the people before arriving at Janata Maidan, the venue of the two-day national executive. (PTI)

Indian PM Modi turns on charm offensive in Odisha roadshow

India&nbsp;prime minister Narendra Modi&#39;s administration unveiled a raft of measures on the occasion of 126th birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar -- the architect of India&#39;s constitution.

The highlight of the prime minister&#39;s address was the launch of an app that will help millions of Indians who have no mobile phone, internet connection, credit and debit card to make digital payments.

Addressing the nation from Nagpur city in west India on Friday, PM Modi rolled out the BHIM-Aadhar app (Bharat Interface for Money) to allow millions of phone-less Indians to start using digital wallets.

&quot;Any citizen without access to&nbsp;smartphones,&nbsp;the Internet, debit or credit cards will be able to transact digitally through the BHIM-Aadhaar platform, thus&nbsp;realising&nbsp;Bhim Rao Ambedkar&#39;s vision of social and financial empowerment for all,&quot; a statement released by NITI-Aayog said. NITI-Aayog is a government-backed think tank.

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.<a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi">@narendramodi</a> launches <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BHIMAadhaar?src=hash">#BHIMAadhaar</a> to enable every single Indian citizen to pay just with their THUMB! No internet, wallet, mobile needed. <a href="https://t.co/Pxo6eanHFU">pic.twitter.com/Pxo6eanHFU</a>
&mdash; NITI Aayog (@NITIAayog) <a href="https://twitter.com/NITIAayog/status/852794639908085760">April 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Twenty-seven major banks were already on board with around three lakh merchants so that they can start accepting payments using BHIM-Aadhaar, the statement said.&nbsp;

Under the new system, merchants will have to download the app and sync them to a biometric scan machine. As for the users, they just need to have the 12-digit Aadhaar code. That will enable traders to transfer the amount from the customer&#39;s bank account to theirs.&nbsp;

The Aadhaar card is an identity card based on their biometric and demographic data.

The other initiatives announced by the government was the cash back system and the referral system.

&quot;If you add a person to BHIM app and he makes three transactions, Rs 10 will be added to your account. The scheme will continue till October 14,&quot; Modi said.

As for the cashback scheme, traders will get a cashback on every transaction made by them.

The other salient point was Modi&#39;s promise to build homes for all Indians by 2022.

As per official data, there are 17.73 million homeless people in India. The housing crisis gets magnified when government data suggest that up to&nbsp;70 million Indians live in urban slums.

&ldquo;We have a dream for 2022. The poorest of poor should have a house of his own. And that house must be equipped with electricity, water and other facilities. There should be hospitals and schools in the neighbourhood,&rdquo; Modi said.

The raft of social policies was announced to coincide with Ambedkar&#39;s birth anniversary.

Ambedkar was one of the towering figures in Indian politics to fight for the then-termed untouchables and backward&nbsp;castes in India. He was also the country&#39;s first law minister and is credited to have drafted the Indian constitution.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a clutch of pro-poor schemes on the birth anniversary of leading social crusader BR Ambedkar

India prime minister Narendra Modi's administration unveiled a raft of measures on the occasion of 126th birth anniversary of Bhim Rao Ambedkar -- the architect of India's constitution. The highlight of the prime minister's address was the launch of an app that will help millions of Indians who have no mobile phone, internet connection, credit and debit card to make digital payments. Addressing the nation from Nagpur city in west India on Friday, PM Modi rolled out the BHIM-Aadhar app (Bharat Interface for Money) to allow millions of phone-less Indians to start using digital wallets. "Any citizen without access to smartphones, the Internet, debit or credit cards will be able to transact digitally through the BHIM-Aadhaar platform, thus realising Bhim Rao Ambedkar's vision of social and financial empowerment for all," a statement released by NITI-Aayog said. NITI-Aayog is a government-backed think tank. .@narendramodi launches #BHIMAadhaar to enable every single Indian citizen to pay just with their THUMB! No internet, wallet, mobile needed. pic.twitter.com/Pxo6eanHFU — NITI Aayog (@NITIAayog) April 14, 2017 × Twenty-seven major banks were already on board with around three lakh merchants so that they can start accepting payments using BHIM-Aadhaar, the statement said. Under the new system, merchants will have to download the app and sync them to a biometric scan machine. As for the users, they just need to have the 12-digit Aadhaar code. That will enable traders to transfer the amount from the customer's bank account to theirs. The Aadhaar card is an identity card based on their biometric and demographic data. The other initiatives announced by the government was the cash back system and the referral system. "If you add a person to BHIM app and he makes three transactions, Rs 10 will be added to your account. The scheme will continue till October 14," Modi said. As for the cashback scheme, traders will get a cashback on every transaction made by them. The other salient point was Modi's promise to build homes for all Indians by 2022. As per official data, there are 17.73 million homeless people in India. The housing crisis gets magnified when government data suggest that up to 70 million Indians live in urban slums. “We have a dream for 2022. The poorest of poor should have a house of his own. And that house must be equipped with electricity, water and other facilities. There should be hospitals and schools in the neighbourhood,” Modi said. The raft of social policies was announced to coincide with Ambedkar's birth anniversary. Ambedkar was one of the towering figures in Indian politics to fight for the then-termed untouchables and backward castes in India. He was also the country's first law minister and is credited to have drafted the Indian constitution. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India launches digital payment app for poor, vows homes for all by 2022

An Assam court has issued a bailable arrest warrant against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in a defamation case arising out of his tweet on the Prime Minister&#39;s educational qualification.

First class Magistrate, Diphu, Naba Kumar Deka Baruah, issued the warrant of Rs 10,000 yesterday and summoned the Aam Aadmi Party leader to appear before the court on May 8.

Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council Executive Member, Surjya Rongphar, had filed the defamation case in the magistrate&#39;s court on December 26 last year.

The magistrate had issued summons against the Delhi Chief Minister to appear in his court on January 30 last.

The AAP leader through his lawyer, Gurpreet Singh Uppal, had sought time from the court until April 7, saying that it would not be possible for him to leave Delhi due to the MCD polls on April 23 and the nature of his work.

The magistrate in his order said yesterday, &quot;On perusal of case record, it reveals that the accused Arvind Kejriwal has not appeared before this court on the earlier occasion on 30/01/2017, availing adjournment for long duration of more than two months by a prayer as submitted by his advocate although the accused was not dispense with personal attendance by this court as provided by Section 205(I) of the CrPC, 1973 as amended up to date&quot;.

&quot;Considering the above, the petition of his advocate is rejected&quot;, the order said.

(PTI)

The warrant was issued?in a defamation case arising out of Kejriwal's?tweet on PM Modi's educational qualification

An Assam court has issued a bailable arrest warrant against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in a defamation case arising out of his tweet on the Prime Minister's educational qualification. First class Magistrate, Diphu, Naba Kumar Deka Baruah, issued the warrant of Rs 10,000 yesterday and summoned the Aam Aadmi Party leader to appear before the court on May 8. Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council Executive Member, Surjya Rongphar, had filed the defamation case in the magistrate's court on December 26 last year. The magistrate had issued summons against the Delhi Chief Minister to appear in his court on January 30 last. The AAP leader through his lawyer, Gurpreet Singh Uppal, had sought time from the court until April 7, saying that it would not be possible for him to leave Delhi due to the MCD polls on April 23 and the nature of his work. The magistrate in his order said yesterday, "On perusal of case record, it reveals that the accused Arvind Kejriwal has not appeared before this court on the earlier occasion on 30/01/2017, availing adjournment for long duration of more than two months by a prayer as submitted by his advocate although the accused was not dispense with personal attendance by this court as provided by Section 205(I) of the CrPC, 1973 as amended up to date". "Considering the above, the petition of his advocate is rejected", the order said. (PTI)

Assam court issues bailable arrest warrant against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal

Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, who is on a four-day visit to India, will hold bilateral talks with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting between the two leaders is expected to further strengthen&nbsp;and deepen the ties between the two neighbours.

More than 20 pacts are expected to be signed between the two countries after the delegation-level talks. Agreements in the areas of defence and civil nuclear cooperation are expected to be signed between the two countries, ANI reported.

India will also extend 500 million dollars to Bangladesh for defence purchases.&nbsp;

Train services involving West Bengal and Bangladesh and bus service connecting Kolkata and Dhaka will also be launched during the visit.&nbsp;

Sheikh Hasina will attend &quot;Sommanona Ceremony&quot; in the evening along with her Indian counterpart to honour the Indian martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the liberation of Bangladesh.

Increased cooperation between India and Bangladesh has taken centrestage in the wake of spate of terrorist attacks in Bangladesh allegedly by Islamic State affiliates and fears of its spill over in India.

BIMSTEC has served as an important platform to coordinate anti-terror efforts between India and Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina had visited India last year to attend the BIMSTEC conference in Goa.

(WION with inputs from ANI)

India will also extend 500 million dollars to Bangladesh for defence purchases

Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, who is on a four-day visit to India, will hold bilateral talks with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting between the two leaders is expected to further strengthen and deepen the ties between the two neighbours. More than 20 pacts are expected to be signed between the two countries after the delegation-level talks. Agreements in the areas of defence and civil nuclear cooperation are expected to be signed between the two countries, ANI reported. India will also extend 500 million dollars to Bangladesh for defence purchases. Train services involving West Bengal and Bangladesh and bus service connecting Kolkata and Dhaka will also be launched during the visit. Sheikh Hasina will attend "Sommanona Ceremony" in the evening along with her Indian counterpart to honour the Indian martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the liberation of Bangladesh. Increased cooperation between India and Bangladesh has taken centrestage in the wake of spate of terrorist attacks in Bangladesh allegedly by Islamic State affiliates and fears of its spill over in India. BIMSTEC has served as an important platform to coordinate anti-terror efforts between India and Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina had visited India last year to attend the BIMSTEC conference in Goa. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Modi-Hasina talks: More than 20 pacts to be signed, focus on defence and civil nuclear cooperation

India and Bangladesh today held bilateral talks on a range of issues including civil nuclear cooperation.

Bangladesh&#39;s Prime Minster, Sheikh Hasina, who is on a four-day visit to India, held wide ranging talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

The two leaders also discussed the issue of terrorism, with PM Modi expressing admiration for Sheikh Hasina&#39;s &quot;zero-tolerance&quot; policy to deal with terrorism.

&quot;We have the greatest admiration for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina&#39;s firm resolve in dealing with terrorism. Her government&#39;s &#39;zero-tolerance&#39; policy towards terrorism is an inspiration for all of us,&quot; said PM Modi at a joint media event with the Bangladesh PM.

The two countries also resolved to step up anti-terror cooperation. The Indian prime minister&nbsp;termed the&nbsp;spread of radicalism as a &quot;grave threat&quot;&nbsp;not only to the two countries but to the entire region.

&quot;While our partnership brings prosperity to our people, it also works to protect them from forces of radicalisation and extremism. Their spread poses a grave threat, not just to India and Bangladesh but to the entire region,&quot; PM Modi said.

Addressing a joint press conference, both the leaders expressed confidence in further strengthening ties between the two neighbours.

Both sides also signed 22 pacts in strategic areas of defence and civil nuclear cooperation, PTI reported.

India extended a 500 billion dollar line of credit to Bangladesh to buy military hardware.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 4.5 billion dollars of concessional line of credit for implementation of projects in Bangladesh, PTI reported. 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
On the crucial issue of sharing of waters of Teesta river, Prime Minister Modi said that the issue was important for India-Bangladesh ties and assured his Bangladeshi counterpart of India&#39;s commitment to it, PTI said.

He said an &quot;early solution can and will be found&quot; to the Teesta water sharing issue.

The Indian prime minister and his Bangladeshi counterpart also inaugurated two rail and a road connectivity project via video conferencing.&quot;

The trial run of passenger train service between Bangladesh&#39;s Khulna city and Kolkata began today with the arrival of a train at Petrapole along the Indo-Bangla border.

Regular service between the Kolkata station and Khulna will commence in July, Railway officials said. 
 
The two leaders also released the Hindi translation of founding leader of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman&#39;s &quot;The Unfinished Memoirs,&quot;a glimpse into the life of an inspiring leader.&nbsp;The leaders also dedicated a road in Delhi to memory of Bangabandhu.

PM Modi and Sheikh Hasina&nbsp;subsequently honoured Indian soldiers martyred in 1971 war for the liberation of Bangladesh at a ceremony in the capital.

Narendra Modi hit out at Pakistan saying it breeds, inspires and encourages terrorism. 
 
&quot;There is one thought in South Asia which breeds, inspires and encourages terrorism. The thought whose priority is not humanity, but extremism and terrorism,&quot; Modi said, without naming Pakistan. 
 
Sheikh Hasina, whose Awami League is historically seen as more sympathetic to India than the arch-rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party, said the two countries will jointly produce a documentary on the 1971 War of Liberation of Bangladesh, a move that is likely to irk Pakistan.&nbsp;

Hasina is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh to independence from Pakistan in 1971.&nbsp;

The government says that up to three million people died in the independence war, many killed by Bangladeshis who collaborated with Pakistani forces. 
&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The two vowed to step up anti-terror cooperation. Modi said he admired Sheikh Hasina's 'zero-tolerance' policy to deal with terrorism

India and Bangladesh today held bilateral talks on a range of issues including civil nuclear cooperation. Bangladesh's Prime Minster, Sheikh Hasina, who is on a four-day visit to India, held wide ranging talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. The two leaders also discussed the issue of terrorism, with PM Modi expressing admiration for Sheikh Hasina's "zero-tolerance" policy to deal with terrorism. "We have the greatest admiration for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's firm resolve in dealing with terrorism. Her government's 'zero-tolerance' policy towards terrorism is an inspiration for all of us," said PM Modi at a joint media event with the Bangladesh PM. The two countries also resolved to step up anti-terror cooperation. The Indian prime minister termed the spread of radicalism as a "grave threat" not only to the two countries but to the entire region. "While our partnership brings prosperity to our people, it also works to protect them from forces of radicalisation and extremism. Their spread poses a grave threat, not just to India and Bangladesh but to the entire region," PM Modi said. Addressing a joint press conference, both the leaders expressed confidence in further strengthening ties between the two neighbours. Both sides also signed 22 pacts in strategic areas of defence and civil nuclear cooperation, PTI reported. India extended a 500 billion dollar line of credit to Bangladesh to buy military hardware. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 4.5 billion dollars of concessional line of credit for implementation of projects in Bangladesh, PTI reported. On the crucial issue of sharing of waters of Teesta river, Prime Minister Modi said that the issue was important for India-Bangladesh ties and assured his Bangladeshi counterpart of India's commitment to it, PTI said. He said an "early solution can and will be found" to the Teesta water sharing issue. The Indian prime minister and his Bangladeshi counterpart also inaugurated two rail and a road connectivity project via video conferencing." The trial run of passenger train service between Bangladesh's Khulna city and Kolkata began today with the arrival of a train at Petrapole along the Indo-Bangla border. Regular service between the Kolkata station and Khulna will commence in July, Railway officials said. The two leaders also released the Hindi translation of founding leader of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's "The Unfinished Memoirs,"a glimpse into the life of an inspiring leader. The leaders also dedicated a road in Delhi to memory of Bangabandhu. PM Modi and Sheikh Hasina subsequently honoured Indian soldiers martyred in 1971 war for the liberation of Bangladesh at a ceremony in the capital. Narendra Modi hit out at Pakistan saying it breeds, inspires and encourages terrorism. "There is one thought in South Asia which breeds, inspires and encourages terrorism. The thought whose priority is not humanity, but extremism and terrorism," Modi said, without naming Pakistan. Sheikh Hasina, whose Awami League is historically seen as more sympathetic to India than the arch-rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party, said the two countries will jointly produce a documentary on the 1971 War of Liberation of Bangladesh, a move that is likely to irk Pakistan. Hasina is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh to independence from Pakistan in 1971. The government says that up to three million people died in the independence war, many killed by Bangladeshis who collaborated with Pakistani forces. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Modi-Hasina talks: 22 pacts signed in key areas including defence and civil nuclear cooperation

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known to politically surprise political adversaries but what happened today (April 7)&nbsp;surprised the Prime Minister Office itself. Highly placed sources confirmed that the prime minister travelled to the Technical terminal of the Indira Gandhi international airport to receive Bangladesh&rsquo;s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina without any traffic restrictions. Sources say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi left Lok Kalyan Marg in a truncated cavalcade to the airport an hour before the arrival of Sheikh Hasina.

Sources told DNA-WION that the truncated cavalcade of the prime minister had to stop at Sardar Patel Marg&rsquo;s red light and his cavalcade slowed down considerably near RR Hospital but people travelling around could not realise that the Prime Minister Modi was travelling inside one of the sedans. Sheikh Hasina&rsquo;s plane touched down around 12.14 pm&nbsp;and PM Modi reached the venue around 12.09 pm. Sources say that it is a message from the prime minister that VVIP movement should not cause public inconvenience. &nbsp;Though the protocol was in place when the prime minister returned to his residence. A highly-placed source said, &quot;Since protocol was in place for Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister in a gap of six minutes took the same route.&quot;

DNA-WION spoke to Yashovardhan Azad former secretary security to government of India, who said, &quot;It can be done. It depends on the confidence of the protectee and the agency protecting him. More so unpredictability is the key. It accords security so it can be done.&rdquo; He also said that nature of route and terrain too makes a difference but if basic security remains then such feats can be achieved.

What was even more unusual was that Prime Minister Modi interacted with the Bangladeshi media&nbsp;after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left the venue. Sources in the Prime Minister Office confirmed that Narendra Modi stayed at the tarmac for five&nbsp;to seven&nbsp;minutes and spoke to the delegation who to their heart&rsquo;s content took selfies with him. It is rare that Indian Prime Minister goes to the tarmac to receive dignitaries. Narendra Modi in past has received former United States President Barak Obama twice and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi once. He went and received Sheikh Hasina, a sign that he accords this visit lot of importance to this visit.&nbsp;

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In her 3-day visit to India from 7th-10th April, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to give the Indo-Bangladesh (WION)
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(WION)

 
&nbsp;

Sources say that it is a message from the prime minister that VVIP movement should not cause public inconvenience

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known to politically surprise political adversaries but what happened today (April 7) surprised the Prime Minister Office itself. Highly placed sources confirmed that the prime minister travelled to the Technical terminal of the Indira Gandhi international airport to receive Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina without any traffic restrictions. Sources say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi left Lok Kalyan Marg in a truncated cavalcade to the airport an hour before the arrival of Sheikh Hasina. Sources told DNA-WION that the truncated cavalcade of the prime minister had to stop at Sardar Patel Marg’s red light and his cavalcade slowed down considerably near RR Hospital but people travelling around could not realise that the Prime Minister Modi was travelling inside one of the sedans. Sheikh Hasina’s plane touched down around 12.14 pm and PM Modi reached the venue around 12.09 pm. Sources say that it is a message from the prime minister that VVIP movement should not cause public inconvenience. Though the protocol was in place when the prime minister returned to his residence. A highly-placed source said, "Since protocol was in place for Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister in a gap of six minutes took the same route." DNA-WION spoke to Yashovardhan Azad former secretary security to government of India, who said, "It can be done. It depends on the confidence of the protectee and the agency protecting him. More so unpredictability is the key. It accords security so it can be done.” He also said that nature of route and terrain too makes a difference but if basic security remains then such feats can be achieved. What was even more unusual was that Prime Minister Modi interacted with the Bangladeshi media after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left the venue. Sources in the Prime Minister Office confirmed that Narendra Modi stayed at the tarmac for five to seven minutes and spoke to the delegation who to their heart’s content took selfies with him. It is rare that Indian Prime Minister goes to the tarmac to receive dignitaries. Narendra Modi in past has received former United States President Barak Obama twice and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi once. He went and received Sheikh Hasina, a sign that he accords this visit lot of importance to this visit. In her 3-day visit to India from 7th-10th April, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to give the Indo-Bangladesh (WION) × (WION)

PM Modi breaks protocol, travels without traffic restrictions to receive Bangladesh PM

India&#39;s $3 billion plan to clean the holy Ganga river is badly behind schedule with large stretches contaminated by toxic waste and sewage, forcing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene, according to government officials and documents seen by Reuters.

Much of the money allocated to the project, a flagship initiative of &nbsp;Modi&#39;s Hindu nationalist government, remains unspent, say officials from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), a government body overseeing the project.

In one slide of a presentation to a top Modi aide in late January, NMCG officials marked almost the entire length of the river within three big circles to highlight &quot;pollution in river Ganga&quot;.

A 2018 deadline to clean the river is &quot;impossible&quot;, one NMCG official said.

&quot;If we want to meet the 2018 deadline, we should have commissioned plants to treat half the sewage already,&quot; he said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the record.

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Over three-quarters of the sewage generated in the towns and cities of India&#39;s crowded northern plains flows untreated into the 2,525-km (1,570-mile) Ganga, according to the presentation, which has not been made public.&nbsp;

State administrations have struggled to find land for new treatment plants, while complex tendering processes have put bidders off pitching for new clean-up projects, officials said.

The Ganga is worshipped by Hindus, who make up about 80 per cent of India&#39;s 1.3 billion people.

They call it Ganga Mata, or mother Ganga, and believe a dip in the river absolves a lifetime of sins. Hindus also cremate the bodies of their loved ones on its banks and strew the ashes in the river.

Recognising that the clean-up mission is in a shambles, Modi has decided to take personal control, a senior NMCG official said.

The clean-up drive is important as Modi wants to show tangible improvement before the next election in 2019.&nbsp;

His principal secretary, Nripendra Misra, has met NMCG officials almost monthly since November, demanding to see updates on the project&#39;s progress, the NMCG official said.

Misra did not respond to messages and calls seeking comment.

Modi, voted to power in 2014, committed $3.06 billion for the clean-up in the five years to 2020 but the January presentation showed just $205 million had been spent between April 2015 and March 2017.&nbsp;

India&#39;s water resources minister, Uma Bharti, who is responsible for overseeing the clean-up and announced the 2018 deadline, did not respond to requests for comment.

&quot;I have lost hope,&quot; said Rakesh Jaiswal, head of a small Ganga-focused environmental group in the industrial city of Kanpur since 1993. &quot;There has been nothing on the ground.&quot;

Sewage pollution

India&#39;s top environmental court in February ruled &quot;not a single drop of the Ganga has been cleaned so far&quot;, accusing the government of wasting public money.

The river stretches from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal and is a water source for 400 million people. But it is also the destination for waste produced by 760 industrial units described by the NMCG as &quot;grossly polluting&quot;.

In addition, the NMCG presentation showed, about 4,800 million litres of sewage from 118 towns and cities flows into the Ganga every day. The functioning capacity to treat sewage is 1,017 million litres per day (MLD).

According to official data, the Modi administration has cleared the construction of plants to treat an additional 933 MLD, and the rehabilitation of existing plants with a capacity to clean an additional 1,091 MLD.

Of these, plants treating less than 160 MLD have been completed, but it is unclear if they have started operations.

The problems are striking in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh state: toxic pollution from tanneries operating in the industrial city flows down slum-lined open sewers into the Ganga.

Of the 456 tanneries in the state that back onto the river, most of them in Kanpur, authorities have shut down just 14, according to the government presentation.

The government has also lagged on the simpler tasks of cleaning the ghats, the riverside steps where devotees assemble to bathe, and the sites on the banks where bodies are cremated.

Of 182 ghats to be modernised, work on only 50 has started. Of 118 crematoria, just 15 are currently being renovated, with work awarded for another 31, the presentation showed.

&quot;The situation has deteriorated every year, fewer people visit now and there are no prayers at this river bank,&quot; said Ram Das, a Hindu priest at a riverside temple.

Modi takes control

Modi may find it easier to launch new clean-up projects in Uttar Pradesh, through which the longest stretch of the Ganga flows, after his party wrested power from an opposition party in a state election last month.

Modi&#39;s new chief minister in the state is a Hindu priest, Yogi Adityanath, who has long championed cleaning the Ganga. Last week he inspected a riverfront development along a Ganga tributary, calling for work to be accelerated.

&quot;You will see improvements. We have asked the states to speed up progress and money is not an issue,&quot; said C V Dharma Rao, deputy director general at the NMCG in New Delhi.

On a recent evening at a ghat in Kanpur city, workers were fixing sandstone around the steps that led down to the Ganga, one of dozens of riverfront facelifts that government has launched.

But the state of the river was unchanged &ndash; black water, full of plastic and other waste thrown by devotees, flowed slowly as mosquitoes buzzed above.

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

Much of the three billion dollars allocated to the project, a flagship initiative of the Modi government, remains unspent

India's $3 billion plan to clean the holy Ganga river is badly behind schedule with large stretches contaminated by toxic waste and sewage, forcing Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene, according to government officials and documents seen by Reuters. Much of the money allocated to the project, a flagship initiative of Modi's Hindu nationalist government, remains unspent, say officials from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), a government body overseeing the project. In one slide of a presentation to a top Modi aide in late January, NMCG officials marked almost the entire length of the river within three big circles to highlight "pollution in river Ganga". A 2018 deadline to clean the river is "impossible", one NMCG official said. "If we want to meet the 2018 deadline, we should have commissioned plants to treat half the sewage already," he said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the record. A 2018 deadline to clean the river is 'impossible', one National Mission to Clean Ganga official said × Over three-quarters of the sewage generated in the towns and cities of India's crowded northern plains flows untreated into the 2,525-km (1,570-mile) Ganga, according to the presentation, which has not been made public. State administrations have struggled to find land for new treatment plants, while complex tendering processes have put bidders off pitching for new clean-up projects, officials said. The Ganga is worshipped by Hindus, who make up about 80 per cent of India's 1.3 billion people. They call it Ganga Mata, or mother Ganga, and believe a dip in the river absolves a lifetime of sins. Hindus also cremate the bodies of their loved ones on its banks and strew the ashes in the river. Recognising that the clean-up mission is in a shambles, Modi has decided to take personal control, a senior NMCG official said. The clean-up drive is important as Modi wants to show tangible improvement before the next election in 2019. His principal secretary, Nripendra Misra, has met NMCG officials almost monthly since November, demanding to see updates on the project's progress, the NMCG official said. Misra did not respond to messages and calls seeking comment. Modi, voted to power in 2014, committed $3.06 billion for the clean-up in the five years to 2020 but the January presentation showed just $205 million had been spent between April 2015 and March 2017. India's water resources minister, Uma Bharti, who is responsible for overseeing the clean-up and announced the 2018 deadline, did not respond to requests for comment. "I have lost hope," said Rakesh Jaiswal, head of a small Ganga-focused environmental group in the industrial city of Kanpur since 1993. "There has been nothing on the ground." Sewage pollution India's top environmental court in February ruled "not a single drop of the Ganga has been cleaned so far", accusing the government of wasting public money. The river stretches from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal and is a water source for 400 million people. But it is also the destination for waste produced by 760 industrial units described by the NMCG as "grossly polluting". In addition, the NMCG presentation showed, about 4,800 million litres of sewage from 118 towns and cities flows into the Ganga every day. The functioning capacity to treat sewage is 1,017 million litres per day (MLD). According to official data, the Modi administration has cleared the construction of plants to treat an additional 933 MLD, and the rehabilitation of existing plants with a capacity to clean an additional 1,091 MLD. Of these, plants treating less than 160 MLD have been completed, but it is unclear if they have started operations. The problems are striking in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh state: toxic pollution from tanneries operating in the industrial city flows down slum-lined open sewers into the Ganga. Of the 456 tanneries in the state that back onto the river, most of them in Kanpur, authorities have shut down just 14, according to the government presentation. The government has also lagged on the simpler tasks of cleaning the ghats, the riverside steps where devotees assemble to bathe, and the sites on the banks where bodies are cremated. Of 182 ghats to be modernised, work on only 50 has started. Of 118 crematoria, just 15 are currently being renovated, with work awarded for another 31, the presentation showed. "The situation has deteriorated every year, fewer people visit now and there are no prayers at this river bank," said Ram Das, a Hindu priest at a riverside temple. Modi takes control Modi may find it easier to launch new clean-up projects in Uttar Pradesh, through which the longest stretch of the Ganga flows, after his party wrested power from an opposition party in a state election last month. Modi's new chief minister in the state is a Hindu priest, Yogi Adityanath, who has long championed cleaning the Ganga. Last week he inspected a riverfront development along a Ganga tributary, calling for work to be accelerated. "You will see improvements. We have asked the states to speed up progress and money is not an issue," said C V Dharma Rao, deputy director general at the NMCG in New Delhi. On a recent evening at a ghat in Kanpur city, workers were fixing sandstone around the steps that led down to the Ganga, one of dozens of riverfront facelifts that government has launched. But the state of the river was unchanged – black water, full of plastic and other waste thrown by devotees, flowed slowly as mosquitoes buzzed above. (Reuters)

India's Ganga clean-up in shambles, Modi intervenes

A Muslim man in India died Wednesday after being assaulted by cow protectors in India&#39;s western state of Rajasthan.

On Monday, 55-year-old Pehlu Khan was allegedly smuggling cows when a bunch of cow vigilantes apparently associated with Hindu nationalist groups -- Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad -- beat him and four others in Alwar, roughly 165 km from New Delhi, Guardian reported.

Khan and the other injured were beaten up despite them furnishing documents to show they had purchased the cows legally,&nbsp;

The victim&#39;s&nbsp;uncle Husain said that Khan was not a butcher but a dairy farmer, and had bought the cows for dairy business, BBC reported.&nbsp;

Although the local police have listed 200 suspects, they are yet to arrest anyone for Khan&#39;s murder.&nbsp;

Khan became the 10th victim in the last two years to be killed by cow vigilantes in the country.

Cow is&nbsp;revered by religious Hindus in India and beef meat is eschewed by them.&nbsp;

Beef in India is largely consumed by Muslims, Christians and people belonging to lower Hindu castes.

Consumption of beef has been a&nbsp;torchlight for communal clashes in India over the years, largely between Hindus and Muslims.

The issue of cow protection resuscitated after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to ban beef across the country during his election campaign in 2014.

Cow vigilantes, emboldened by the increasingly assertive Hindu nationalism in the country, turned the issue of cow protection on its head in 2015 when a Muslim man named Mohammed Ikhlaq was lynched in Dadri, a town in north India.

Several other leaders belonging to Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party have also talked tough on cattle smuggling and beef consumption in recent times.

One of the first things Yogi Adityanath, the recently appointed chief minister of India&#39;s most populous state Uttar Pradesh, did was to clamp down on illegal slaughterhouses.

Raman Singh, chief minister of another state Chhattisgarh, also threatened to hang those found guilty of cow slaughter.

India&#39;s western state of Gujarat last week passed a legislation that punishes cow killers with life imprisonment.

Cow vigilante groups have also become active in several states of the country. They routinely waylay vehicles to inspect them to deter people from smuggling cows.

(WION)

Pehlu Khan is the tenth person to have been killed by cow protectors in the last 24 months

A Muslim man in India died Wednesday after being assaulted by cow protectors in India's western state of Rajasthan. On Monday, 55-year-old Pehlu Khan was allegedly smuggling cows when a bunch of cow vigilantes apparently associated with Hindu nationalist groups -- Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad -- beat him and four others in Alwar, roughly 165 km from New Delhi, Guardian reported. Khan and the other injured were beaten up despite them furnishing documents to show they had purchased the cows legally, The victim's uncle Husain said that Khan was not a butcher but a dairy farmer, and had bought the cows for dairy business, BBC reported. Although the local police have listed 200 suspects, they are yet to arrest anyone for Khan's murder. Khan became the 10th victim in the last two years to be killed by cow vigilantes in the country. Cow is revered by religious Hindus in India and beef meat is eschewed by them. Beef in India is largely consumed by Muslims, Christians and people belonging to lower Hindu castes. Consumption of beef has been a torchlight for communal clashes in India over the years, largely between Hindus and Muslims. The issue of cow protection resuscitated after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to ban beef across the country during his election campaign in 2014. Cow vigilantes, emboldened by the increasingly assertive Hindu nationalism in the country, turned the issue of cow protection on its head in 2015 when a Muslim man named Mohammed Ikhlaq was lynched in Dadri, a town in north India. Several other leaders belonging to Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party have also talked tough on cattle smuggling and beef consumption in recent times. One of the first things Yogi Adityanath, the recently appointed chief minister of India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh, did was to clamp down on illegal slaughterhouses. Raman Singh, chief minister of another state Chhattisgarh, also threatened to hang those found guilty of cow slaughter. India's western state of Gujarat last week passed a legislation that punishes cow killers with life imprisonment. Cow vigilante groups have also become active in several states of the country. They routinely waylay vehicles to inspect them to deter people from smuggling cows. (WION)

Muslim man dies after being assaulted by cow vigilantes

Wickremesinghe speaks exclusively to WION on ties with India and China, terrorism, LTTE and more

As part of the World Is One Global Leadership series, WION’s senior international correspondent Padma Rao Sundarji speaks to Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Read the full transcript below. PRS: Mr Prime Minister, thank you for talking to WION for our new World is One Global Leaders series.Sri Lanka's current coalition government came to power in 2015 promising to improve relations with closest neighbour India. They had plunged into a deep freeze under the previous government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. There have been a series of high-profile visits and symbolic gestures. but some core issues remain unresolved. Colombo's growing closeness to China, for instance, is seen as a "strategic threat". What is your government doing to reassure New Delhi? RW: We have always been friendly with China, but not at the expense of India. We are friendly with many countries but not at the expense of others. Our relationship with India is different from that with China. What you have to look at is our relationship vis-a-vis India and not get too worried about how we are doing with China, or the UK, or anyone else. As far as we are concerned, the Sri Lankan and Indian governments do understand what's happening and we are moving closely. So if there is some uneasiness, it is the Indian media that report from their point of view. There is nothing I can do about it. We have our good defence relationships, we have our economic relationships. we are looking at a number of projects. We are looking at how India can participate in Sri Lanka's effort to develop the Trincomalee harbour together with Japan. It's being planned out by (Singapore- based company) Surbana Jarong, which is also doing Amravati in India. We are both committed to seeing the success of the Bay of Bengal as an economic area - there's a lot of potential there in the next ten years. We are working with each other on an economic and technical cooperation agreement, one that will also lay the basis for a closer relationship between Sri Lanka and the economies of the five southern Indian states which should be at least worth 500 billion US dollars. And if we all work together, that can grow to nearly a trillion US dollars. On the security side, there is very close sharing of information. There are a lot of informal contacts between your ministers and our ministers, your officials and ours. I think this has been one of the good periods of the relationship between India and Sri Lanka. PRS: Your bilateral relationship with Beijing is your sovereign prerogative, of course. And yet, that relationship is skewered heavily in favour of China. You owe China 8 billion US dollars, i.e. a 12th of your overall overseas debt of over 60 billion dollars. Surely China's not offering you a mere hand of friendship? Surely it's more like an iron fist in a velvet glove? RW: I don't know why you are so worried about China. No one has offered us an iron fist, with or without a velvet glove. The bulk of the Chinese loans have been on infrastructure projects. When we were in the opposition, we argued whether some of those projects were the best options. But you have to remember that after the global financial crisis of 2007, China was one of the major players to assist a large number of countries with infrastructure development. It also helped the Chinese themselves. They send their work force out, they even send foodstuff. So I don't think you should take Sri Lanka as an exception. Many countries received assistance from China. Now there is the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in place. In fact and if at all, it is Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) who really have a special friendship, not Sri Lanka and China. Some people feel that the BRICS are trying to dominate other developing economies.So there are various views. Sri Lanka doesn't cooperate with China or Brazil even on global economy. But yes, we have taken a large number of loans from China but also from others. To repay those commercial loans is a concern.Therefore, we are now inviting foreign investment to our country. PRS: In your southeastern port of Hambantota, you have offered Chinese companies equity in exchange for some of that debt, even land for a Free Trade Zone.The nearby Mattala airport, too, is being run by Chinese companies. In Colombo, you delayed the Port City Project to assure India. After all, 80 per cent of transshipments from India transit Colombo. But the Project has been recommenced and is firmly in China's hands. Surely China's 'String of Pearls' is beginning to choke Sri Lanka? RW: Mattala airport is run by the Sri Lanka Airports Authority (SLAA). But we thought we would call for anyone interested in running the airport jointly with the SLAA. Sri Lanka has been the hub of the Indian Ocean and even from time immemorial, Chinese ships have come to Sri Lanka on the Silk Route. Hambantota port was built with Chinese assistance. There is also an agreement that our former President Mahinda Rajapaksa initialed with a Chinese company to further develop and run operations there. All our government has done is to say that we are unable to pay the debts of the Hambantota port and will therefore be unable to proceed with it. Or, that we will have to offer it to anyone who is willing to take it up. We discussed this with the Chinese and finally persuaded their government for a debt-to-equity transfer. Some Chinese companies applied. We took the best and have got the Chinese to agree to go up to 1.5 billion US dollars to pay for their share of the Joint Venture (JV). We have 20 per cent for the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). We could take that up to 40 per cent, even 45 per cent So if anyone else in Sri Lanka wants to invest in Hambantota, we will give them the freedom to do so. But it's a JV and the JV area of the land is leased out. It will come back to us when the lease is over.The military and security aspects of the Hambantota port are in the hands of the Sri Lankan Navy. Last week, your naval authorities and ours had a discussion on this matter. We have a large amount of land in Hambantota. And we have a port. But that port must have a load to carry. which means there must be industries.The land will be invested in and leased out to any industrial estate operator. The Chinese have indicated interest in taking some of the land themselves. But just outside that area, there is another very good block of land - closer to Galle than Hambantota It is fully developed. We want to work on that together with the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation.Then, there's more land in our north-western province. We are talking to Surbana Jarong on building an industrial estate there. Even Thais have come and looked at it. So Sri Lanka is like any other country! Industrial land is held by the government and any interested investor can lease it to run their industrial estate. We like it because that means bringing in investor to the country. Even India is discussing an industrial estate in Sri Lanka. PRS: Is that an open invitation also to India to invest in Hambantota? RW: Well, Indian ships can come to Hambantota, there is no problem at all. And we are already working with india. As I told you, we are developing Trincomalee port and we'd like India to participate and take a project or two there. We would also like Japan to do so. PRS: . Chinese military submarines have docked in Sri Lanka and caused annoyance to India. Mr Wickremesinghe, can you put on record through this interview to WION an assurance for India, that there will be no element of Chinese military presence in Sri Lanka's sovereign territory, at least during the remaining two years of your tenure in office ? RW: Chinese military submarines have been coming to Sri Lanka regularly. There is only one instance which became an issue. That was under former President Rajapaksa. Chinese submarines came here and the Indian government claimed - and I think - they were not informed. Actually, it was more troublesome for us because the Chinese submarines came just when Japan's prime minister was visiting Colombo! After we formed the government, we asked the Chinese why they sent them, considering they always followed protocol? They told us that they had indeed informed the government of Sri Lanka of the time. As far as China is concerned and just like any other country, their people will come to Sri Lanka and visit us at times agreed to by the Sri Lankan authorities and at times convenient to us. But there is no defence relationship with China. PRS: But of course Sri Lanka had a defence relationship with China, towards the end of the 30-year long civil war against the separatist terror group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). China provided a lot of military equipment and helped Sri Lanka defeat the Tigers. So are you really saying that there will continue to be occasional visits by the Chinese, but that the Indian government will be kept informed? RW: Actually, New Delhi is aware that there will be visits by the Chinese and other countries and that normal practices will be followed in all cases. PRS: In your address to a recent counter-terrorism conference, you said that the greatest "challenge" to the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) comes from "non-state-actors". Whom do you mean in Sri Lanka's case? RW: We had non-state actors. we had the LTTE's 'Sea Tigers.' Even the latest Australian defence studies say that non-state actors are going to be the biggest issue. It's already happening off the waters of Somalia. And it can keep increasing because the shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean are the most vital economic waterways of the world. PRS: But the "Sea Tigers" are a thing of the past... RW: Sure, but pirates are now using new technology. Look at the attack on the Saudi ship off the coast of Yemen. It was completely new technology. It was probably an automated boat run by robotics. So the Sea Tigers may have disappeared, but the Somali pirates are there. Piracy is becoming much easier. And the most vulnerable in this region are the high seas. PRS: Sri Lanka has 21.2 million Muslim citizens. After Hindus, they are your country's second largest minority. Your justice minister recently told your parliament that 31 "elite Muslims" from Sri Lanka have joined the Islamic State (IS). There is growing radicalization in the Maldives. And at least by the time Osama Bin Laden was located and killed in Pakistan, it should be clear to all that that country is the 'epicentre of terrorism". India, most of all, is a victim of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. But Pakistan, too, is Sri Lanka's close ally and supplied weapons to help you defeat the LTTE. You met Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif recently. Surely you expressed your concern over that country hosting globally banned Islamist terror groups like the Lashkar-i-Tayyaba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)? RW: I met Mr Sharif only for a very short time on the periphery of a conference in Davos. As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, the vast majority of our Muslims work together with other Sri Lankans. Yes, there were those who went to IS in Syria. Some have been killed. We have traced the others and are speaking to their families. we are speaking with their families. The latest message we are receiving from those men is that they are trapped and there is a lot of pressure on them as Iraqi, Syrian and other forces advance. PRS: The Indo-Sri Lanka accord of 1987 still seems relevant to New Delhi, at least on two counts. The first is on the promise of maximum autonomy for Sri Lankan Tamils in - and a merger of - your Northern and Eastern Provinces. The 13th amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution to bring that about was co-authored by India. But your own Tamils say that very little progress has been made to implement that amendment, even by your government. Millions of Sinhalese Sri Lankans in the southern part of your country are staunchly opposed to it. Is this 30-year-old amendment now itself outdated and in need an amendment? RW: Not really. We have a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution. At the moment, there is a steering committee, we are discussing devolution. But may I tell you, every provincial council in Sri Lanka wants more power. At the moment, the division seems to be more between Colombo's parliament and all our provincial councils! It's not just a Tamil-vs Sinhalese issue, it's a centre-vs periphery issue. But we have to be realistic as to what can be given so we are discussing it. We are a democratic country. PRS: But is New Delhi also being flexible about the 13th Amendment? RW: Yes, there has always been flexibility. We appreciate that. PRS: The other aspect of the Accord relevant to India is the right an appendix grants New Delhi to develop Trincomalee port and a free trade zone there. But you say you have already awarded that development to the Singapore-based company, Surbana Jarong. Further, there is discord over 31 oil tanks that were leased out to the Indian Oil Corporation through another bilateral agreement signed in 2003. You were PM then yourself. Now, your government is asking for them to be returned. RW: You are all behind times. Trincomalee port is a Sri Lankan port. And in the Indo-Sri Lanka accord, we said we would not do anything prejudicial to the security of India. Surbana Jarong are the town planners in Trincomalee, just like in your Amravati. In fact, AP CM Chandrababu Naidu and I have remarked on how good that company is. So, we can engage whomsoever we want, to plan Trincomalee and we happen to have engaged one that is also planning out in Andhra Pradesh. As far as the Indian Free Trade Zone is concerned, yes. We have said we welcome India. And once India's areas are allocated and they are ready, we would like to have a free trade zone. And maybe India - or some other country - could operate hotels there. Right now, it's a zone in planning - where are the industries going to be located, where the tourism belt, how we are going to dispose of waste, etc. We are also asking the Japanese to be a part of it. Indian Oil Corporation is currently looking at the feasibility of a refinery to be run jointly with the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). We should then be able to also refine petroleum to sell to India and others. Once that decision is taken, we'll know about the oil tanks. But I think remaining issues on the oil tanks have been settled between the two governments. PRS: But Mr Wickremesinghe, you make it sound as though all were hunky-dory between India and Sri Lanka. The Free Trade Agreement, for one, is still stuck over a raft of issues. Primarily it is the fear in minds of Sri Lankans that India's millions will invade the island and take away all your jobs. And yet, that's exactly what seems to be happening through your relationship with China, the world's most populated country. Chinese already enjoy a sprawling presence all over your small island-nation. Sri Lankans working with Chinese companies say they are obliged to learn Chinese and even follow China's, not Sri Lanka's labor laws. Critics in your own country say there is a quasi-colonization of Sri Lanka by China underway. The irony is that China is not even culturally, linguistically, historically and religiously linked to Sri Lanka like India is..... RW: I don't think we have to bring China into all these things. There isn't a sprawling Chinese presence here either - there are more Indians. But certainly, Mode Four is not part of free trade agreements, either with India or with any other country. The usual negotiations are taking place with India. But also with China, Singapore. We just finished talks with the European Union (EU) and will enter the next round. PRS : The opposition faction under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is appalled at your government becoming a co-signatory to a US-sponsored resolution for investigation into alleged human rights violations by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces during the final stages of the civil war. There is widespread confusion among ordinary Sri Lankans on whether the international community will continue to insist - and Colombo will be pushed to relent - over involving foreigners in that investigation. How could Colombo possibly have joined hands with countries, many of whom have themselves sheltered and nurtured the separatist LTTE for several decades? RW: Yes, we co-sponsored resolution 30-10215 and have gained a longer reprieve for two further years to sort out issues. In that resolution, there is provision for us to use expertise from abroad - legal opinion, judges, etc. - wherever we think it necessary. But like in India, foreign judges cannot sit on a bench in Sri Lanka. And on policy matters and like all South Asian countries including India, Sri Lanka will not join the International Criminal Court in Rome. PRS: First, the encounter with an LTTE operative 'Gobi' and his men and the subsequent unearthing of caches of weapons in the Northern Province some years ago. And more recently, the plot to assassinate your moderate Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader, Mr M A Sumanthiran. Is the LTTE on the rise in Sri Lanka again? Or and like you often accused your predecessor government of doing, are these merely 'engineered' rumours to justify the continued presence of the armed forces in the former war zones even eight years after the war ended? RW: The LTTE has been wiped out. There may be some small groups being used by others. And the numbers of the army in the North are being reduced gradually. PRS: Former LTTE rebel Karuna has founded a "Tamil Freedom Party" in Batticaloa, while another former Tiger has just started a 'Rehabilitated Liberation Tigers Party" in Trincomalee. After 30 years of a debilitating war against the separatist LTTE in which more than 120,000 people were killed, how can the election commission of sovereign and united Sri Lanka possibly register party names containing words like 'Tamil Freedom' and "Liberation Tigers' all over again? RW: That has been questioned by some people but finally it's up to the election commission. There are no words that are banned, as such. At one stage, the LTTE was a prohibited name though.... PRS: You have you have pointed out the strategic importance of Sri Lanka's location in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) But many countries like Japan, India and the United States conduct routine joint naval exercises here. One just concluded in Hambantota. But all three countries I mention have territorial and other disputes with China, which is sprawling in the IOR and whose One-Belt-One-Road initiative Sri Lanka is part of. From your long years of political experience, what do you see in the region in future? Cooperation ? Or confrontation? RW: I think there will be cooperation. PRS: between all countries? RW: Between all countries. PRS: Including India and China? RW: Yes! There is already cooperation between India and China. PRS: Mr Prime Minister, a very last question. What is your personal equation with India's PM, Narendra Modi? RW: I have known him for a long time. In fact, I've kept in touch with him since his days as Chief Minister of Gujarat, when no one thought he would be the prime ministerial candidate. We continue that acquaintance and friendship. (WION)

WION Global Leadership Series: Ties with China not at India's expense, says Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe

Normal life was disrupted in Indian Kashmir on Sunday due to a shutdown called by separatists against Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s visit.

Modi is scheduled to inaugurate Asia&#39;s longest bi-directional tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on Sunday. He will also address a public rally in Udhampur district.

Shops remained shut and normally busy streets bore a deserted look in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, ahead of Modi&#39;s visit in one of the world&#39;s most militarised regions.

Armed security personnel lined the streets and maintained strict vigil to prevent any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, security has also been beefed up around the tunnel with armed security personnel keeping an eye out for any suspicious movements. Intelligence agencies have been roped in to provide round the clock updates about the movement of inimical elements in the area.

Reportedly, troops along the international border and the line of control have also been put on high alert to check any infiltration.

The 9.2-kilometer-long Chenani-Nashri tunnel will be the only all-weather surface route connecting Kashmir to the rest of India.

It is likely to reduce travel time between the two state capitals of Jammu and Srinagar by two-and-a-half hours.

Built at a cost of over rupees 20 billion (over USD 308 million) and over a period of five years, the tunnel is equipped with security features, including advance scanners to ward off any security threats.

(Reuters)

Modi is scheduled to inaugurate Asia's longest bi-directional tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway

Normal life was disrupted in Indian Kashmir on Sunday due to a shutdown called by separatists against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. Modi is scheduled to inaugurate Asia's longest bi-directional tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on Sunday. He will also address a public rally in Udhampur district. Shops remained shut and normally busy streets bore a deserted look in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, ahead of Modi's visit in one of the world's most militarised regions. Armed security personnel lined the streets and maintained strict vigil to prevent any untoward incident. Meanwhile, security has also been beefed up around the tunnel with armed security personnel keeping an eye out for any suspicious movements. Intelligence agencies have been roped in to provide round the clock updates about the movement of inimical elements in the area. Reportedly, troops along the international border and the line of control have also been put on high alert to check any infiltration. The 9.2-kilometer-long Chenani-Nashri tunnel will be the only all-weather surface route connecting Kashmir to the rest of India. It is likely to reduce travel time between the two state capitals of Jammu and Srinagar by two-and-a-half hours. Built at a cost of over rupees 20 billion (over USD 308 million) and over a period of five years, the tunnel is equipped with security features, including advance scanners to ward off any security threats. (Reuters)

India: Shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir against PM Modi's visit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi &nbsp;inaugurated India&#39;s longest road tunnel connecting the Kashmir Valley with Jammu on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on Sunday afternoon.

The 10.9 km-long Chenani-Nashri tunnel&nbsp;will reduce distance between the two places&nbsp;by 31 km.&nbsp; 
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a> live from J&amp;K: PM Narendra Modi takes a view of the Chenani-Nashri tunnel <a href="https://t.co/JWXgDREe5t">https://t.co/JWXgDREe5t</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/848484391328202753">April 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Chenani-Nashri Tunnel - An Engineering marvel<a href="https://t.co/4PFTpc0lwR">https://t.co/4PFTpc0lwR</a>
&mdash; Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) <a href="https://twitter.com/nitin_gadkari/status/848530257925652481">April 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Chenani-Nashri Tunnel will have a transformative impact on Jammu &amp; Kashmir&rsquo;s progress. The tunnel is truly world class. <a href="https://t.co/JxCPl8QIdC">pic.twitter.com/JxCPl8QIdC</a>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/848535294676795392">April 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The tunnel, which bypasses the snow-bound upper reaches of the Valley, will reduce the journey time between Jammu and Srinagar by two hours and provide a safe, all-weather route to commuters travelling from Jammu and Udhampur to Ramban, Banihal and Srinagar.

The prime minister drew a contrast between &quot;misguided&quot;&nbsp;stone-pelters who have been clashing with security forces and &quot;the youth of Kashmir who are using the same stones to build infrastructure&quot;.&nbsp;He praised the &quot;2,500 youth of Jammu and Kashmir who&nbsp;have toiled hard to make this tunnel a reality&quot;.

&quot;On one hand, some misguided youth pelt stones in Kashmir, on the other hand, the same stones are carved by other youth to build infrastructure,&quot; PM Modi said&nbsp;while addressing a rally in&nbsp;Udhampur&#39;s Battal Balian. 
 
&quot;The path of terrorism has neither helped anyone or never will,&quot; he said.

Measures have been taken to safeguard the Himayalas and the environment, the prime minister assured.

He said the tunnel would &quot;change the fortunes of the Valley&#39;s farmers&quot;, since their produce will not rot due to road closures.

The prime minister arrived in a special plane at the airfield at Udhampur, where the headquarters of the army&#39;s Northern Command are located. He flew in an army helicopter to Chenani where he inaugurated the tunnel&nbsp;that connects the Udhampur and Ramban districts on the highway.

The tunnel will save fuel worth nearly Rs 99 crores a year. &quot;Rs. 27 lakh worth of fuel is likely to be saved per day,&quot; the Prime Minister&#39;s Office said earlier.

The PMO added that&nbsp;the tunnel &quot;is an alternative all weather route&quot;.

&quot;It is an alternative to the highway which often closes at the time of snow and rains. It will boost trade and increase revenue in the state. It will also help boost tourism,&quot; the PMO said. 
 
It is equipped with world-class security systems, and is expected to boost tourism and economic activities in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, senior ministers of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta, Council Chairman Haji Inayat Ali and top army, police and civil administration officials welcomed PM Modi when he arrived in Udhampur.

The Chenani-Nashri tunnel is India&#39;s first and the world&#39;s sixth tunnel to have a&nbsp;transverse ventilation system, which provides fresh air to passengers. 
 
In such long tunnels, ventilation systems are essential to maintain clean air, permissible carbon dioxide levels and expel harmful vehicle emissions.

The tunnel, constructed at a cost of Rs. 2,519 crore, will ensure a safe and swift passage for commuters, even in adverse weather conditions.&nbsp;

The Chenani-Nashri tunnel is among the longest highway tunnels in Asia. The tunnel, at an altitude of 1,200 meters, is a part of National Highway Authority of India&#39;s (NHAI&#39;s) project between Jammu and Srinagar, along the National Highway 44.

The key features of the tunnel are that it is a single-tube bi-directional tunnel, with a 9.35-metre carriageway, and a vertical clearance of 5 metres.

There is also a parallel escape tunnel, with &#39;Cross Passages&#39; connecting to the main tunnel at intervals of 300 metres.

It also has smart features such as an Integrated Traffic Control System; Surveillance, Ventilation and Broadcast Systems; Fire Fighting System; and SOS call-boxes at every 150 metres.

Technologically, this is one of the most advanced road tunnels built in the country, surmounting challenges of terrain and distance, Sanjeev Sharma, Managing Director, ABB India, which has built the ventilation system&nbsp;said. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

The Chenani-Nashri tunnel will reduce the distance between the two places from the existing 41 kms to 10.9 kms

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India's longest road tunnel connecting the Kashmir Valley with Jammu on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on Sunday afternoon. The 10.9 km-long Chenani-Nashri tunnel will reduce distance between the two places by 31 km. #WATCH live from J&K: PM Narendra Modi takes a view of the Chenani-Nashri tunnel https://t.co/JWXgDREe5t — ANI (@ANI_news) April 2, 2017 × Chenani-Nashri Tunnel - An Engineering marvelhttps://t.co/4PFTpc0lwR — Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) April 2, 2017 × The Chenani-Nashri Tunnel will have a transformative impact on Jammu & Kashmir’s progress. The tunnel is truly world class. pic.twitter.com/JxCPl8QIdC — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 2, 2017 × The tunnel, which bypasses the snow-bound upper reaches of the Valley, will reduce the journey time between Jammu and Srinagar by two hours and provide a safe, all-weather route to commuters travelling from Jammu and Udhampur to Ramban, Banihal and Srinagar. The prime minister drew a contrast between "misguided" stone-pelters who have been clashing with security forces and "the youth of Kashmir who are using the same stones to build infrastructure". He praised the "2,500 youth of Jammu and Kashmir who have toiled hard to make this tunnel a reality". "On one hand, some misguided youth pelt stones in Kashmir, on the other hand, the same stones are carved by other youth to build infrastructure," PM Modi said while addressing a rally in Udhampur's Battal Balian. "The path of terrorism has neither helped anyone or never will," he said. Measures have been taken to safeguard the Himayalas and the environment, the prime minister assured. He said the tunnel would "change the fortunes of the Valley's farmers", since their produce will not rot due to road closures. The prime minister arrived in a special plane at the airfield at Udhampur, where the headquarters of the army's Northern Command are located. He flew in an army helicopter to Chenani where he inaugurated the tunnel that connects the Udhampur and Ramban districts on the highway. The tunnel will save fuel worth nearly Rs 99 crores a year. "Rs. 27 lakh worth of fuel is likely to be saved per day," the Prime Minister's Office said earlier. The PMO added that the tunnel "is an alternative all weather route". "It is an alternative to the highway which often closes at the time of snow and rains. It will boost trade and increase revenue in the state. It will also help boost tourism," the PMO said. It is equipped with world-class security systems, and is expected to boost tourism and economic activities in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, senior ministers of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta, Council Chairman Haji Inayat Ali and top army, police and civil administration officials welcomed PM Modi when he arrived in Udhampur. The Chenani-Nashri tunnel is India's first and the world's sixth tunnel to have a transverse ventilation system, which provides fresh air to passengers. In such long tunnels, ventilation systems are essential to maintain clean air, permissible carbon dioxide levels and expel harmful vehicle emissions. The tunnel, constructed at a cost of Rs. 2,519 crore, will ensure a safe and swift passage for commuters, even in adverse weather conditions. The Chenani-Nashri tunnel is among the longest highway tunnels in Asia. The tunnel, at an altitude of 1,200 meters, is a part of National Highway Authority of India's (NHAI's) project between Jammu and Srinagar, along the National Highway 44. The key features of the tunnel are that it is a single-tube bi-directional tunnel, with a 9.35-metre carriageway, and a vertical clearance of 5 metres. There is also a parallel escape tunnel, with 'Cross Passages' connecting to the main tunnel at intervals of 300 metres. It also has smart features such as an Integrated Traffic Control System; Surveillance, Ventilation and Broadcast Systems; Fire Fighting System; and SOS call-boxes at every 150 metres. Technologically, this is one of the most advanced road tunnels built in the country, surmounting challenges of terrain and distance, Sanjeev Sharma, Managing Director, ABB India, which has built the ventilation system said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Some youth pelt stones, others build infrastructure: PM Modi says as he inaugurates India's longest road tunnel in J&K

Samajwadi Party, the ruling party of India&#39;s most critical state Uttar Pradesh between 2012 and 2017, has plunged into another bout of family recrimination, just days after the political organisation suffered a debilitating loss in the recently-concluded elections.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, the party patriarch, agreed with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s assessment of his son Akhilesh Yadav being disloyal.

Speaking at a function in their family bastion of Mainpuri -- about 350 kilometres from New Delhi -- Mulayam echoed one of Modi&#39;s speech about his son: &quot;Yeh sahi hai jo apne baap ka nahin woh kisi ka nahi ho sakta&nbsp;(It is true that a son who can&#39;t be loyal to his father can&#39;t be loyal to his people).&quot;

Modi, during the frenzied political campaign in Uttar Pradesh, had blamed Akhilesh -- the chief minister of India&#39;s northern state then -- for insulting his father by going against him.

Mulayam also accused his son of &quot;humiliating and betraying him&quot;.

&quot;While the people of UP voted for me in 2012, I chose Akhilesh to be the next chief minister, but he humiliated him thereafter,&quot; The Times of India quoted Mulayam as saying.

Mulayam&#39;s outburst comes after Samajwadi Party won a meagre 47 of the 403 Assembly seats in the 2017 elections.

The three-time chief minister of the state also lashed out at Akhilesh&#39;s decision to join hands with the Congress before the polls, especially because the party had launched &quot;murderous attacks&quot; against him in the past.

The father-son feud has been a protracted affair, stretching back to last year -- a bitter fight that clearly hampered the party&#39;s preparation for the elections.

(WION)

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The Samajwadi Party patriarch agreed with PM Narendra Modi that his son was not trustworthy

Samajwadi Party, the ruling party of India's most critical state Uttar Pradesh between 2012 and 2017, has plunged into another bout of family recrimination, just days after the political organisation suffered a debilitating loss in the recently-concluded elections. Mulayam Singh Yadav, the party patriarch, agreed with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assessment of his son Akhilesh Yadav being disloyal. Speaking at a function in their family bastion of Mainpuri -- about 350 kilometres from New Delhi -- Mulayam echoed one of Modi's speech about his son: "Yeh sahi hai jo apne baap ka nahin woh kisi ka nahi ho sakta (It is true that a son who can't be loyal to his father can't be loyal to his people)." Modi, during the frenzied political campaign in Uttar Pradesh, had blamed Akhilesh -- the chief minister of India's northern state then -- for insulting his father by going against him. Mulayam also accused his son of "humiliating and betraying him". "While the people of UP voted for me in 2012, I chose Akhilesh to be the next chief minister, but he humiliated him thereafter," The Times of India quoted Mulayam as saying. Mulayam's outburst comes after Samajwadi Party won a meagre 47 of the 403 Assembly seats in the 2017 elections. The three-time chief minister of the state also lashed out at Akhilesh's decision to join hands with the Congress before the polls, especially because the party had launched "murderous attacks" against him in the past. The father-son feud has been a protracted affair, stretching back to last year -- a bitter fight that clearly hampered the party's preparation for the elections. (WION)

Mulayam lashes out at Akhilesh to deepen SP fissures

India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the youngsters of India to maximise the use of technology in the country in an event dubbed by the Indian government as the largest hackathon event in the world.

Speaking at Smart India Hackathon via a video conference, the prime minister also invigorated the youngsters to join hands to solve the myriad problems plaguing the country.

&quot;Together we will solve all the issues that are affecting the nation,&quot; Modi said during the Saturday address to around 10,000 students, especially engineering pupils, across 26 locations in the city.

The 10,000-odd programmers will sit through 36 hours, which started from 8am local time on April 1, to find digital solutions to solve 598 social problems identified by 29 government departments.

The programmers will come up with software&nbsp;or mobile apps to find a solution to the social problems highlighted by the various government departments.&nbsp;

The initiative was taken by the Indian government to push Modi&#39;s Digital India initiative.

Speaking at the event, Modi warned innovators of hitting stumbling blocks while trying to find&nbsp;solutions, but urged them to &quot;not let those setbacks lower your morale&quot;.

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When you are innovating u may face setbacks but do not let those setbacks lower your morale,dampen your spirits: PM <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SmartIndiaHackathon2017?src=hash">#SmartIndiaHackathon2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/vDQivl1Mmu">pic.twitter.com/vDQivl1Mmu</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/848214625816653824">April 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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He also lauded youngsters for being job creators instead of working for others.

(WION)&nbsp;

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About 10,000 programmers will sit for 36 hours to find digital solutions to solve 598 social problems menacing India

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the youngsters of India to maximise the use of technology in the country in an event dubbed by the Indian government as the largest hackathon event in the world. Speaking at Smart India Hackathon via a video conference, the prime minister also invigorated the youngsters to join hands to solve the myriad problems plaguing the country. "Together we will solve all the issues that are affecting the nation," Modi said during the Saturday address to around 10,000 students, especially engineering pupils, across 26 locations in the city. The 10,000-odd programmers will sit through 36 hours, which started from 8am local time on April 1, to find digital solutions to solve 598 social problems identified by 29 government departments. The programmers will come up with software or mobile apps to find a solution to the social problems highlighted by the various government departments. The initiative was taken by the Indian government to push Modi's Digital India initiative. Speaking at the event, Modi warned innovators of hitting stumbling blocks while trying to find solutions, but urged them to "not let those setbacks lower your morale". When you are innovating u may face setbacks but do not let those setbacks lower your morale,dampen your spirits: PM #SmartIndiaHackathon2017 pic.twitter.com/vDQivl1Mmu — ANI (@ANI_news) April 1, 2017 × He also lauded youngsters for being job creators instead of working for others. (WION)

PM Modi lauds India's youth in hackathon event

Naxals in Odisha attacked the Doikallu railway station in Rayagada district&nbsp;in early morning hours of Friday.

More than 30 naxals attacked the railway station and caused two explosions protesting Prime Minister&#39;s Narendra Modi visit to the state on April 15, ANI reported.

The naxals caused two explosions and fled with two walkie-talkie sets.

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Odisha: More than 30 naxals attacked Doikallu Rly Station in early morning hours and caused two explosions, fled with two walkie-talkie sets <a href="https://t.co/2hJKx6DySA">pic.twitter.com/2hJKx6DySA</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/847652880148381697">March 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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They also put up posters protesting Prime Minister Modi&#39;s upcoming visit to the state.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash">#UPDATE</a> More than 30 naxals attacked Doikallu Rly Station causing 2 explosions &amp; left posters protesting PM Modi&#39;s upcoming visit to Odisha. <a href="https://t.co/1qWCrrYJSU">pic.twitter.com/1qWCrrYJSU</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/847654693840998401">March 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Bhartiya Janata Party will hold a two-day national executive meet in Odisha&#39;s capital from April 15. The meeting will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah, senior leaders LK Advani among others.

(WION with inputs from ANI)

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More than 30 Naxals attacked the railway station and fled with walkie-talkie sets

Naxals in Odisha attacked the Doikallu railway station in Rayagada district in early morning hours of Friday. More than 30 naxals attacked the railway station and caused two explosions protesting Prime Minister's Narendra Modi visit to the state on April 15, ANI reported. The naxals caused two explosions and fled with two walkie-talkie sets. Odisha: More than 30 naxals attacked Doikallu Rly Station in early morning hours and caused two explosions, fled with two walkie-talkie sets pic.twitter.com/2hJKx6DySA — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2017 × They also put up posters protesting Prime Minister Modi's upcoming visit to the state. #UPDATE More than 30 naxals attacked Doikallu Rly Station causing 2 explosions & left posters protesting PM Modi's upcoming visit to Odisha. pic.twitter.com/1qWCrrYJSU — ANI (@ANI_news) March 31, 2017 × Bhartiya Janata Party will hold a two-day national executive meet in Odisha's capital from April 15. The meeting will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah, senior leaders LK Advani among others. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Naxals attack Odisha railway station, set off two explosions

India&#39;s chief economic adviser rejected the notion that official data was politically influenced as &quot;utter nonsense&quot;, after surprisingly strong growth in the wake of a government ban on high denomination bank notes caused raised eyebrows among independent analysts.

Speaking to an investment forum in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Arvind Subramanian said India was seeking to improve its methodology, and its data should not draw the same scepticism with which some analysts treat China&#39;s economic data.

&quot;Let me say this categorically to all the investors and I am not batting on behalf of the government here,&quot; he told the annual Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong.

Many analysts were surprised that a slowdown in growth during the December quarter was not as bad as they had expected following Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s decision in November to outlaw 500 and 1,000 rupee banknotes in a radical move against tax avoidance and corruption in the cash-reliant economy.

The decision sucked 86 per cent of cash out of circulation, and everyone from street hawkers to big consumer goods firms suffered a slump in sales.

With data on commercial vehicle output, rail freight, service tax receipts and home appliance sales showing slowing growth or contraction, economic expansion in the quarter to December was forecast by economists at 6.4 per cent.

Instead, the official data showed the economy grew 7.0 per cent, enough for India to retain the title of the world&#39;s fastest growing major economy even though it was slower than the 7.4 per cent growth posed for the September quarter.

Getting economic growth up to 8-10 per cent is essential for job generation in India, Subramanian said, adding that boosting private sector investment remains a challenge.

He told the investor conference that there was a need for more direct investment in the manufacturing sector.

New Delhi&#39;s GDP data has been questioned since a change in methodology in 2015 transformed India into the world&#39;s fastest-growing major economy.

The government defended the overhaul, which occurred less than a year after Modi swept to power, citing an improved database covering hundreds of thousands of firms.

Data reporting has long been a challenge in an economy where the informal sector accounts for 40 per cent of output and employs nine in 10 workers.

The IMF expects India to remain one of the fastest growing emerging market economies, forecasting 6.6 per cent growth in the fiscal year ending on March 31, and 7.2 per cent for the coming fiscal year.

(Reuters)

Many analysts were surprised that a slowdown in growth during the December quarter was not as bad as expected following demonetisation

India's chief economic adviser rejected the notion that official data was politically influenced as "utter nonsense", after surprisingly strong growth in the wake of a government ban on high denomination bank notes caused raised eyebrows among independent analysts. Speaking to an investment forum in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Arvind Subramanian said India was seeking to improve its methodology, and its data should not draw the same scepticism with which some analysts treat China's economic data. "Let me say this categorically to all the investors and I am not batting on behalf of the government here," he told the annual Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong. Many analysts were surprised that a slowdown in growth during the December quarter was not as bad as they had expected following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision in November to outlaw 500 and 1,000 rupee banknotes in a radical move against tax avoidance and corruption in the cash-reliant economy. The decision sucked 86 per cent of cash out of circulation, and everyone from street hawkers to big consumer goods firms suffered a slump in sales. With data on commercial vehicle output, rail freight, service tax receipts and home appliance sales showing slowing growth or contraction, economic expansion in the quarter to December was forecast by economists at 6.4 per cent. Instead, the official data showed the economy grew 7.0 per cent, enough for India to retain the title of the world's fastest growing major economy even though it was slower than the 7.4 per cent growth posed for the September quarter. Getting economic growth up to 8-10 per cent is essential for job generation in India, Subramanian said, adding that boosting private sector investment remains a challenge. He told the investor conference that there was a need for more direct investment in the manufacturing sector. New Delhi's GDP data has been questioned since a change in methodology in 2015 transformed India into the world's fastest-growing major economy. The government defended the overhaul, which occurred less than a year after Modi swept to power, citing an improved database covering hundreds of thousands of firms. Data reporting has long been a challenge in an economy where the informal sector accounts for 40 per cent of output and employs nine in 10 workers. The IMF expects India to remain one of the fastest growing emerging market economies, forecasting 6.6 per cent growth in the fiscal year ending on March 31, and 7.2 per cent for the coming fiscal year. (Reuters)

India's economic data not politically influenced: Chief economic adviser

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and said he looked forward to playing host to a visit by Modi to Washington later this year.

The White House said Trump spoke with Modi to congratulate him on the outcome of recent state-level elections. Trump expressed support for Modi&#39;s economic reform agenda.

&quot;President Trump also said he looks forward to hosting Prime Minister Modi in Washington later this year,&quot; the White House said in a statement. No date for the visit was mentioned.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

Trump invited Modi when he called to congratulate him on the BJP's recent state election wins

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and said he looked forward to playing host to a visit by Modi to Washington later this year. The White House said Trump spoke with Modi to congratulate him on the outcome of recent state-level elections. Trump expressed support for Modi's economic reform agenda. "President Trump also said he looks forward to hosting Prime Minister Modi in Washington later this year," the White House said in a statement. No date for the visit was mentioned. (Reuters)

Trump invites Modi to Washington this year, date not fixed yet

US President Donald Trump called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evening to congratulate him on his recent state election victories, White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters.

Trump also congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her party&rsquo;s victory in a provincial election, the White House said.

&quot;The president spoke with German Chancellor Merkel and Indian Prime Minister Modi earlier today to congratulate them on their parties&#39; success in recent elections,&quot; Spicer said.

Modi&rsquo;s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in four Indian states: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. Elections were held in five states.

It, however, lost Punjab to main rival Congress in the results announced on March 11.

This is the second time Trump has called Modi since he took office in January this year.&nbsp;

Previously, Modi and Trump talked by phone on January 24, when they had resolved to stand &quot;shoulder-to-shoulder&quot; in the global fight against terrorism and for defence and security.

The BJP bagged the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections winning 312 seats of the state assembly&#39;s 403 seats.&nbsp;

The BJP returned to power in the politically-crucial state of UP after a gap of 15 years.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The White House said Trump also called German chancellor Angela Merkel

US President Donald Trump called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday evening to congratulate him on his recent state election victories, White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters. Trump also congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her party’s victory in a provincial election, the White House said. "The president spoke with German Chancellor Merkel and Indian Prime Minister Modi earlier today to congratulate them on their parties' success in recent elections," Spicer said. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in four Indian states: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. Elections were held in five states. It, however, lost Punjab to main rival Congress in the results announced on March 11. This is the second time Trump has called Modi since he took office in January this year. Previously, Modi and Trump talked by phone on January 24, when they had resolved to stand "shoulder-to-shoulder" in the global fight against terrorism and for defence and security. The BJP bagged the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections winning 312 seats of the state assembly's 403 seats. The BJP returned to power in the politically-crucial state of UP after a gap of 15 years. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Trump calls Modi, congratulates him on UP & other wins

One person was killed and about 14 injured when violence erupted following a scuffle between Muslim and Hindu school students in Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s home state of Gujarat, a senior administrative official said on Sunday.

A crowd of about 5,000 people attacked Muslim residents and set dozens of homes and vehicles on fire at Vadavali village in Patan district on Saturday after Hindu students complained of misbehaviour by Muslim students, said K. K. Nirala, the district&#39;s top administrative official.

Members of the Muslim community retaliated by throwing stones and police used teargas and fired seven rounds to disperse the crowd and control the violence, Nirala said.

Gujarat has a history of serious communal trouble.

Rioters killed about 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, in the state 2002, according to estimates.

Modi was chief minister at the time and he was accused of turning a blind eye to one of the worst outbreaks of religious violence in independent India.

Modi denied any involvement in the unrest and in 2013 a panel appointed by the Supreme Court said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him.

Nirala said the situation had been brought under control and three companies of the State Reserve Police have been asked to stay in the village to maintain peace.

(Reuters)

A crowd of about 5,000 people attacked Muslim residents and set dozens of homes and vehicles on fire in western India

One person was killed and about 14 injured when violence erupted following a scuffle between Muslim and Hindu school students in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat, a senior administrative official said on Sunday. A crowd of about 5,000 people attacked Muslim residents and set dozens of homes and vehicles on fire at Vadavali village in Patan district on Saturday after Hindu students complained of misbehaviour by Muslim students, said K. K. Nirala, the district's top administrative official. Members of the Muslim community retaliated by throwing stones and police used teargas and fired seven rounds to disperse the crowd and control the violence, Nirala said. Gujarat has a history of serious communal trouble. Rioters killed about 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, in the state 2002, according to estimates. Modi was chief minister at the time and he was accused of turning a blind eye to one of the worst outbreaks of religious violence in independent India. Modi denied any involvement in the unrest and in 2013 a panel appointed by the Supreme Court said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him. Nirala said the situation had been brought under control and three companies of the State Reserve Police have been asked to stay in the village to maintain peace. (Reuters)

Communal clash leaves one dead, 14 hurt in PM Modi's home state

Taking the campaign against black money forward, the Prime Minister today urged Indians to support the movement towards digital payment and to use less cash in their daily lives.

&ldquo;My dear countrymen, we must take our fight against black money and corruption to the next level. .... We should contribute towards ensuring reducing the use of cash, of currency notes,&rdquo; the Prime Minister said.

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Fight against <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/blackmoney?src=hash">#blackmoney</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/corruption?src=hash">#corruption</a> to continue, says PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi">@narendramodi</a> in radio address. (File pic) <a href="https://t.co/NGWIjiRmSc">pic.twitter.com/NGWIjiRmSc</a>
&mdash; Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) <a href="https://twitter.com/PTI_News/status/845881076027396096">March 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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He was addressing the people in his monthly &quot;Mann ki Baat&quot;.

He spoke about building a &quot;New India&quot;, which he said will become possible if all Indians take a pledge and work towards it.

He said that people should pay school fees, buy medicines or items from fair price shops and buy train or air tickets digitally.

&quot;You can&rsquo;t imagine how you can serve the country in this way and become a brave soldier in the fight against black money and corruption,&rdquo; the Prime Minister said.

He expressed his gratitude towards the people and said that over the last few months they have participated in the digital movement, &quot;digidhan&quot;.

Highlighting the fact that the BHIM App, launched to push digital transactions, has already been downloaded by one and half crore people, the Prime Minister said, &quot;There has also been an increase in curiosity about cashless transactions. The poorest of the poor are making attempts to learn, and people are gradually moving towards doing business without cash. There has been a surge in various modes of digital payment after demonetisation.&rdquo; 
&nbsp; 
He also greeted the people of Bangladesh on their independence day and said that India will always stand with the country in maintaining peace, security and development in the region.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

He urged Indians to adopt digital mode of payment in their daily lives as a measure to tackle black money

Taking the campaign against black money forward, the Prime Minister today urged Indians to support the movement towards digital payment and to use less cash in their daily lives. “My dear countrymen, we must take our fight against black money and corruption to the next level. .... We should contribute towards ensuring reducing the use of cash, of currency notes,” the Prime Minister said. Fight against #blackmoney, #corruption to continue, says PM @narendramodi in radio address. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/NGWIjiRmSc — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 26, 2017 × He was addressing the people in his monthly "Mann ki Baat". He spoke about building a "New India", which he said will become possible if all Indians take a pledge and work towards it. He said that people should pay school fees, buy medicines or items from fair price shops and buy train or air tickets digitally. "You can’t imagine how you can serve the country in this way and become a brave soldier in the fight against black money and corruption,” the Prime Minister said. He expressed his gratitude towards the people and said that over the last few months they have participated in the digital movement, "digidhan". Highlighting the fact that the BHIM App, launched to push digital transactions, has already been downloaded by one and half crore people, the Prime Minister said, "There has also been an increase in curiosity about cashless transactions. The poorest of the poor are making attempts to learn, and people are gradually moving towards doing business without cash. There has been a surge in various modes of digital payment after demonetisation.” He also greeted the people of Bangladesh on their independence day and said that India will always stand with the country in maintaining peace, security and development in the region. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Modi emphasises digital transactions in his monthly 'Mann ki Baat'

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took over the reins of India&#39;s most populous and politically critical state recently, Uttar Pradesh, but one of their first decisions to crack down on young men seen with women in public has produced&nbsp;realms of news reports in the country.

The right-leaning BJP had in its election manifesto vowed to set up a squad to deter men from harassing women amid reports of a spike in molestation cases in India&#39;s northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

But the new government&#39;s decision to empower the unit, known as &quot;anti-Romeo squads&quot;, to put men behind bars has raised the perennial dilemma of moral policing and governance.

Yogi Adityanath, the new head of the state, has been a strong advocate of crackdowns of such nature -- evidenced by the fact that local police arrested about 50 men from his constituency of Gorakhpur, roughly 215 kilometres from India&#39;s capital New Delhi, on Wednesday (March 22).

The drive to protect &quot;women&#39;s self-respect&quot; -- as put by the BJP in its manifesto -- has fanned out across the state, with reports of police questioning, and in some cases incarcerating, men seen with women in public.

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The squads have been formed on the directive of new UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath (Reuters)
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Police escort a boy away from a college in Lucknow. (DNA)
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Police patrol outside a college in Lucknow. (ANI)
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On Tuesday, two men were arrested in the state&#39;s capital city of Lucknow, while reports of questioning people emerged from other small towns such as Meerut and Jhansi.

In some cases, a few boys who had to come to pick up their sisters from colleges were also arrested, DNA reported.

Deccan Chronicle&nbsp;reported that a boy was made to do sit-ups by the police as punishment for sitting with girls in Meerut.

But the BJP says the anti-Romeo squad is keeping a close vigilance on men in public spaces to prevent cases of molestation in the state.

Adityanath has reportedly asked the police to take strict action against those found guilty.

Sources in the police department say the modus operandi of the drive would be on the lines of the infamous Operation Majnu. In 2005, Operation Majnu had empowered police to question any boy&nbsp;seen with a woman on the streets or in parks. The campaign had soured when reports of police thrashing young men came to the fore.

The BJP and its allies recorded a landslide victory in the recently-concluded elections in Uttar Pradesh, winning roughly 80 per cent of the seats in the legislative house.

(WION)

The government says it is trying to curb an 'alarming' rise in eve-teasing incidents

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took over the reins of India's most populous and politically critical state recently, Uttar Pradesh, but one of their first decisions to crack down on young men seen with women in public has produced realms of news reports in the country. The right-leaning BJP had in its election manifesto vowed to set up a squad to deter men from harassing women amid reports of a spike in molestation cases in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh. But the new government's decision to empower the unit, known as "anti-Romeo squads", to put men behind bars has raised the perennial dilemma of moral policing and governance. Yogi Adityanath, the new head of the state, has been a strong advocate of crackdowns of such nature -- evidenced by the fact that local police arrested about 50 men from his constituency of Gorakhpur, roughly 215 kilometres from India's capital New Delhi, on Wednesday (March 22). The drive to protect "women's self-respect" -- as put by the BJP in its manifesto -- has fanned out across the state, with reports of police questioning, and in some cases incarcerating, men seen with women in public. The squads have been formed on the directive of new UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath (Reuters) × Police escort a boy away from a college in Lucknow. (DNA) × Police patrol outside a college in Lucknow. (ANI) × On Tuesday, two men were arrested in the state's capital city of Lucknow, while reports of questioning people emerged from other small towns such as Meerut and Jhansi. In some cases, a few boys who had to come to pick up their sisters from colleges were also arrested, DNA reported. Deccan Chronicle reported that a boy was made to do sit-ups by the police as punishment for sitting with girls in Meerut. But the BJP says the anti-Romeo squad is keeping a close vigilance on men in public spaces to prevent cases of molestation in the state. Adityanath has reportedly asked the police to take strict action against those found guilty. Sources in the police department say the modus operandi of the drive would be on the lines of the infamous Operation Majnu. In 2005, Operation Majnu had empowered police to question any boy seen with a woman on the streets or in parks. The campaign had soured when reports of police thrashing young men came to the fore. The BJP and its allies recorded a landslide victory in the recently-concluded elections in Uttar Pradesh, winning roughly 80 per cent of the seats in the legislative house. (WION)

New UP govt cracks down on men & women seen together in public

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was &quot;deeply saddened&quot; by&nbsp;the terror attack in London&nbsp;that killed five and injured around 40 people Wednesday night.

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At this difficult moment, India stands with UK in the fight against terrorism. <a href="https://twitter.com/theresa_may">@theresa_may</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Number10gov">@Number10Gov</a>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/844733922382630912">March 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Deeply saddened by the terror attack in London. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/844733683185729537">March 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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(WION)

Modi said, 'India stands with UK in the fight against terrorism'

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was "deeply saddened" by the terror attack in London that killed five and injured around 40 people Wednesday night. At this difficult moment, India stands with UK in the fight against terrorism. @theresa_may @Number10Gov — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 23, 2017 × Deeply saddened by the terror attack in London. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 23, 2017 × (WION)

India PM Modi responds to London terrorist attack via Twitter

The newly-appointed government in Uttar Pradesh will reportedly get directions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s office, a news report has claimed.

PM Modi has designated a senior bureaucrat to monitor the day-to-day functioning of the state&#39;s Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government, an&nbsp;<a href="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/yogi-adityanath-narendra-modi-nripendra-misra/1/908092.html">India Today</a>&nbsp;report said.

<a href="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/yogi-adityanath-narendra-modi-nripendra-misra/1/908092.html">India Today</a> quoted unnamed sources as saying the Principal Secretary to the PMO Nripendra Misra will be the point person between PM Modi and Yogi Adityanath.&nbsp;An Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer from the UP cadre, Nripendra Mishra was especially called by Modi in 2014, when he became the Prime Minister.

Further appointments in the state government will be made through Mishra who met Yogi Adityanath for a short while yesterday, the website reported.

Ministers have also been warned against speaking to the media except through the spokespersons for the UP government, another media report claimed.&nbsp;

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<h5>Principal secretary to the PMO Nripendra Mishra will be doing the monitoring</h5>
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The website said they discussed the implementation of government schemes so that their benefits accrued to the poor.

The Uttar Pradesh bureaucracy is likely to get a &quot;change in outlook&quot; in the next few days, the report stated. Work in that direction seems to have begun already --&nbsp;government officials were administered a cleanliness pledge by the chief minister and have been told to give 100 hours annually for the cause.&nbsp;The chief minister has also asked them to be transparent in recruitments, stand up to political pressure and improve investment in the state, reports state. 
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UP CM Yogi Adityanath administered a cleanliness pledge to Govt officials. Officials pledged to give their 100 hours annually for the cause <a href="https://t.co/AzisdroczS">pic.twitter.com/AzisdroczS</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/843825569666031617">March 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Ministers have been asked to do away with red beacons on their vehicles. 
 
Firebrand leader Adityanath&#39;s elevation as chief minister of one of India&#39;s most populous states, has many political analysts and observers worried because of his Hindutva leanings and controversial statements against Muslims who form a minority in the state.&nbsp;

The five-time Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur in eastern UP was elected by the state&#39;s legislators on Saturday, a week after the BJP won a landslide victory in the state assembly elections.

He has pledged to uphold Modi&#39;s slogan of &quot;sabka saath, sabka vikas&quot;&nbsp;(&#39;all together, development for all&#39;).The new Uttar Pradesh chief minister got down to business right from day one, holding a meeting with senior officials from all government departments in state capital Lucknow. The officials were directed to bring a copy of the BJP poll manifesto (Sankalp Patra) and asked to read and implement it properly. 
 
Ministers were directed to provide details of their movable and immovable properties and income tax within 15 days.

Deputy chief ministers KP Maurya and Dinesh Sharma were also present at the meeting.&nbsp;

Maurya told reporters that in its first meeting, the state Cabinet would discuss all key issues mentioned in the party&#39;s poll manifesto including loan waiver to farmers and a ban on mechanised slaughter houses.&nbsp;Dinesh Sharma promised to work for the welfare of the people and &quot;ensure that the work is visible on the ground&quot;, PTI reported.

The ban on illegal slaughterhouses was one of the main points of the BJP&rsquo;s manifesto in the recent elections. The party has also vowed to regulate the mechanised slaughterhouses. The approximately 130 legal slaughterhouses in the state provide employment to over two lakh people. Many Muslims, who are associated with the slaughtering business, fear harassment by vigilante groups.

Two slaughter houses in Allahabad city were also sealed by the local administration last night. The government claimed they were illegal.

Yogi Adityanath also asked Director General of Police Javeed Ahmed to ensure that there was no laxity in improving the law and order situation, hours after a BSP leader was shot dead in Allahabad.

The UP top cop has been asked to hold video conference with the district magistrates and the superintendents of police of all the 75 districts of the state to take stock of law and order situation and other administrative issues, PTI quoted sources as saying.

The portfolios to the new ministers are likely to be announced soon.&nbsp;

(WION)

India Today quoted unnamed sources as saying Modi has appointed a senior bureaucrat to monitor the day-to-day functioning of the new UP govt

The newly-appointed government in Uttar Pradesh will reportedly get directions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office, a news report has claimed. PM Modi has designated a senior bureaucrat to monitor the day-to-day functioning of the state's Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government, an India Today report said. India Today quoted unnamed sources as saying the Principal Secretary to the PMO Nripendra Misra will be the point person between PM Modi and Yogi Adityanath. An Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer from the UP cadre, Nripendra Mishra was especially called by Modi in 2014, when he became the Prime Minister. Further appointments in the state government will be made through Mishra who met Yogi Adityanath for a short while yesterday, the website reported. Ministers have also been warned against speaking to the media except through the spokespersons for the UP government, another media report claimed. Principal secretary to the PMO Nripendra Mishra will be doing the monitoring × The website said they discussed the implementation of government schemes so that their benefits accrued to the poor. The Uttar Pradesh bureaucracy is likely to get a "change in outlook" in the next few days, the report stated. Work in that direction seems to have begun already -- government officials were administered a cleanliness pledge by the chief minister and have been told to give 100 hours annually for the cause. The chief minister has also asked them to be transparent in recruitments, stand up to political pressure and improve investment in the state, reports state. UP CM Yogi Adityanath administered a cleanliness pledge to Govt officials. Officials pledged to give their 100 hours annually for the cause pic.twitter.com/AzisdroczS — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 20, 2017 × Ministers have been asked to do away with red beacons on their vehicles. Firebrand leader Adityanath's elevation as chief minister of one of India's most populous states, has many political analysts and observers worried because of his Hindutva leanings and controversial statements against Muslims who form a minority in the state. The five-time Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur in eastern UP was elected by the state's legislators on Saturday, a week after the BJP won a landslide victory in the state assembly elections. He has pledged to uphold Modi's slogan of "sabka saath, sabka vikas" ('all together, development for all').The new Uttar Pradesh chief minister got down to business right from day one, holding a meeting with senior officials from all government departments in state capital Lucknow. The officials were directed to bring a copy of the BJP poll manifesto (Sankalp Patra) and asked to read and implement it properly. Ministers were directed to provide details of their movable and immovable properties and income tax within 15 days. Deputy chief ministers KP Maurya and Dinesh Sharma were also present at the meeting. Maurya told reporters that in its first meeting, the state Cabinet would discuss all key issues mentioned in the party's poll manifesto including loan waiver to farmers and a ban on mechanised slaughter houses. Dinesh Sharma promised to work for the welfare of the people and "ensure that the work is visible on the ground", PTI reported. The ban on illegal slaughterhouses was one of the main points of the BJP’s manifesto in the recent elections. The party has also vowed to regulate the mechanised slaughterhouses. The approximately 130 legal slaughterhouses in the state provide employment to over two lakh people. Many Muslims, who are associated with the slaughtering business, fear harassment by vigilante groups. Two slaughter houses in Allahabad city were also sealed by the local administration last night. The government claimed they were illegal. Yogi Adityanath also asked Director General of Police Javeed Ahmed to ensure that there was no laxity in improving the law and order situation, hours after a BSP leader was shot dead in Allahabad. The UP top cop has been asked to hold video conference with the district magistrates and the superintendents of police of all the 75 districts of the state to take stock of law and order situation and other administrative issues, PTI quoted sources as saying. The portfolios to the new ministers are likely to be announced soon. (WION)

Prime Minister's Office to keep watch on Yogi Adityanath's govt: Report

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