<p>West Bengal chief minister <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/mamata-banerjee-challenges-aadhaar-in-supreme-court-hearing-on-october-30-23047">Mamata Banerjee met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai today</a> leading to speculation that the two powerful politicians could be seeking an alliance ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.</p>

<p>Uddhav Thackeray&#39;s <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bengal-bjp-legislators-stopped-from-visiting-riot-hit-basirhat-detained-17730">Shiv Sena is aligned with the BJP-led Maharashtra government</a>, however, his party has been reduced to the fringes with chief minister&nbsp;Devendra Fadnavis leading a majority government in the state.</p>

<p>Uddhav Thackeray has often disagreed with the BJP on several issues, also with the Modi government at the Centre.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="in">Mumbai: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee met Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray; Aditya Thackeray also present. <a href="https://t.co/zyds8yCbvY">pic.twitter.com/zyds8yCbvY</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/926020518163005441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>During the recent presidential polls, the Shiv Sena leader had said his party wouldn&#39;t support Ram Nath Kovind&#39;s candidature if his name was being put up to &quot;merely capture Dalit votes&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;Shiv Sena has always kept away from such vote-bank politics,&quot;&nbsp;Uddhav had said.</p>

<p>Mamata Banerjee too has had major differences with the Modi government ranging from Aadhaar to the Darjeeling crisis. The Bengal chief minister has been softly lobbying to set up a third front against the BJP for a long time.</p>

<p>About the meeting with the Mamata Banerjee, the Shiv Sena in a statement said: &quot;The meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Uddhav Thackery was just a courtesy call and there is no other meaning to it.&quot;</p>

<p>However, political pundits feel the &quot;courtesy call&quot; could lead to a &quot;political handshake&quot; in the future as parties across the country gear up for elections in less than two years.</p>


Uddhav Thackeray has often disagreed with the BJP on several issues, also with the Modi government at the Centre.?

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai today leading to speculation that the two powerful politicians could be seeking an alliance ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena is aligned with the BJP-led Maharashtra government, however, his party has been reduced to the fringes with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis leading a majority government in the state. Uddhav Thackeray has often disagreed with the BJP on several issues, also with the Modi government at the Centre. Mumbai: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee met Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray; Aditya Thackeray also present. pic.twitter.com/zyds8yCbvY — ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2017 × During the recent presidential polls, the Shiv Sena leader had said his party wouldn't support Ram Nath Kovind's candidature if his name was being put up to "merely capture Dalit votes". "Shiv Sena has always kept away from such vote-bank politics," Uddhav had said. Mamata Banerjee too has had major differences with the Modi government ranging from Aadhaar to the Darjeeling crisis. The Bengal chief minister has been softly lobbying to set up a third front against the BJP for a long time. About the meeting with the Mamata Banerjee, the Shiv Sena in a statement said: "The meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Uddhav Thackery was just a courtesy call and there is no other meaning to it." However, political pundits feel the "courtesy call" could lead to a "political handshake" in the future as parties across the country gear up for elections in less than two years.

CM Mamata meets Uddhav Thackeray, sparks 'alliance' rumours

<p>Holding that India is a country of Hindus first and others later, the Shiv Sena on Monday said despite a &ldquo;pro-Hindutva&rdquo; government at the Centre, issues like Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya and &lsquo;ghar wapsi&rsquo; of displaced Kashmiri Pandits are still unresolved.&nbsp;Shiv Sena also waded into the ongoing debate over playing the national anthem in public places.</p>

<p>RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had on Friday said in Indore that &lsquo;Hindustan&rsquo; is a country of Hindus, but it does not mean that it does not belong to &ldquo;others&rdquo;.</p>

<p>&ldquo;The RSS chief says like Hindus, India belongs to others as well. The Shiv Sena chief says India belongs to Hindus first and others later, because there are more than 50 countries for Muslims,&rdquo; the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece &lsquo;Saamana&rsquo;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Christians have countries like America and (in) Europe. Buddhists have China, Japan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Hindus do not have any country except this.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Today there is a pro-Hindutva majority government in power. Yet, it is not willing to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya and left its future in the hands of court,&rdquo; it said.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Despite a pro-Hindutva government, the ghar wapsi of Kashmiri Pandits hasn&rsquo;t taken place,&rdquo; said the Sena, which is a constituent of the NDA government at the Centre and an ally of the ruling BJP in Maharashtra.</p>

<p>It also waded into the ongoing debate over playing the national anthem in public places.</p>

<p>A stubborn attitude prevails towards singing of &lsquo;Vande Mataram&rsquo; despite the president and the prime minister belonging to the &ldquo;thought process of the RSS&rdquo;, and some also do not find it appropriate to stand up while the national anthem is being played, the saffron ally said.</p>

<p>&ldquo;If these &lsquo;others&rsquo; are insulting the national anthem by not standing up, the RSS chief should guide the pro-Hindutva government on what stand it should take against them,&rdquo; it said.</p>

<p>The Sena further said Mr. Bhagwat&rsquo;s statement that &ldquo;no one leader or party can make the country great...&rdquo; also cannot be ignored.</p>

<p>The RSS chief had last week said that no one leader or party can make the country great but it needs a change and we will have to prepare the society for it.</p>


The contention was made in an editorial in the party mouthpiece ?Saamana?

Holding that India is a country of Hindus first and others later, the Shiv Sena on Monday said despite a “pro-Hindutva” government at the Centre, issues like Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya and ‘ghar wapsi’ of displaced Kashmiri Pandits are still unresolved. Shiv Sena also waded into the ongoing debate over playing the national anthem in public places. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had on Friday said in Indore that ‘Hindustan’ is a country of Hindus, but it does not mean that it does not belong to “others”. “The RSS chief says like Hindus, India belongs to others as well. The Shiv Sena chief says India belongs to Hindus first and others later, because there are more than 50 countries for Muslims,” the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ “Christians have countries like America and (in) Europe. Buddhists have China, Japan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Hindus do not have any country except this. “Today there is a pro-Hindutva majority government in power. Yet, it is not willing to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya and left its future in the hands of court,” it said. “Despite a pro-Hindutva government, the ghar wapsi of Kashmiri Pandits hasn’t taken place,” said the Sena, which is a constituent of the NDA government at the Centre and an ally of the ruling BJP in Maharashtra. It also waded into the ongoing debate over playing the national anthem in public places. A stubborn attitude prevails towards singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ despite the president and the prime minister belonging to the “thought process of the RSS”, and some also do not find it appropriate to stand up while the national anthem is being played, the saffron ally said. “If these ‘others’ are insulting the national anthem by not standing up, the RSS chief should guide the pro-Hindutva government on what stand it should take against them,” it said. The Sena further said Mr. Bhagwat’s statement that “no one leader or party can make the country great...” also cannot be ignored. The RSS chief had last week said that no one leader or party can make the country great but it needs a change and we will have to prepare the society for it.

India country of Hindus first, others later: Shiv Sena

<p>The former senior Congress leader Narayan Rane has announced that he will be forming a new party.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;I have decided to form a new party, it will be called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh,&quot; Rane said on Sunday.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I have decided to form a new party, it will be called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh: Narayan Rane, former senior congress leader <a href="https://t.co/GP1VwqfTwp">pic.twitter.com/GP1VwqfTwp</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/914399475417755648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Rane&#39;s new party is expected to support Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis&#39; government.&nbsp;</p>

<p>News reports said the arrangement was reportedly finalised after Rane&#39;s recent meeting with BJP President Amit Shah.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The reports added that the BJP has plumped for the indirect support route after the Shiv Sena threatened to walk out of the coalition should Rane be allowed into the BJP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rane was thrown out of the Sena in 2005 after he accused the then Sena chief Bal Thackeray of having &quot;blind love for his son&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rane was talking about Uddhav Thackeray, who now heads the Sena.&nbsp;</p>


'I have decided to form a new party, it will be called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh,' Rane said on Sunday

The former senior Congress leader Narayan Rane has announced that he will be forming a new party. "I have decided to form a new party, it will be called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh," Rane said on Sunday. I have decided to form a new party, it will be called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh: Narayan Rane, former senior congress leader pic.twitter.com/GP1VwqfTwp — ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017 × Rane's new party is expected to support Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' government. News reports said the arrangement was reportedly finalised after Rane's recent meeting with BJP President Amit Shah. The reports added that the BJP has plumped for the indirect support route after the Shiv Sena threatened to walk out of the coalition should Rane be allowed into the BJP. Rane was thrown out of the Sena in 2005 after he accused the then Sena chief Bal Thackeray of having "blind love for his son". Rane was talking about Uddhav Thackeray, who now heads the Sena.

Maharashtra: Ex-Congressman Narayan Rane floats new party, expected to support BJP govt

<p>Maharashtra&#39;s regional party, the Shiv Sena, which has an alliance with the BJP in Maharashtra, ruled out a tie-up with the party in the upcoming civil polls in the state. The Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray&nbsp;also ruled out future alliance&nbsp;with any party in the future, calling the last 25 years of alliance with political parties a &quot;waste&quot;.</p>

<p>Soon after, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that his party, the BJP, would &quot;take along those who come with us and leave aside those who don&#39;t&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Power aint our ultimate goal but a medium of devpt.We&#39;ll take along those who come with us &amp;leave aside who dont.Transformatn is inevitable!</p>
&mdash; Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dev_Fadnavis/status/824634080096555008">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="mr">We pledge to walk on the path of transparency!<br />
???????? ???????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??????!<br />
????? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ?????????? ?? ?? ??!</p>
&mdash; Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dev_Fadnavis/status/824643407771430912">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;In future, the Shiv Sena will furl its flag in Maharashtra alone, it will not knock on anyone&#39;s doors for a coalition,&quot; the Shiv Sena chief had said earlier.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Shiv Sena iske aage akele Maharashtra mei bhagva lehrayegi,kisi ke darwaaze par gathbandhan ke liye nhi jaaegi: Shiv Sena&#39;s Uddhav Thackeray</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/824623518008561665">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">In 50 yrs of Sena, 25 years were wasted because of alliance. We&#39;re not greedy for power: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/824623113442729984">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>He also clarified that the current alliance would stay but the parties would face-off in the municipal corporation of Greater Mumbai polls (MCGM).</p>

<p>Uddhav Thackeray also accused the BJP of harbouring &quot;goons&quot; (gundas) in the party and said they didn&#39;t have the capacity to fight with the Shiv Sena&#39;s &quot;foot-soldiers&quot; (sainiks). BJP hit back by saying that talks had failed because the party was firm about keeping the civic body &#39;&#39;corruption-free&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">They (BJP) have many gundas in their party but we don&#39;t have gundas, we have mawlas (sainik): Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray <a href="https://t.co/AtAMjbGFlN">pic.twitter.com/AtAMjbGFlN</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/824622478668374016">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">If someone is sad about our wish to make BMC corruption free,then no compromise from our side. We&#39;ll bring in transparency:Kirit Somaiya,BJP <a href="https://t.co/Oz3b52sfDB">pic.twitter.com/Oz3b52sfDB</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/824624605851639810">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;I am ready to go solo, the Shiv Sainiks are ready to go solo. I want strong foot soldiers with me who have the courage to launch a frontal attack and not back-stab. Once I have taken my decision, I do not want anybody to question it,&quot; Udhav Thackeray had said while addressing party workers in Mumbai today.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Shiv Sena iske aage akele Maharashtra mei bhagva lehrayegi,kisi ke darwaaze par gathbandhan ke liye nhi jaaegi: Shiv Sena&#39;s Uddhav Thackeray</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/824623518008561665">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Talks between the ruling alliance partners for the tie-up for the civic polls in Mumbai and other parts of the state had reached a dead-end in the last few days.</p>

<p>&quot;If you promise to stand by me, I have taken the decision to go solo in Maharashtra. I will not go to anybody&#39;s door with a begging bowl for an alliance and won&#39;t be at anybody&#39;s mercy. I have decided that there will be no alliance for any of the municipal corporation or zilla parishad polls,&quot; Thackeray said.<br />
<br />
The decision came a day after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar&#39;s name was announced in the list of Padma awardees. He will be honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, the country&#39;s second-highest civilian award after the Bharat Ratna.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
<strong>Civilian honour for NCP leader,&nbsp;Sena reads alliance</strong></p>

<p>Shiv Sena sources told NDTV the party read it as an intention of the BJP to form an alliance with the NCP.</p>

<p>&quot;One of the Padma awards was probably &#39;gurudakshina&#39; (a gift for a teacher)... today the nation wants to know what I have to say but what the Shiv Sena has to say (to it),&quot; Thackeray said in his address to party workers today.<br />
<br />
The Sena and the BJP&nbsp;fought the assembly elections separately but later joined hands after the BJP fell short of a majority.<br />
<br />
Elections to MCGM and other municipal corporations in the state including Nashik, Pune, Kolhapur and Nagpur will be held on February 21.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
(WION with inputs from agencies)<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Talks between the ruling alliance partners for tie-up in the civic polls in Mumbai have reached a dead end

Maharashtra's regional party, the Shiv Sena, which has an alliance with the BJP in Maharashtra, ruled out a tie-up with the party in the upcoming civil polls in the state. The Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray also ruled out future alliance with any party in the future, calling the last 25 years of alliance with political parties a "waste". Soon after, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that his party, the BJP, would "take along those who come with us and leave aside those who don't". Power aint our ultimate goal but a medium of devpt.We'll take along those who come with us &leave aside who dont.Transformatn is inevitable! — Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) January 26, 2017 × We pledge to walk on the path of transparency! ???????? ???????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??????! ????? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ?????????? ?? ?? ??! — Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) January 26, 2017 × "In future, the Shiv Sena will furl its flag in Maharashtra alone, it will not knock on anyone's doors for a coalition," the Shiv Sena chief had said earlier. Shiv Sena iske aage akele Maharashtra mei bhagva lehrayegi,kisi ke darwaaze par gathbandhan ke liye nhi jaaegi: Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray — ANI (@ANI_news) January 26, 2017 × In 50 yrs of Sena, 25 years were wasted because of alliance. We're not greedy for power: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray — ANI (@ANI_news) January 26, 2017 × He also clarified that the current alliance would stay but the parties would face-off in the municipal corporation of Greater Mumbai polls (MCGM). Uddhav Thackeray also accused the BJP of harbouring "goons" (gundas) in the party and said they didn't have the capacity to fight with the Shiv Sena's "foot-soldiers" (sainiks). BJP hit back by saying that talks had failed because the party was firm about keeping the civic body ''corruption-free". They (BJP) have many gundas in their party but we don't have gundas, we have mawlas (sainik): Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray pic.twitter.com/AtAMjbGFlN — ANI (@ANI_news) January 26, 2017 × If someone is sad about our wish to make BMC corruption free,then no compromise from our side. We'll bring in transparency:Kirit Somaiya,BJP pic.twitter.com/Oz3b52sfDB — ANI (@ANI_news) January 26, 2017 × "I am ready to go solo, the Shiv Sainiks are ready to go solo. I want strong foot soldiers with me who have the courage to launch a frontal attack and not back-stab. Once I have taken my decision, I do not want anybody to question it," Udhav Thackeray had said while addressing party workers in Mumbai today. Shiv Sena iske aage akele Maharashtra mei bhagva lehrayegi,kisi ke darwaaze par gathbandhan ke liye nhi jaaegi: Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray — ANI (@ANI_news) January 26, 2017 × Talks between the ruling alliance partners for the tie-up for the civic polls in Mumbai and other parts of the state had reached a dead-end in the last few days. "If you promise to stand by me, I have taken the decision to go solo in Maharashtra. I will not go to anybody's door with a begging bowl for an alliance and won't be at anybody's mercy. I have decided that there will be no alliance for any of the municipal corporation or zilla parishad polls," Thackeray said. The decision came a day after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar's name was announced in the list of Padma awardees. He will be honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian award after the Bharat Ratna. Civilian honour for NCP leader, Sena reads alliance Shiv Sena sources told NDTV the party read it as an intention of the BJP to form an alliance with the NCP. "One of the Padma awards was probably 'gurudakshina' (a gift for a teacher)... today the nation wants to know what I have to say but what the Shiv Sena has to say (to it)," Thackeray said in his address to party workers today. The Sena and the BJP fought the assembly elections separately but later joined hands after the BJP fell short of a majority. Elections to MCGM and other municipal corporations in the state including Nashik, Pune, Kolhapur and Nagpur will be held on February 21. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India: Shiv Sena says no tie-up with BJP for civic body polls, rules out future alliance

<p>Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Marxist FARC rebel leader&nbsp;Rodrigo &quot;Timochenko&quot; Londono have signed a revised peace deal to end a 52-year-old insurgency in the country.</p>

<p>The agreement between the government and the rebel group comes amid stiff resistance from opposition political parties who say the deal continues to favour the insurgents.</p>

<p>This is the second time in two months that the Santos-led administration and FARC have signed a peace deal.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The previous accord was rejected by the Colombian public in an October 2 referendum because they felt the deal absolved&nbsp;the FARC rebels of all crimes they have committed in the last half a century.</p>

<p>But this time, the deal will be sent to the Congress and not go through another referendum.</p>

<p>Chances of the deal coming to fruition is high because Santos holds the majority in the Congress.</p>

<p>Both the government and FARC have made efforts in the last two years to end the region&#39;s longest-running conflict that has left more than 220,000 people dead and several millions displaced.</p>

<p><strong>Opposition to the deal</strong></p>

<p>The deal was inked in a low-key ceremony at a Bogota theatre, a striking contrast from the previous occasion.</p>

<p>Supporters of the deal chanted &quot;We did it!&quot; while the two parties signed the accord.</p>

<p>However, the opposition parties in Colombia have condemned&nbsp;the government for going ahead with a deal that is similar to the first one.</p>

<p>The first peace deal was rejected by the public for being too soft on FARC.</p>

<p>The opposition led by former president Alvaro Uribe have also criticised the government for bypassing the public this time. They want the government to hold another referendum.</p>

<p>President Santos, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last month for his efforst to broker a peace deal with FARC, wants the accord to be legislated quickly in order to maintain&nbsp;a fragile bilateral ceasefire.</p>

<p>The expanded and highly complex new 310-page document makes only small modifications to the original text, such as clarifying private property rights and detailing more fully how the rebels would be confined in rural areas for crimes committed during the war.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from Reuters)</p>


Mumbai's politicians and bureaucrats paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the Mumbai attacks orchestrated by Pakistani terrorists

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Marxist FARC rebel leader Rodrigo "Timochenko" Londono have signed a revised peace deal to end a 52-year-old insurgency in the country. The agreement between the government and the rebel group comes amid stiff resistance from opposition political parties who say the deal continues to favour the insurgents. This is the second time in two months that the Santos-led administration and FARC have signed a peace deal. The previous accord was rejected by the Colombian public in an October 2 referendum because they felt the deal absolved the FARC rebels of all crimes they have committed in the last half a century. But this time, the deal will be sent to the Congress and not go through another referendum. Chances of the deal coming to fruition is high because Santos holds the majority in the Congress. Both the government and FARC have made efforts in the last two years to end the region's longest-running conflict that has left more than 220,000 people dead and several millions displaced. Opposition to the deal The deal was inked in a low-key ceremony at a Bogota theatre, a striking contrast from the previous occasion. Supporters of the deal chanted "We did it!" while the two parties signed the accord. However, the opposition parties in Colombia have condemned the government for going ahead with a deal that is similar to the first one. The first peace deal was rejected by the public for being too soft on FARC. The opposition led by former president Alvaro Uribe have also criticised the government for bypassing the public this time. They want the government to hold another referendum. President Santos, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last month for his efforst to broker a peace deal with FARC, wants the accord to be legislated quickly in order to maintain a fragile bilateral ceasefire. The expanded and highly complex new 310-page document makes only small modifications to the original text, such as clarifying private property rights and detailing more fully how the rebels would be confined in rural areas for crimes committed during the war. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

India: Strengthening police force priority, says Maharashtra chief minister on 26/11 anniversary