Behind Sonia Gandhi's belligerence against Narendra Modi lay bid to reclaim Congress' leadership of Opposition

When a batter tries to hit every ball out of the park regardless of where it is pitched you know that either a rank tailender is at work or we are into the slog overs. Now even if the NDA decides to advance the date of general elections we ll have to wait till December. These are clearly not the slog overs yet and Sonia Gandhi isn t a rookie. So what was she trying to do on Friday in Mumbai at the India Today conclave? As we shall see she was trying to do several things at once. On the face of it through her speech Sonia was evidently gunning for Narendra Modi and blaming him for every real and perceived ill that currently plagues India. While that is obvious it is also unexceptionable. At a subtler level Sonia was trying to reclaim Congress s space and mantle of leadership among the Opposition. Naturally the easiest way to do so would be to make the Modi government the target of excoriating rhetoric. Brand Modi is so strong that political careers can be made or resurrected by ricocheting off it. Sonia a craftier politician than many give her credit for would have hoped to create enough noise in both mainstream and social media to place Congress at the forefront of the Opposition ranks ahead https://www.wattpad.com/user/kkd4int of the 2019 battle. This is crucial because Congress s leadership has come under question after a string of listless results and talks of a third front have started swirling again led by the likes of Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and even NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. The latter in fact is holding a meeting of anti-BJP parties on 27 and 28 March in New Delhi and recently sent Praful Patel to Bengal to secure Mamata s participation. File image of Sonia Gandhi. PTI What would have spiked Sonia s concern is that some Opposition leaders are pledging equidistance from Congress. In KCR s words according to a News18 report: There is a serious need to bring change in national politics. Seventy years have passed since Independence and out of those 70 years 64 years were ruled by either BJP or Congress. Even after 70 years people are suffering and they don t even have water to drink It can be a third front or anything It is unification of the people of India and not just some political parties. And this will surely be minus BJP and Congress no doubt about that. While Pawar is planning to hold meetings and KCR is calling for a third front sans the Congress and BJP Mamata is busy blaming Rahul Gandhi for the Congress s North East debacle. Soon after the results were out the TMC chief told the media that Rahul was wrong to turn down her invitation to join hands for the Tripura Assembly polls. Tripura is the outcome of CPM s surrender and Congress failure she declared. It is not a secret that Mamata has a very poor opinion of Rahul s political acumen and would rather do business with Sonia instead. Things however have become a tad complicated at the change of baton in Congress. Other constituents of this third front are equally wary of Rahul. RJD chief Lalu Yadav for instance last year had requested the presence of Sonia or Priyanka Gandhi for his BJP bhagao desh bachao rally last May. The Telegraph had reported that in a phone call Lalu apparently told Sonia You should come but if for some reason you cannot kindly send Priyanka Gandhi for the rally. This presents a problem of legitimacy for the Congress one which the wily Sonia sought to address by claiming that in 2019 Opposition parties must keep aside all their differences to unite against the oppressive Modi regime in the larger interest of the nation. Unspoken in the selfless call is the message that no formation can afford to keep the Congress out. She said We have worked together earlier. In Parliament there is co-ordination especially in the Rajya Sabha It is difficult for all the parties including ours. At the national level we can come together on some issues. But at the ground level we are opponents. There is a lot of pressure from all parties including ours like in West Bengal and many other states. It is a difficult task But if all of us think of the larger picture...if we feel and care for the country we have to sink the local differences. Sonia thundered that in 2019 we are going to come back. We are not going to let them come back to power . She even went on to claim that achhe din will sink BJP like India Shining did . Whether or not that happens is for the voters to decide. There was however a touch of arrogance and a sense of entitlement in her words which seemed a little misplaced. After all the Congress s performance in recently concluded Assembly polls in three north-eastern states has been dismal. In Meghalaya the only state where it managed a few seats Congress tally was down to 21 from 29 in 2013. In Nagaland Congress failed to open account whereas it had won eight in 2013. Its vote share in this Christian-majority state crashed from 24.89 percent to just 2.1 percent while BJP posted a handsome increase. Similarly in Tripura Congress s vote share nosedived from a healthy 36.53 percent in 2013 to a paltry 1.8 percent this year. Needless to say it didn t win any seat. If we scratch the surface the much-hyped recent bypoll results also look less than glamorous for Congress. In the two Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh that it retained Kolaras and Mungaoli Congress has been in power since 2013. What should worry Sonia is that in both these seats Congress vote share has suffered a drastic downward revision. In Mungaoli for instance Congress s margin came down from about 20 000 votes to just 2 000-odd votes. In Kolaras the margin was down to around 8 000 votes from nearly 25 000 in 2013. In both these seats the BJP has substantially increased its share even after a 15-year reign. For all its bravado before the media infighting has started over this erosion. As Economic Times notes in a report that these seats fell in the parliamentary constituency of party s CM face probable Jyotiraditya Scindia who relentlessly campaigned here is only expected to increase the tussle among state leaders on the point whether Scindia can lead the party to a win in the state eight months later. It is only in Rajasthan that Congress s prospects look good. The party won two bypoll seats and also performed well in local civic body elections. It is tough to argue however that a good show in Rajasthan is enough to convince Sonia that Congress is ready to unseat BJP in 2019 when the grand old party s performance everywhere else is taking a beating. We may therefore look at the other possibility that Sonia s belligerence against Modi which mainly was a mishmash of old and tired rhetoric before a sympathetic audience reflected more a desperation to shore up the party s morale ahead of upcoming crucial states especially as party president Rahul Gandhi was abroad busy making a meal of himself before the world. Sonia showed that Rahul has still a lot to learn.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday sought to underline the wide-ranging bilateral cooperation between India and France saying that from the ground to the sky there is no subject in which the two countries are not working together. From the ground to the sky there is no subject on which India and France are not working together said PM Modi while issuing a joint statement with French president Emmanuel Macron. His remarks came minutes after the two countries exchanged and signed 14 agreements. The bilateral cooperation between India and France includes the spheres of defence space high technology shared PM Modi. He said that India welcomed French investments in the defence sector under the Make In India initiative. Our strategic partnership may just be 20 years old but the spiritual partnership between our countries is centuries old the PM emphasised. PM Modi also sought to stress the shared values between the two countries: Liberty equality and fraternity not only echo in France but are also deeply embedded in India s Constitution. He highlighted the important role of the Indian Ocean region in the coming time. In the future the Indian Ocean region is going to have a huge role to play for peace harmony and prosperity. The PM expressed hope for a successful International Solar Alliance summit for the future of planet Earth. The summit co-hosted by India and France will be attended by the heads of 23 nations and 10 ministerial representatives of different countries on Sunday. The French president concurred with PM Modi s observations remarking: Defence cooperation between the two countries now has a new significance. India and France have decided to work together to deal with threats of terrorism and radicalisation said Macron. French President Macron arrived in India on a four-day visit yesterday. (With inputs from agencies)
NEW DELHI: French President Emmanuel Macron Saturday said he wanted his country to be India s best partner in Europe as he started a three-day trip to the country aimed at ratcheting up security and energy ties. Macron who was welcomed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his traditional bear hug on his arrival late Friday also said collective security will be on top of the agenda during talks later Saturday. France is the entry point to Europe. We want to be India s best partner in Europe Macron said after a ceremonial reception at New Delhi s presidential house. The first (objective of my visit) is to seal for the decade to come a strong pact around collective security in the region between our two democracies. The two countries are to sign an accord to step up military cooperation in the Indian Ocean where regional power China has been flexing its muscles. Macron also talked about his personal rapport with Modi which was established after their meeting in Paris last year. I think we have very good chemistry our two great democracies have a historic relationship the French president said. Modi broke protocol to receive Macron at the airport Friday exchanging warm hugs and robust handshakes. Welcome to India President @EmmanuelMacron! Your visit will add great strength to the strategic partnership between India and France he tweeted Friday. On Sunday Macron will attend a solar power summit designed to showcase India and France s commitment to fighting climate change which both leaders have made a priority. Travelling with his wife Brigitte France s 40-year-old president will also visit the monument to love the Taj Mahal a few hours drive from the Indian capital on Sunday. On Monday he heads to the chaotic Hindu holy city of Varanasi on the banks of the river Ganges which the Indian premier has promised to modernise and clean up. Macron s vist comes after a somewhat mistep laden visit to India by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. Both he and Macron are often compared internationally because of their broadly similar political views as well as youth and good looks. But Trudeau s visit hit a series of embarrassing bumps and he received a fairly cool reception from Modi. Trudeau was pilloried on social media and in the Canadian press for donning traditional Indian clothing at every opportunity. And there were red faces when it emerged a former Sikh militant was invited to a dinner with him in Mumbai. Macron has so far opted for more sober and predictable dress -- a dark suit.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today told lawmakers that working for development in most backward districts would be a step towards social justice and that hardcore politics of struggle and agitation was no longer as relevant as it used to be.Addressing a National Legislators Conference on We for development at Parliament s Central Hall he spoke about social justice in the context of all-round development of 115 most backward districts identified and dubbed by his government as aspirational .If all children go to schools and all households get electricity then it would be a step towards social justice the Prime Minister told the gathering of central ministers MPs and legislators from states.Asserting that shortage of budget or resources were not the reasons for lack of development but governance was PM Modi said good governance effective implementation of schemes and focussed activities were needed for development. There used to be a time when hardcore politics round-the-clock politics involving agitations and struggle would work. Time has changed. Whether you are in power or in opposition what matters is whether if you come to people s help he told parliamentarians and legislators from states.Things like how much agitations you did how many morchas you took out and how many times you went to jail would matter to your political career 20 years back but things have changed now PM Modi told the lawmakers and asked them to work towards fulfilling developmental targets in their regions.The Prime Minister said that though he cannot ask them to leave hardcore politics but changes in society will make them do so.A discussion on social justice is often confined to social conditions but there are more dimensions to it he said adding that if there is electricity in one home or one village but not in the neighbouring home or village social justice dictates that they too get electricity.In India the phrase social justice is loaded with political meaning as political parties especially those from Janata Parivar have used the plank to rally backward castes and other weaker sections of society around them.The BJP under PM Modi has injected a narrative of development into this and often succeeded in winning over a large section of these communities in one election after another.The Prime Minister said lawmakers who get elected repeatedly were often those identified with something beyond politics by their constituents.Recalling icons like Jawaharlal Nehru BR Ambedkar and Sardar Patel who sat in the Central Hall of Parliament to prepare the Constitution he likened the lawmakers presence in the hall today to a pilgrimage and pitched for development.That parliamentarians and legislators from different parties are sitting together on the issue of development is a living example of federalism the Prime Minister said and asked them to work like a helping hand to state machinery.He said development in the 115 districts would be a work of social justice and if the lawmakers worked sincerely for one year with people s participation it would bring about a sea change and help India go up in Human Development Index.Governments have the tendency of focusing on what gives them results easily and it often results in developed districts doing better still while backward districts slide further PM Modi said adding his government has identified these 115 districts as aspirational and not backward as the latter has negative connotations. We don t have to do a competition of backwards but of forwards he said.The Prime Minister also called for posting young officers a reference to those directly from the IAS instead of those promoted to the all India service from state cadre with a sense of purpose as district magistrates in these places.PM Modi said the average age of a district magistrate is generally 27-30 years but he was surprised to find in a meeting with officials of these 115 districts that 80 per cent of them were aged more than 40 years.Elder officers have many other concerns such as family and career and these districts should not be seen as places where anybody can be posted he said.Working for development in these districts would also be a form of the social justice envisaged by the makers of our Constitution and there is little possibility of any fight in this the Prime Minister said.He said it is necessary to identify the reasons for backwardness of these districts and once it is done then problems of 80-85 of them can be addressed easily in a similar manner troubles afflicting a diabetic person are cured once his disease is found out.Rest of the 115 districts are hit by left-wing extremism PM Modi said.If work is done on a mission mode with available resources and manpower then it will lead to very good results. Where this has happened things have changed he said. CommentsUnderlining the importance of good governance the Prime Minister said his experience showed that MNREGA the rural employment guarantee scheme has been used less effectively in more poor places and more effectively in richer regions because of good governance in the latter.Speaking on the occasion Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said lawmakers should think collectively how India can develop and become a strong country by 2022.
NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi is planning to visit Delhi s closest neighbours Bhutan and Bangladesh during the coming months aiming to show his government s support to both Thimpu and Dhaka as both prepare for general elections this year. While India-backed new power project is being planned in Bhutan Dhaka awaits Teesta river water sharing pact with Delhi to boost ruling Awami League s popularity in an election year. The visits are being planned in the first half of the year amid China s push to make inroads in the Himalyan State of Bhutan and attempts to implement BRI projects in Bangladesh. The dates of PM s visit are not yet firmed up but being finalised persons familiar with the process. But it will not be just Bhutan and Bangladesh that the PM will seek to engage in the coming months. Delhi might soon host Nepalese PM K P Oli on his first visit abroad in his current stint at the head of government following warming of ties between the two sides since the elections. Modi himself might visit Kathmandu this year for the fourth round of BIMSTEC Summit. The signals for major push by China in Bhutan came with Doklam episode and ever since Beijing is attempting to enhance its footprints in Thimpu which does not enjoy diplomatic ties with any of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Experts on Bhutan point out that the outcome of third general elections in Bhutan later this year will be extremely critical for its ties with both India and China. In a rare move NSA Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Army Chief together visited Thimphu recently. While Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid is currently on a five-day state visit to India including his participation at the International Solar Alliance Summit Modi s proposed visit to Dhaka assumes significance as there are expectations that he might offer some mechanism on sharing of waters of Teesta river an emotive issue in Bangladesh. Modi had earlier visited Bhutan in 2014 on his first trip abroad after he became PM. While he was in Dhaka on an official trip in 2015 Bangla PM Sheikh Hasina has been hosted here on three occasions. Experts on Bangladesh point out that the Hasina government has been smart in handling China. While Chinese companies are executing several projects in Bangladesh 23 bn USD allotted for Belt and Road Initiative is yet to take off as the government in Dhaka has been sensitive to India s concerns.
By: Express News Service | New Delhi | Updated: March 11 2018 9:05 am Anais Josemon receiving the PM book from Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. (Twitter) Related News International Solar Alliance LIVE UPDATES: To combat climate change need to look back at Vedas says PM Narendra ModiNational Legislators Conference: PM Modi bats for development in most backward districtsEye on China India and France focus on defence maritime tiesFour marks short of clearing her Class IX math examination and convinced that her father would be disappointed 14-year-old Anais Josemon ran away from her Mahipalpur home and boarded a Chennai-bound train on Thursday. Reunited with her family two days on her mother said the entire thing seems like a dream an adventure the family is trying to forget . On Saturday Anais was given a copy of Exam Warriors a book penned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal. He also encouraged Anais to be a warrior and not a worrier . Speaking to The Indian Express her mother Ivona Peter said She thought papa would be sad My husband is a heart patient and has been at home since a surgery. She told me she left home as she couldn t bear to see him sad. The girl who studies at Holy Child Auxilium told her mother she was going for tuition. Once my daughter left I realised the money for school fees kept in my bag was missing. I wanted to ask my daughter if she knew where it was so I went to the tuition centre Peter said. The girl was not at the Centre and her phone was switched off. That s when Peter who works as a nanny for a Delhi-based advocate s son realised something was wrong . I had doubts. She looked very sad when she left she was very silent Peter said. The girl later told her mother that she had taken an auto to Nizamuddin Railway Station where she bought a second-class AC ticket to Chennai on the Tamil Nadu Express from an agent who charged Rs 1 000 extra so she could travel without documents. She waited for the train for 12 hours buying an ice cream and a bottle of water in the meantime. I cried most of the night I was very sad. I couldn t think of anything else the girl said. She left on the train at 10 pm. In the meantime we complained to the police looked everywhere went to the Metro station and asked for CCTV footage. We couldn t find her her mother said. Around 11 pm police got information about the girl passing through Faridabad area. They told me the next day that they would be able to help me Peter said. At 4.30 am the girl sent a message to her mother: Mama don t worry about me. I am in a safe place. We replied saying we will pick you up. We kept sending messages but she didn t reply. Police then had an idea to tell her that her father was very unwell Peter said. Meanwhile Peter s employer had got in touch with the Railways Minister. She was finally traced to Bhopal. Police took a photo of her and sent it to us. When we identified her police said we could come to pick her up or they would bring her by train. My employer paid for air tickets so we could get her home she said. Now united with her family Anais is trying not to stress about exams. I went off in a train and I came back in a plane she jokingly told her mother. For all the latest Delhi News download Indian Express App More Related News Alliance with BJP still on but will fight for Andhra Pradesh s rights: TDP India France boost defence ties new confidentiality agreement among 14 pacts signed Tags: Narendra Modi No Comments.
New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi had a busy day on International Women s Day sending personalised letters to nearly 400 eminent women from politics sports industry and Bollywood including among others PT Usha and Anju Bobby George. Modi mentioned about the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme and the one crore Anganwadi workers to whom he made personalised phone calls. Sharing these details government officials said the PM wrote another 1500 personal letters to Chief Ministers Chief Secretaries Principal Secretaries and District Collectors on International Women s Day. In both these sets of letters the PM spoke about the success of the BBBP scheme as well as the POSHAN Abhiyaan which he launched on Wednesday from Rajasthan. In these letters the PM lauded the officials for their efforts in making the BBBP a success due to which the movement has been expanded to 640 districts. He also sought support for the success of POSHAN Abhiyaan and BBBP. In letters to the 400 eminent women the PM invited the woman achievers to support both the campaigns as they are aimed at women empowerment and are in sync with his vision of participate governance a government official said. Women politicians and MPs from opposition parties like BJD s Sakuntala Laguri BJD s Rita Tarai TRS s K. Kavitha and TMC s Ratna De were also sent letters written by the PM. Modi also reached out to 1.04 crore Asha and Anganwadi workers across the country through a personalised phone call the official said. On Twitter the PM re-tweeted some posts running with the hastag #SheInspiresMe and followed about 40 women who are active on social media officials added. The PM had earlier asked people on social media to write about women who have inspired them using the #SheInspiresMe hashtag.
GUWAHATI: The central government follows cooperative federalism in letter and spirit without worrying about which party is in power in a state Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday. People do not belong to party; they belong to the country and the government at the Centre is committed to cooperative federalism to ensure their wellbeing the PM said in Agartala where Biplab Deb was sworn in as the head of the first BJPled government in Tripura. Jishnu Dev Varma took oath as the deputy chief minister at a ceremony on the Assam Rifles ground that was also attended by BJP chief Amit Shah union home minister Rajnath Singh senior BJP leader LK Advani and the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states. Narendra Chandra Debbarma Ratan Lal Nath Sudip Roy Barman Pranjit Singha Roy Manoj Kanti Deb Mevar Kumar Jamatia and Santana Chakma took oath of office as ministers. Debbarma and Jamatia are from the Indigenous People s Front of Tripura BJP s ally in the government. Left Front leaders boycotted the ceremony to protest against alleged violence in the state after the BJP won the polls. But former chief minister Manik Sarkar attended the event. Some elections carve a niche in the history and people tend to talk about that for a long time and the Tripura election is one such election where new analysis will keep emerging the PM said. I have visited Northeast India over 25 times in last four years which is more than all Prime Ministers put together in last 70 https://weheartit.com/kkdigital years. I am happy that the efforts made in the last four years are bearing results. There is lot of opportunities in Northeast India. Stating that Diwali has revisited Tripura Modi said Light of development has come to Tripura. There is new hope and new aspiration. Seeking cooperation of opposition MLAs Modi said Those MLAs in opposition are experienced and the MLAs of ruling party are young fresh and full of aspiration. I hope Tripura will attend new heights. North-eastern elections this time was discussed in every corner of the country people were waiting for the results. Through this election every Indian got an opportunity to express what they feel for Northeast India. This is a welcome move. People outside want to know about Northeast India. He said the government at the Centre believed in development good governance people s participation and participatory democracy. BJP president Shah said the party would strive to fulfil the hopes and aspiration of the people and ensure Tripura develops as a model state .