RSS mouthpiece queers pitch, bats for Narendra Modi as PM candidate

June 5, 2012

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New Delhi, June 5: Days after he was supposed to have been pulled up by BJP mouthpiece Kamal Sandesh for being a man in hurry, Narendra Modi received a shot in the arm with another Sangh Parivar publication, Organiser, saying that only the Gujarat CM has the potential to catapult the party to power single-handedly, just like Atal Bihari Vajpayee did in the 1990s.

An article in the latest issue of the RSS' mouthpiece in English describes the controversial CM as "by far the most popular leader in the country", who as BJP's mascot for 2014 parliamentary polls has the ability to expand the BJP's appeal and vote base across the country much like Atal Bihari Vajpayee did in the 1990s.

Although the write-up by psephologist GVL Narasimha Rao contrasts with the criticism in Kamal Sandesh as well as RSS' Hindi weekly Panchajanya, sources in the Organiser said that the endorsement for the Gujarat strongman in its latest issue mirrors the official stance of the publication. "We have been consistently praising his achievements in Gujarat and the decision to publish the article should be seen in that light," said a source.

The view is significant because BJP has shied away from spelling out its choice for PM, and because of the assessment in the political circles that the projection of Modi as the candidate for the top job is going to gain momentum and may become virtually unstoppable if he wins the assembly polls slated to be held later this year.

Will swing votes in BJP's favour

The Organiser article takes head on all the arguments marshaled by those who feel that Modi's projection will hurt the BJP; chiefly that tagging the hardliner as the prime ministerial candidate would further undercut its already restricted social appeal and putting off NDA allies like Bihar CM Nitish Kumar who hope to win over the Muslim vote.

Rao builds his case by saying that while there is nationwide anger against Congress, this alone cannot guarantee BJP-led NDA's return to power at the Centre. He stresses that NDA is a major political force only in 272 of the Lok Sabha seats, leaving Left and regional parties as the likely beneficiaries of erosion in Congress's support in the rest of the 545 Lok Sabha constituencies.

He argues that the limitation can be overcome by projecting a strong leader "whose appeal transcends state boundaries" , and who "would give BJP's campaign a nationwide momentum and help it make substantial gains even in non-BJP strongholds".

Citing the successes of VP Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee whose leadership galvanized the anti-Congress mood and led the party to lose even in its stronghold, the advocacy for Modi in the RSS journal says that the Gujarat CM as the leader of BJP would benefit the party in UP, and help it win seats even in states like Odisha and Haryana.

It also joins issue with the argument that Modi's projection will scare away allies, channeling the view of the Hindutva hardliners in BJP that finding partners will not be a problem so long as the party is seen as a winning ticket. "The number of BJP allies grew between 1996 and 1999 principally because regional parties saw an accretion in their strength owing to the incremental role that Vajpayee had delivered to them. The same would work for the BJP at the helm," it says.

The timing of the article is also significant, coming just after RSS decided to mend its rift with the Gujarat CM by giving into his demand to remove his bete noire from BJP's national executive. As part of the bargain, Modi has come out in the support of BJP chief Nitin Gadkari, who is widely seen as the RSS appointee.

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News Network
November 21,2024

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Shares of Adani Group companies lost about $28 billion in market value in morning trade on Thursday after US prosecutors charged the billionaire chairman of the Indian conglomerate in an alleged bribery and fraud scheme.

Gautam Adani's flagship company Adani Enterprises tumbled 23 per cent, while Adani Ports, Adani Total Gas, Adani Green, Adani Power, Adani Wilmar and Adani Energy Solutions, ACC , Ambuja Cements and NDTV fell between 20 per cent and 90 per cent.

Adani group's 10 listed stocks had a total market capitalisation of about $141 billion at 0534 GMT, compared to $169.08 billion on Tuesday.

US authorities said Adani and seven other defendants, including his nephew Sagar Adani, agreed to pay about $265 million in bribes to Indian government officials to obtain contracts expected to yield $2 billion of profit over 20 years, and develop India's largest solar power plant project.

Adani Green in a statement on Thursday said the US Justice Department had issued a criminal indictment against board members Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani and the Securities and Exchange Commission had issued a civil complaint against them.

The US Justice Department also included Adani Green board member Vneet Jaain in the criminal indictment, it said.

Adani Green's units had decided not to proceed with the proposed US dollar denominated bond offerings due to developments, it added.

"Investors will shy away from Adani Group stocks ... and that's what this sharp selling is signifying," said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice president of retail equities research at SMC Global Securities.

"This could hurt the credibility of the group and maybe borrowing costs will rise," he said.

The indictment comes nearly two years after US shortseller Hindenburg Research alleged that Adani had improperly used tax havens and was involved in stock manipulation, allegations the conglomerate denied.

Also in early Asian trading on Thursday, Adani dollar bonds slumped, with prices down 3c-5c on bonds for Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone. The falls were the largest since the Adani Group came under a short-seller attack in February 2023.

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News Network
November 12,2024

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The Taliban regime has appointed Ikramuddin Kamil as the acting consul in the Afghan mission in Mumbai, Afghan media has reported.

It is the first such appointment made by the Taliban set up to any Afghan mission in India.

There was no immediate comment from the Indian side on the appointment that came.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan has announced the appointment of Kamil as the acting consul in Mumbai, the Taliban-controlled Bakhtar News Agency reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources.

"He is currently in Mumbai, where he is fulfilling his duties as a diplomat representing the Islamic Emirate," it said.

The appointment is part of Kabul's efforts to strengthen diplomatic ties with India and enhance its presence abroad, the media outlet said

Kamil holds a PhD degree in international law and previously served as the deputy director in the department of security cooperation and border affairs in the foreign ministry, it said.

He is expected to facilitate consular services and represent the interests of Afghanistan in India, the report added.

Kamil's appointment comes days after the external affairs ministry's point-person for Afghanistan held talks with the Taliban's acting defence minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, in Kabul.

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister for political affairs, also posted on X about Kamil's appointment.

The appointment of Kamil is seen as part of efforts to facilitate consular services to the Afghan population in Mumbai.

There has been almost negligible presence of diplomatic staff at the Afghan missions in India.

Most of the diplomats appointed by the Ashraf Ghani government have already left India.

In May, Zakia Wardak, the seniormost Afghan diplomat in India, resigned from her position after reports emerged that she was caught at the Mumbai airport for allegedly trying to smuggle 25 kg of gold worth Rs 18.6 crore from Dubai.

Wardak had taken charge as the acting ambassador of Afghanistan to New Delhi late last year, after working as the Afghan consul general in Mumbai for more than two years.

She took charge of the Afghan embassy in New Delhi last November, after the mission helmed by then ambassador Farid Mamundzay announced its closure.

Mamundzay, who was an appointee of the Ghani government, had moved to the United Kingdom.

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November 11,2024

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The Manipur Kuki MLAs have released a statement calling out Solicitor General Tushar Mehta's 'lies' in the Supreme Court. In a joint statement, the MLAs, including those from the Bharatiya Janata Party, said they had not had any meeting with the Chief Minister since May 3, 2023, nor did they intend to meet him in the future as “he was the mastermind behind the violence”.

As per the MLAs, the SG lied about state CM N Biren Singh speaking to Kuki MLAs to control the situation there, in order to halt a Supreme Court probe into the leaked tapes which allege that Singh has been complicit in the violence that broke out between Kukis and Meitis there.

"We...clarify that we have never had any meeting with Chief Minister, Shri N. Biren Singh since May 3, 2023, nor have any intention to meet him in future as he is the mastermind behind the violence and ethnic cleansing of our people from the Imphal valley, which is continuing till today, the latest being the brutal killing and burning of Mrs Zosangkim Hmar on November 7, 2024," the letter read, while condemning the recent 'barbaric' killing of the woman there, and noting the SG's assertion is 'tantamount' to misleading the top court.

“We, the undersigned ten MLAs, have come to know that during the Supreme Court hearing held on November 8, 2024, the Solicitor General of India submitted that ‘CM is meeting all Kuki MLAs and trying to bring the situation down to get peace’. In this connection, we hereby categorically state that this submission is a blatant lie and tantamount to misleading the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” the statement said.

The Supreme Court, while hearing a petition by a Kuki organisation, asked that it submit audio tapes to substantiate its claim that the Chief Minister was instrumental in inciting and organising violence in the northeastern State.

Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta orally informed the court that the Chief Minister was meeting all the Kuki-Zo MLAs and that peace in the State had come at a huge cost.

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