Stooge .... sycophancy ..... !! Or both 'playing' in the hands of 'deep state' ??? ::::: Settle issues of 1971 war - Bangladesh's Md Yunus to Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif .....

Does he want to 'merge' the two wings ... east and the west ?

Pathetic tone and gesture of a man who is supposed to represent his country - 'desh' !!

Settle issues of 1971 war: Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus to Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif

Bangladesh's interim Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, met Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif during the D-8 Summit in Egypt, urging resolution of grievances from the 1971 war while discussing trade, culture, and bilateral cooperation. 

What is there to settle and how ??  

According to a statement from the office of the Chief Adviser, Yunus emphasised the importance of resolving the longstanding issues stemming from Dhaka's 1971 bloody separation from Islamabad. These historical grievances, he noted, have repeatedly hindered progress in bilateral relations.  

Bangladesh's interim leader Yunus, met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Egypt's Cairo.

He had "agreed to strengthen relations" with Islamabad. 

The two leaders engaged in high-level talks on the sidelines of the D-8 summit in the Egyptian capital.

Bangladesh, once a part of Pakistan, and after much torture and high handedness by the west Pakistani leaders and military, it split from the country in a deadly 1971 war with the help of  India.  

Under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League, Bangladesh consistently demanded a formal apology from Pakistan for the atrocities and genocide committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

However, the political landscape appears to have shifted, with the interim government in Dhaka adopting a stance that suggests a growing closeness to Pakistan.

In response, Prime Minister Sharif expressed optimism about enhancing the relationship between Pakistan and Bangladesh and stressed the need for a strategic partnership, describing Bangladesh as a "brotherly country".

"We are really looking forward to strengthening our relationship with our brother-in-country, Bangladesh," Sharif stated during the meeting. The Prime Minister also extended an invitation to Professor Yunus to visit Pakistan in the near future.

Both leaders men "agreed to strengthen relations between the two countries through increased trade, commerce, and exchange of sports and cultural delegations", as per the statement from Yunus' office.

Namo style impresses NRI family in Kuwait : PM meets 101-year-old ex-IFS officer

PM meets 101-year-old ex-IFS officer in Kuwait after granddaughter's request

PM Modi's historic Kuwait visit saw a touching moment as he met 101-year-old former IFS officer Mangal Sain Handa, fulfilling a social media request by the latter's granddaughter.

Notably, Modi's Kuwait visit, the first by an Indian prime minister in 43 years, was on the invitation of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. 

Modi also interacted with the Indian community in Kuwait on Saturday, Dec 21. 

The Prime Minister had a heartfelt meeting with 101-year-old Mangal Sain Handa, a former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer. 

The interaction was made possible following a social media appeal by Handa's granddaughter.

“It's an honour to receive a response from you, sir! 

You've won our hearts once again. Nanaji @MangalSainHanda is overjoyed, and his smile means the world to us. We're deeply grateful for this kind gesture,” said Shreya Juneja on X.

Known for his popularity among the Indian diaspora, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (Dec 21) won hearts on social media by promising to meet a Kuwait-based retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, albeit, on the request of his granddaughter.

Shreya Juneja had sent a request to Modi to meet her 101-year-old grandfather, Mangal Sain Handa, an ex-IFS officer, during his visit to Kuwait.

Though she wasn’t sure of getting a positive response, a reply from PM Modi, who loves to give a personal touch to his engagement with the Indian diaspora during foreign visits, left her overjoyed.

“It's an honour to receive a response from you, sir! ......," Ms Shreya Juneja on X.

Earlier, accepting her request for meeting Handa, PM Modi had communicated on X, 

“Absolutely! I look forward to meeting @MangalSainHanda Ji in Kuwait today.”

Ex-IFS officer Handa served in Kuwait, the UK, Iraq, China, Argentina, and Cambodia, before retiring about four decades ago. One X user said, “That’s the level of connect PM has with people who may never have thought of meeting Bharat’s PM by writing to him on social media.”

Envious of Shreya’s success in reaching the PM, many other social media users on X sent in requests to her to share contact details of PM Modi with her.

Modi’s plans to engage with the Indian diaspora come in the backdrop of his crucial visit to Kuwait, which aims to strengthen bilateral relations and address issues concerning Indian expatriates, especially following the Mangaf building fire incident.

At least 46 Indian workers were killed on June 12 when a residential building in Mangaf in Kuwait's Ahmadi Governorate as gutted. 

There were 196 migrant workers in the building at the time of the incident and 50 out of these were killed and 50 injured.

PM Modi’s landmark two-day visit to Kuwait, starting Saturday, marks the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Gulf nation in 43 years. The trip, undertaken at the invitation of the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, underscores the deep and growing ties between the two countries.

On Sept 4, 2023, PM had greeted Handa on his 100th birthday.

 

Handa then had  thanked the Prime Minister for his gesture, stating, "My heartfelt gratitude to our hon'ble @PMOIndia @narendramodi for sending his kind wishes on my 100th birthday. It has been worth living for 100 years to witness India grow under his leadership".

ends 

Mission Delhi ??? ED gets Lt Governor's sanction to prosecute Arvind Kejriwal

Citing a Supreme Court ruling, the ED had sought sanction for prosecution of former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED has obtained sanction from Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena for the prosecution of Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case.

The development comes weeks ahead of the crucial Delhi Assembly elections, where the AAP is aiming to secure a fourth term.  

The Supreme Court last month ruled that public servants cannot be prosecuted for money laundering without prior approval from the government, as required under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). 

Earlier, prosecution sanction was not needed for chargesheets (prosecution complaints) filed by the ED against public servants. 

It was mandated for other investigative agencies, like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and state police.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED and the CBI on March 21 and June 26, respectively, in the money laundering and corruption cases stemming from the alleged excise policy scam. 

He has been granted bail by the Supreme Court in both the cases.

"George Soros a benefactor of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation" ::::: Now, Union Minister Hardeep Puri & Congress MP Tharoor fight it out over a 2009 dinner where Soros also attended !!

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri says George Soros's name was included in the 2009 list of guests as he "was among the benefactors of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, and the Minister of State (Tharoor) was keen to meet him".

"Since there is so much unhealthy curiosity about this tweet, I knew Mr Soros well in my UN days as an upstanding international-minded resident of New York. 

"He was a friend in the social sense: I have never received or solicited a penny from him or any of his foundations for myself or any institution or cause I supported," Shashi Tharoor wrote last Sunday. 

He had referred to his own 2009 tweet wherein he had said -- "Met my old friend Soros .....He is far more than an investor : a concerned world citizen".  (tweet of May 26th, 2009  meet)   

Former Minister of State for External Affairs Tharoor's remarks come at a time the BJP has been accusing top Congress leaders of colluding with George Soros to 'destabilise India'. 

Of course, the Congress has refuted the charge as baseless.

Tharoor clarified the two had very limited interactions, and that he had only met Soros once since the tweet — at a dinner hosted by Hardeep Singh Puri, then India’s Ambassador to the United Nations and now a BJP Minister.

"Amb Puri had invited a number of prominent Americans for a dinner discussion with me (and that was entirely appropriate). I have not been in touch with Mr Soros since," he said.  

Now BJP leader and Union Minister Puri has joined the issue stating -  

that Tharoor, who was then the Minister of State for External Affairs, met Soros in May 2009 and even tweeted about it. 

He also clarified that it was the only time he had met Soros, who has been in the eye of a storm in India after the BJP alleged a nexus between the US hedge fund tycoon and Sonia Gandhi.

"My friend Dr Shashi Tharoor ji, who was a student at St Stephen's College in DU when I was a member of the teaching faculty, had arrived in New York as MoS External Affairs shortly after I was posted as India's Ambassador and Permanent Representative at UN. 

I hosted him and his companion at a briefing breakfast on October 11, 2009, and then for dinner on the evening of October 12, 2009," Puri said.  

"Since I was just a few months old in the city then, but Dr Tharoor had spent considerable time in New York, I did not choose the list of invitees for the dinner. It was given to me by Minister Tharoor," he said.

"Apart from members of the diplomatic fraternity, I noticed the name of Soros in the list and I clearly remember bringing it up with the then Minister, who had also met him in May 2009 and even tweeted about it. That is the only time in my life when I met Soros," the Union Minister said.

Puri said it was clear that Soros's name was included in the list as he "was among the benefactors of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, and the Minister of State (Tharoor) was keen to meet him".

Tharoor has again countered and wrote:

"Our recollections differ, dear Hardeep. There were several guests present at your well-attended dinner whom i had never met before. But I am not objecting; it is entirely appropriate that on such an occasion the Indian Ambassador should have a guest-list spanning a wide cross-section of influential international and local opinion. 

I see no reason for either of us to disavow our contacts with anyone at the earlier stages of our lives in New York or Geneva". 

"Urban Naxals involved in Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi" :::::: Can Priyanka Gandhi Vadra get trapped in a court case ? ::::: BJP’s Wayanad candidate moves court challenging Priyanka’s election

The National Commission for Women urged swift action following BJP MP Phangnon Konyak's allegations against Rahul Gandhi, calling the incident an affront to women parliamentarians' dignity. 

Rahul Gandhi and Congress deny the claims. 

NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar expressed grave concern over the matter, stating that Parliament should exemplify respect and equality.

The NCW described the incident as a “direct affront” to the dignity and rights of women parliamentarians and it called for strong measures to ensure such conduct does not go unchecked.

BJP’s Wayanad candidate moves Kerala HC challenging Priyanka’s election

With brother Rahul Gandhi already entangled in a high profile police case vis-a-vis fracas in Parliament and injury of two BJP MPs; will now Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also get trapped in a court case?

    

Navya Haridas, the BJP candidate who lost to Congress candidate Priyanka Gandhi in the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll held on November 13, filed a petition on Friday before the Kerala High Court, challenging her election.

Haridas has alleged that Priyanka has not given the correct statement of assets that she and her family own. So the prayer being appropriate action should be taken for the violation of the norms of the Election Commission of India.   

Ms Haridas had finished third polling 1,09,939 votes while Priyanka Gandhi clinched her electoral victory with a commanding margin of 4,10,931 votes.

The Congress candidate had polled 6,22,338 votes while former CPI legislator Sathyan Mokeri had finished second with 2,11,407 votes.

Of course in more ways than one Priyanka's debut into parliamentary politics has been taken in Congress circle as a major political development in solidifying the Congress' presence in Kerala and revamping Congress fortunes at the national level.

Priyanka's victory margin has been better than that of Rahul Gandhi of 3.60 lakhs votes which he got in Lok Sabha general election earlier this year.

Of course, Rahul's victory margin in 2019 was 4.30 lakh votes.

The bypoll was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat earlier this year and decided to retain the Rae Bareily seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Priyanka’s victory marks a significant moment in her political journey, coming nearly 20 years after she first campaigned for her mother, Sonia Gandhi, in Raebareli and her brother in Amethi during the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

Devendra Fadnavis's big claim: 'Urban Naxals' involved in Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo yatra 

New Maharashtra chief  minister also said the 'urban Naxals' held a meeting in Kathmandu in November, just ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, to trigger unrest in the state.

Fadnavis said the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had started a probe into the use of "terror funds" in the elections, asserting that there was "evidence of foreign interference".

"On November 15, a meeting was held in Kathmandu that was attended by some organisations which took part in the (Rahul Gandhi-led) Bharat Jodo Yatra and issues like opposing EVMs, and introduction of ballot papers in Maharashtra and BJP-ruled states were discussed," the Chief Minister told the Assembly.

Rahul Gandhi went on a cross-country foot march ahead of the Lok Sabha election twice to garner support for the Congress.

Fadnavis further claimed that 40 of the 180 outfits that took part in Rahul Gandhi's yatra were named as frontal organisations by former Home Minister RR Patil during the Congress-NCP government.

"On February 18, 2014, during the Manmohan Singh government, the Centre mentioned 72 frontal organisations in the Lok Sabha, out of which 7 were part of the Bharat Jodo Yatra," he further said.

"Mind your language .." :: Anti-India comments from Radical Bangladeshi leaders on Vijay Diwas condemned by India :: Controversial Facebook remarks deleted

 

MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday that while India has repeatedly signalled interest in fostering relations with the people and the interim government of Bangladesh, some anti-India remarks and comments underline the need for 'responsibility' in public articulation.  

"We have registered our strong protest on this issue with the Bangladesh side. We understand that the post being referred to has reportedly been taken down," Jaiswal said here. 

He reminded officials in the neighbouring country to be "mindful of their public comments".

Asif Nazrul, law adviser to Muhammed Yunus, "strongly protested" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message, calling India just an ally in the victory.

"I strongly protest. December 16, 1971, was the day of Bangladesh's victory. India was an ally in this victory, nothing more," Asif Nazrul wrote on Facebook. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a statesman-like posting on X on Dec 16th 

"Today, on Vijay Diwas, we pay heartfelt tributes to all the brave heroes who dutifully served India in 1971, ensuring a decisive victory. 

Their valour and dedication remain a source of immense pride for the nation. 

Their sacrifice and unwavering spirit will forever be etched in people's hearts and our nation's history. India salutes their courage and remembers their indomitable spirit," PM Modi posted.

Another Bangladeshi leader called the 1971 battle as "Bangladesh's Liberation War". 

Hasnat Abdullah, who had earlier called for banning Isckon and called for the hanging of jailed Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu, also criticised PM Modi's congratulatory post on Vijay Diwas.

"This is Bangladesh's Liberation War. The war was fought for Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan. 

But Modi has claimed that it was solely India's war and achievement. In doing so, they've completely ignored the existence of Bangladesh," Abdullah posted on Facebook on Monday.

** You may refer to my old blog ...

Blog Link

(In fact one regular patron of the blog 

Sadaiv Vidyarthi had flayed Bangladeshi leaders for their unwarranted remarks.

"There are times when some people (who were unheard of in politics) want to condemn a Stronger Personality in order to Gain Media Mileage. This desperate effort of Asif Nazrul appears to be same.

He has forgotten what atrocities & indifferences have the Bangladeshi people faced as East Pakistanis by the West Pakistanis (the so called Fair People - Fair in Colour as well as Stature, leading to false sense of self-supremacy)." - Sadaiv Vidyarthi 

Year Ender Satire :: Who is Newsmaker 2024 in Nagaland ?

 Year Ender Satire 

Who is Newsmaker 2024 ? 

BJP MP Phangnon Konyak, CM Rio or a 'faceless' letter writing pal?

New Delhi 

"Goodbye 2024 and anything called Past.....,

This is neither a satire nor a fictional tale; yet it's both.

Before I could share my Doubts in the form of a question as an old school inquisitive journo, I ought to refer to what my friend says -

"Actually there is a lot to learn from Americans....Their experience and where they have landed. After swinging to the political right for decades ... Are Americans swinging towards the Left ? And still they elected Donald Trump who is sending back 18,000 Indians".

This friend of mine is a Naga. His first name could start with G, H, K ... anything. His surname is kept withheld as that was the sole pre-condition.

He has never been a faultless fellow as his reputation with me stood.

Of course, among all the traits, he is a candid talker. 

To my question about his expectations from the year 2025 -- he said, "I am one of those few blessed individuals who has more than 20 Prime Ministers including one Chief Minister and one Pradhan Mantri in Delhi .... and yet I am hardly happy. As the year goes by, I feel like saying 'Goodbye gentleman, good riddance' too".

I asked him - why so much "pessimism".

'Nagaland Page'

He responded: "Well, we have more than 20 Prime Ministers - most of them being Ato Kilonsers....(from different Naga militant groups) and on top of that, there is a Chief Minister at Kohima and yet another 'Gujarati Pradhan Mantri' in Delhi".

He could be displeased due to the "luxury of taxes" he has to cough out.

Then, there is GST from Delhi too.

Phangnon Konyak : Lawmaker taking on Mighty Rahul Gandhi 

"I will write a common open letter to all my Prime Ministers and Ato Kilonsers...", he says.

Just as he left me wondering if this 'faceless' man should be my Newsmaker of the year 2024; we heard about S Phagnon Konyak, who has taken on mighty Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

The Rajya Sabha MP is also the second Naga woman parliamentarian after Rano Shaiza. The answers to multiple questions on the Phangnon-Rahul episode remain in the womb of time. 

Another man gives a competition for the prize. NPF veteran Chubatemjen Ao has called

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio - the 'Horn' of Nagaland. 

Rio also deserves to be our Newsmaker.  In 2023,he returned to power. By Sept 12th, 2024 - he discovered a creative sense and pushed for a new interlocutor to resolve the Naga issue.

By Nov 22-23, there was a grand snub from Delhi's 'mota-bhai Amit Shah'. No offence meant - Mota Bhai in Gujarati means elder brother.

Rio : Suited but 'traditional' 

To name a Newsmaker may not be an easy job. 

In film 'Doubt' Meryl Streep says so candidly - Every easy choice today will have its consequences tomorrow.

In Nagaland today, the biggest challenge is -- Life is like a ticking clock -- slower than time. 

We keep hearing phrases -- journey in uncharted waters, this suggestion is Utopian and in a veil of democracy. We try to understand these according to our own requirements.

I am cautious. About 2025, I am not sure of anything. In fact, let us be guided by Franz Kafka's counseling -- “It’s only because of their stupidity that they’re able to be so sure of themselves". 

Let us not be stupid. 

Youngsters are a generation of empowered individuals. Where is your progressive agenda ? 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 

 

ends

Blogger and an Angami Naga friend : Grounded !