Speaker disapproves members rushing into Well, vows to protect interest of 'single MP'

New Delhi, Jun 21 The new Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday said it is his solemn responsibility to protect the rights of the members and even a single member will be given time and privilege to raise their concern.
"Things will not be decided based on numbers. The merit of the matters will not be decided by number game. Even if a single member of the House is making a point, his views will be heard. This is what I tried today," Mr Birla said in his first media interaction.

The Speaker's reference was to the first day proceedings as presiding officer when at the request of AIMIM member Asaduddin Owaisi, the division was conducted in the House which voted to decide on the introduction of the much talked about Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019.

The Speaker categorically disapproved the practice of members trooping into the well of the House or displaying of placards. "Raising of Zindabad, Murdabad slogans and displaying of placards can be done outside the House," said Mr Birla, who as second time MP from Kota in Rajasthan was unanimously elected as the Speaker on June 19.




Mr Birla maintained that in the highest tradition of the good office he has inherited was once graced by the likes of G V Mavalankar, he would strive to ensure justice for all members irrespective of their party affiliataions.



He said the importance of Standing Committees and their recommendations ought to be appreciated more and efforts will be made to bring about overall improvement in the functioning of the House by emulating the best practices of parliamentary democracy in other legislative bodies of the world.

In this context, he said, the government should be also more accountable while it responds to member queries or issues raised by them.
"Indian democracy is best known for its transparency and accountability. Let us all strive to turn a new leaf in running the House without any disturbance or interruption," the Speaker said.

Answering a question, the Speaker justified the decision to allow introduction of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill in the House on Friday even without taking up the Motion of Thanks to President's address.


"All these are decided by the Business Advisory Committee. And when it comes to the business of running the House, rules get precedence over the convention," Mr Birla added.
Mr Birla said he would meet all 265 first time MPs so that they feel at ease in raising problems of their respective constituencies.

News Analysis: Politics seem to have come full circle for Chandrababu Naidu


New Delhi, Jun 20 The hands of clock seems to have taken a full 360 degrees turn around and the much acclaimed 'CEO' of Andhra Pradesh - N Chandrababu Naidu - has come at the receiving end.

Away in London on holidays, after his recent electoral rout both in the state assembly polls and also the parliamentary elections, Mr Naidu on Thursday got a major jolt as four of his MPs in the Rajya Sabha including onetime trusted aide YS Chowdary quit his outfit and joined the BJP.

Those who are aware of Andhra Pradesh politics see the development as 'coming of age' of what had happened way back in 1995 when Chandrababu Naidu himself staged a 'coup' against his father-in-law NT Rama Rao and took control over the TDP.

However, TDP is still under his control at the organisational and even 'rebel camp' says Mr Naidu is still the boss of his party - that was once founded by NT Rama Rao.

Politically Mr Naidu had suffered other setbacks for a decade between 2004 and 2014 when he was defeated by Congress in two consecutive polls, but there was absolutely no doubt about his control over TDP - a party floated by NT Rama Rao to highlight Telugu pride.

But on June 20 (Thursday), four of his MPs decided to quit the party and wasted no time in joining the BJP heaping praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and even calling the Modi government as 'the best platform' to serve the interest of the state.

For his part, Chandrababu Naidu is now on defensive and reportedly called up some senior leaders to check the crisis from getting further aggravated.

Sources said the former Chief Minister spoke to some of his confidants from abroad and enquired about the rebellion and also counseled them not to panic as  "such challenges" were not new to TDP.

Years back when he rebelled, Mr Naidu had said his revolt against NTR was justified as his father-in-law who had come under "evil - dusth shakti' influence - a reference to NTR's second wife, Lakshmi Parvati.

Later as a Chief Minister he projected himself as the 'CEO' of the state and tuned Hyderabad into an IT hub - the 'cyberabad'.

Mr Naidu has been critical of 2002 anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat and also quit NDA after he lost the polls in 2004.

However, in the run up to the 2014 parliamentary polls after Mr Modi was projected as 'PM-nominee' he came back to the NDA fold.

TDP was rewarded with two ministerial berths - and one of them who was made MoS Science and Technology was YS Chowdary, now a 'BJP turncoat'.

But in March 2018, Mr Naidu quit the NDA and became a vocal voice for third front politics and slammed Prime Minister and his government.

In 1996, it is said - Chandrababu Naidu 'declined' to take Prime Ministership even after legendary Jyoti Basu had offered the same on the ground that it would be 'a temporary job only'.

In Mumbai, he had told this correspondent some years back - "If I know my strength, I also know my weaknesses".

This was to drive home the point that declining the offer to be Prime Minister of United Front was not a mistake.

But politics is truly about so many ups and downs and Chandrababu knows it the best. He would now need to pull up his sleeves yet again and get ready for a bigger battle - fighting BJP in the centre and Y Jagan Mohan Reddy in his home state.

Namo-Shah magic: Inspired by PM's leadership, 4 TDP MPs join BJP

New Delhi, Jun 20 Within days of appointment of J P Nadda as the new working president of the party, BJP on Thursday staged a sort of a coup against TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu as four his rebel MPs joined the saffron outfit here.


Catching the TDP chief and the entire leadership and perhaps even the media unawares, four rebel TDP lawmakers in the Upper House led by former Union Minister Y S Chowdary adopted a formal resolution to quit the Andhra Pradesh-based party and decided to 'merge' the splinter group with the saffron party.

In a fast paced development on a day President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the Joint Sitting of Parliament, four dissident MPs - Y S Chowdary, C M Ramesh, Garikapati Mohan Rao and T G Venkatesh met here and adopted a resolution to write to the Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to allow the merger.

They also decided to write to BJP Chief Amit Shah to accept the merger. Acting quickly, all four rebel MPs rushed to BJP chief Amit Shah for his 'acceptance' and later called on the Vice President and Chairman of Rajya Sabha Mr Naidu.
Former minister Y S Chowdary and others in a resolution said the 'merger' of rebel wing of TDP Legislature Party can be done under the provisions of Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.

''TDP has six MPs in Rajya Sabha and four rebels make it two-third and that is why the merger is possible,'' Mr Chowdary said.

The rebel MPs met Mr Naidu in presence of BJP working president J P Nadda and Leader of the Rajya Sabha Thawar Chand Gehlot with an "acceptance" letter from the BJP allowing the merger.

Addressing a press conference at party headquarters, ironically his first since elevation as BJP working president, a beaming Mr Nadda welcomed the TDP rebel MPs and said: "For quite sometime now, the TDP MPs were impressed with the dynamic leadership provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They also appreciated organisational skills of Amit Shah".

"Impressed by their works and for development of Andhra Pradesh on positive note, they have decided to merge with the BJP,'' he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Y S Chowdary was all praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the decision to quit TDP and join BJP has been taken in the "larger interest" of the people of Andhra
Pradesh.

Mr Chowdary along with the then Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju had quit the Modi government in March 2018 when N Chandrababu Naidu led TDP decided to break the alliance from NDA.

Chowdary also said the "mood of the nation" is with the Prime Minister and hence the decision has been taken.

As BJP pulls up sleeves to fight Trinamool, Congress leaders too target Mamata

New Delhi, Jun 13 As the stage is set for a crucial all-party meeting convened by Governor
Keshari Nath Tripathi in Kolkata, the violent confrontation between Trinamool Congress and BJP
shows that the people of the state and politics itself has been 'polarised politically'.

One part of the electorate supports the Mamata Banerjee-led outfit and another the Lotus party, but according to Congress leaders most of it is the "doing" of Mamata Banerjee herself as over the last two years she "weakened both the Congress and the Left by poaching leaders and workers of the opposition parties".

The result is that now her party is 'facing difficulty' in terms of saving its own turf, especially after a large number of Trinamool workers and leaders in rural and block levels are "shifting" towards the saffron camp, they say.Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said on Wednesday: "Didi khub chalaki korey Bangali aar Obangali bibhajan korar chesta korchhey (Mamata Banerjee is gradually and cleverly leading the state politics for a division between Bengalis and non Bengalis)".His reference is to ongoing political one-upmanship between the Trinamool and the BJP.

Prior to him Somen Mitra, West Bengal Congress president, has said that the sheer "minority appeasement" of Mamata Banerjee has led to the rise of pro-Hindutva politics in the state helping BJP in the long run.

Such has been BJP's rise in the recent months and its 18 MPs' win in the parliamentary polls - that the party's 'well known weaknesses - poor organisational structure and absence of a state-level face' in the eastern state are no longer being discussed.Emboldened by the massive victory - just four short of Trinamool's tally of 22, the saffron party leaders both in the state and at the central level are now asserting that they will be able to overthrow the Trinamool Congress government 'even before' the 2021 assembly polls.The BJP leaders involved in party's functioning in West Bengal - known for Left-Marxism ideological base politics for decades - realise it well that things have changed.
"We will keep mounting pressure on Mamataji as she has shown being vulnerable to electoral setback. Our performance would not have been as good as it has turned out to be but for the shift of the traditional pro-Left voters who came to the BJP," said a senior party functionary.Leaders such as Arvind Menon, Kailash Vijayvargiya and Shiv Prakash were involved in campaigning and effective planning to bring about such a drastic turnaround in Bengal politics."Hard work and silent but result oriented works involving Sangh outfits have yielded initial success. Now we have to push it further. It will be erroneous to underestimate Mamata Banerjee although as various post poll surveys have still claimed over 62 -64 per cent of people said they were "satisfied" with the performance of the Mamata Banerjee," cautioned one BJP leader.
However, others say such studies may have faults also as some research by local media organisations have shown that nearly 42 per cent of the respondents preferred Narendra Modi to continue as Prime Minister.The BJP strategists also feel that the marginalisation of Left and Congress has only made the political contest in the state bipolar and hence - they say - "the intensity of political competition and search for relevance has sidelined ideological considerations".

The voters in Bengal may not need hardcore 'pro-Hindutva core issues' - like Cow protection or Ram temple and the simple fact that BJP can 'replace' Mamata Banerjee and provide protection to the voters, would simply help the saffron party's cause. However, lot of works still ought to be done. The BJP leadership has already set up five political zones - Kolkata, Uttar Banga, Navadeep region, Hooghly-Midnapore and Murshidabad- Birbhum-Bankura region, sources said.

Caste factors to dominate while drawing BJP's future roadmap in UP

New Delhi, Jun 12 BSP supremo Mayawati' s revival journey winning 10 Lok Sabha seats in parliamentary polls as against none in 2014 does offer some challenges to BJP.The 'Modi magic' might have been a strong force in Lok Sabha polls, but when it comes to day-to-day management of party affairs in country's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, the BJP strategists are certainly to give weightage to socio-political factors before drawing up plans for organisational polls.
This indication was given by a section of the party a day before BJP national president Amit Shah meets senior leaders and office bearers on Thursday to kickstart the process of organisational polls,  from booth to mandal, district and state level polls and at the central level for party positions.

"It will be six-month long drawn programme and can extend up to December and finally we could have a new president or continue with Amit Shahji by January 2020," a party source told UNI.

The party leaders have already held a series of meetings on forthcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana. A section of leaders have indicated that the party's Jammu and Kashmir unit too has to get going for assembly polls expected by the year end as hinted by the Election Commission.

Sources said caste equations would be certain in play to work out party's future roadmap in Uttar Pradesh - which has yet again reposed faith in the saffron party sending 62 MPs to the Lower House of Parliament.

The party leaders are also scanning various media analyses especially post-poll surveys including

the seemingly credible CSDS-Lokniti Survey that shows among other things that BJP's hold over Brahmins, Kurmis and Koeris, the lower Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Jats and Rajputs were responsible for the saffron success tale.

Importantly, the BJP leaders have taken note that despite perception about Mahagatbandhan's failure, it is a "bitter truth" that Mayawati-led BSP has made a come back winning 10 Lok Sabha seats as against zero in 2014.

In 2012, the BSP vote share in assembly polls was 25.91 per cent and seats tally had come down to 80 from 206 in 2007.

In 2017 assembly polls, BSP vote share had declined to 22.23 per cent and number of seats nosedived to a modest 19.

"From caste equations factor, the poll results need closer study in UP. In 2019, BSP's vote share

dropped marginally to 19.26 from 19.77 per cent as in 2014, but it won 10 Lok Sabha seats. So, it was Akhilesh Yadav who paid the price of coming together with its bitter foe (BSP)," a key party leader told UNI.

The source further said - Samajwadi's vote share dropped from 22.35 to 17.96 per cent and its seats number

remained same as five.

In terms of next assembly elections in UP in 2022, all these caste factors would come into play - more so because such an electoral fray will not be for 'electing Narendra Modi as Prime Minister'.

Giving reference to post poll surveys, sources said one factor that contributed to SP's debacle was

shift of Muslim support base towards Congress. "Apparently, 15-16 per cent of Muslim vote share was cornered by the Congress and some of it about 7-8 per cent also came to BJP," they claimed.

The BSP, according to BJP strategists, also benefited due to the fact that most urban seats between SP and Mayawati's outfit were contested by Akhilesh Yadav's party.

In this context, they point out parliamentary constituencies such as Varanasi, Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Kanpur - these are essentially BJP bastions.

"We need to draw out plans at the ground level because both SP and BSP have their own respective strengths. SP has strong preference amongst Muslims and Yadavs while Jatavs (among Dalits) have stuck to BSP," the BJP source said.

Akhilesh Yadav's SP remains the 'first choice' of Muslims until  Congress "reinvents" itself and importantly, some Muslim voters went to BSP because of its friendship with Samajwadi.

Such minority voters were apparently reluctant in 2017 and 2014 because the Muslims also suspected Mayawati's  "deal making ability" with the BJP.

"If BJP has to continue with its prominent position, we have to ensure that SP must not enlarge its popularity beyond the Yadavs and Muslims," the source pointed out.

Modi on world stage: Pakistan not doing enough on terror

Bishkek, Jun 13 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday kicked off his first multilateral engagement after re-election with a rich haul of takeaways following interactions with the leaders of China and Russia on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit.
Prime Minister Modi told Chinese President Xi Jinping at the delegation-level talks in the Kyrgyzstan capital that ''We are committed to peaceful negotiations'' and that India has made efforts in this endeavour but ''these efforts have been derailed(by Pakistan).
''Prime Minister Modi informed President Xi that Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terrorism and at this stage we did not see this happening. Therefore, we expect Pakistan to take concrete actions on all the issues that India has proposed,'' Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told a media briefing here.

Mr Modi said, '' We have a consistent position with respect to Pakistan and discuss all issues through a peaceful bilateral mechanism".
Path ahead
Both Mr Modi and President Putin have identified oil link for deeper cooperation between the two nations, the FS added.
"This is an area which we feel, we should engage. And that process has started," he said, adding a delegation from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has already held discussions with Russian side.
"This is something which both the leaders felt we should take forward," Mr Gokhale said.
"Both the leaders also looked at the great opportunities at another area and that is using skilled Indian manpower for development of the far east region," he said adding it is vast but it is also under populated.
The FS added that plans are also afoot for India-Russia Inter Governmental Consultation which is headed by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar from the Indian side.

Defence cooperation

It is planned that there will be a Russia, India and China trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, this month-end.
Discussions between PM Modi and Russin leader Putin also touched on defence-related issues.
"Prime Minister Modi thanked President Putin for the quick response from Russia on 'Make in India' programme to manufacture Kalashnikov rifles in Amethi," Mr Gokhale said adding this is a project that was put up in record time.

The FS added, "In the process we move away from buyer seller relationship."


During the bilateral engagement, Mr Modi extended his gratitude to the Russian leadership for conferring its highest civilian award on him.
"The way you took up the project in Amethi, I am very grateful to you," he told the Russian president adding "it appeared you took personal interest.''
Mr Gokhale said it was a brief meeting but "very rich meeting in terms of content".
The next bilateral meeting between two sides will take place within two months, he said.
President Putin also invited Prime Minister Modi to be the main guest at Eastern Economic Forum meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, in early September. Mr Modi has accepted the invitation.

Sino-India ties at new high post-Wuhan, Modi tells Xi

Bishkek, Jun 13 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held delegation-level talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit here and told him that Sino-India relations had seen immense improvement since the Wuhan Informal Summit.

"There has been much improvement in our relations since Wuhan Informal Summit (in 2018). We have also become sensitive to each other's interests and concerns. We are also showing better understanding of each other's stance," Mr Modi said at the delegation-level talks.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Modi said, ''We are committed to peaceful negotiations'' and that India has made efforts in this endeavour but ''these efforts have been derailed(by Pakistan).

''Prime Minister Modi informed President Xi that Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terrorism and at this stage we did not see this happening. Therefore, we expect Pakistan to take concrete actions on all the issues that India has proposed,'' Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told a media briefing here.

At the outset, Mr Modi conveyed in advance his best wishes to the Chinese leader whose birthday falls on June 15, Saturday.

Wuhan spirit

The Chinese President congratulated Mr Modi for his party's landslide win in the just-concluded 17th Lok Sabha polls. Mr Modi thanked President Xi and reminded him that the Chinese leader had congratulated last month as well after the polls.

The first Informal Summit between Mr Modi and China's President was held in Wuhan in April last year.

Mr Gokhale said though a brief meeting it was ''very substantive'' and the atmosphere was very positive.''...the Wuhan spirit was very much present and this is the beginning of a series of meetings by both sides,'' he said, adding both the leaders expressed optimism about their next possible meeting at G20 Summit in Osaka in Japan.

Both Mr Modi and President Xi Jinping are expected to meet during the BRICS Summit and during the Informal Summit later this year in India. ''The venue and the timing has not been decided,'' he said about the Informal Summit.

Beginning

''This is the beginning of a process after the formation of the (Modi) government,'' Mr Gokhale said. The Foreign Secretary said the meeting should be seen in the larger context of relations between the two countries and in the Indo-Pacific context.
Answering questions, Mr Gokhale confirmed that issues pertaining to Pakistan also figured at the talks. ''There was a very brief discussion on Pakistan...as time was a constraint,'' he said.

Prime Minister Modi had said, '' We have a consistent position with respect to Pakistan and discuss all issues through a bilateral mechanism. We look for a peaceful settlement through negotiations.''

The Chinese leader is expected to visit India for the second Informal Summit with Mr Modi this year. Mr Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with Russia's Vladimir Putin and President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan on Thursday late evening.
He will attend an informal dinner to be hosted by Kyrgyz President Jeenbekov.The two-day SCO Council of Heads meeting will conclude on Friday.

Modi, Xi Jinping discuss China-US trade ties

Bikshek, Jun 13 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at their first bilateral engagement since the parliamentary elections in India on Thursday discussed on issues concerning the China-US trade relations.

"There was a general discussion on the global situation and obviously in that context, the issue of China-US relations have come up. But there was no time for a very detailed discussion on these matters," Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale later told reporters here.

He said the focus of the bilateral meeting has been to "reaffirm" that in the five-year term of the Modi government which coincidentally also closely matches with the term of the President Xi Jinping in his second term, "the two countries have a historic opportunity to move forward on a number of issues to address a number of problems".

Both the leaders were also sincere about taking the India-China relations to a "new level", the Foreign Secretary said.

"No detailed discussion took place," Mr Gokhale clarified adding a general directives have been given and it is for the officials on both sides to see how this can be taken forward.

The business prospects in China for American majors are at risk because the mainland is rapidly becoming less welcoming and profitable, amid dampened consumer confidence.

Mr Modi is here to attend the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.

Prime Minister Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with Russia's Vladimir Putin and President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan on Thursday late evening.

He will attend an informal dinner to be hosted by Kyrgyz President Jeenbekov.

The two-day SCO Council of Heads meeting will conclude on Friday.

PM Modi meets Afghan Prez, discusses bilateral issues

Bishkek, Jun 13 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening met Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and shared perspectives on the role played by India towards an inclusive peace process.

"Late night meeting between trusted friends. PM Narendra Modi met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on sidelines of SCO Summit in Bishkek. Shared perspectives on situation in Afghanistan, including the role played by India towards an inclusive peace process," MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

Earlier after his arrival here for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit, Mr Modi kicked off his first multilateral engagement since his re-election with a rich haul of takeaways following interactions with the leaders of China and Russia.

Prime Minister Modi told Chinese President Xi Jinping at the delegation-level talks in the Kyrgyzstan capital that - ''We are committed to peaceful negotiations'' and that India has made efforts in this endeavour but ''these efforts have been derailed (by Pakistan).

''Prime Minister Modi informed President Xi that Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terrorism and at this stage we did not see this happening. Therefore, we expect Pakistan to take concrete actions on all the issues that India has proposed,'' Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told a media briefing here.

Mr Modi said, '' We have a consistent position with respect to Pakistan and discuss all issues through a peaceful bilateral mechanism".

Both Mr Modi and Russian President Putin have identified oil link for deeper cooperation between the two nations, the FS said.

"This is an area which we feel, we should engage. And that process has started," he said, adding a delegation from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has already held discussions with Russian side.

India snubs Pak again: Hints at pushing its strong 'anti-terror' card at SCO Summit

Sushma denies being appointed as Governor of Andhra Pradesh

New Delhi, June 10 Senior BJP leader and former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday denied that she has been appointed as Governor of Andhra Pradesh.

"The news about my appointment as Governor of Andhra Pradesh is not true," Ms Swaraj tweeted.

In another tweet she wrote: "I called on the Vice President of India Shri Venkaiah Naidu ji on demitting office as Minister of External affairs. This was enough for Twitter to  appoint me as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh".
Ms Swaraj, a former Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and a senior lawmaker, did not contest this year's elections on health ground.

India snubs Pak again: Hints at pushing its strong 'anti-terror' card at SCO Summit

New Delhi, Jun 10 India on Monday chose to snub its Western neighbour yet again on terror front declining to confirm about a bilateral between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Imran Khan at the SCO Summit and also asserted that it will push its 'anti- terror' card strongly in the forum as well wherein Pakistan too is a member.
"Mein kisi desh keliye nahi kahoonga yehan. Lekin SCO mein jo hamey karna chahihey woh karenge (I will not speak about any specific country here, but in SCO as well we will do whatever is necessary to be done on terrorism issue," Secretary West in the MEA Gitesh Sarma told reporters here. 
He was answering a specific question whether India will continue to make efforts even in the SCO to 'isolate' Pakistan on the terror front.
"....As far as terrorism is an issue and that poses threat to all countries, so we will share our views and experience and push it forward," Mr Sarma said.
Both Mr Sarma and MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar did not confirm about the possibility of any bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan.

"Whatever we had to share (on possibility of Modi-Imran meet) we have said; to the best of my knowledge there is no meeting organised. There is nothing more that we can add at this stage," Mr Kumar told reporters here.

For his part, Mr Sarma said - "There will be bilateral meetings with China and Russia ....and there are other request also".
But he hastened to add that the requests will be processed taking into account "limited time".

Mr Sarma, however, did not confirm whether Pakistan has formally requested for time for bilateral engagement with Prime Minister Modi.

The bilateral relations between India and Pakistan had nosedived in February after Pulwama terror strike that killed 40 central security personnel.
The Indo-Pak relations also figured prominently during election campaign for parliamentary polls which Mr Modi-led BJP won securing 303 seats - a record in decades time.
During his first overseas visits to the Maldives and Sri Lanka since his re-election, Mr Modi made a strong point on terrorism and called for a global conference to deal with the menace and laid emphasis for 'focused action'.
On Sunday, Mr Modi has been the first foreign leader to visit Sri Lanka after the deadly Easter terror attacks in April.
After bilateral talks with Sri Lankan President Sirisena, Mr Modi tweeted - 

"President Sirisena and I agreed that terrorism is a joint threat that needs collective and focused action".

On Saturday, June 8, at the Maldives capital Male, the Prime Minister in his address to People's Majlis (Parliament) had called for a global meet to fight terrorism and terror sponsors.
Mr Modi also has asserted that there is a need for a global meet to discuss on terrorists and those who are supporting terrorism in the name of a good terrorist or a bad terrorist.
"I will expect the world bodies and especially the major global players that within a timeframe, a global conference be convened to discuss matters pertaining to terrorism. So that we can discuss all issues and loopholes that the terrorists and their supporters make use of," Mr Modi has said.
He underlined that the manner the world has shown determination to deal with the challenge of climate change, the same sincerity must be shown in dealing with terrorism too.

The strong words on terrorism and the sponsors to the menace from Prime Minister came amid reports that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has written letter to Mr Modi seeking to re-open the dialogue process.
It is worth mentioning that India under PM Modi has taken a firm stance that no talks can be carried out with Pakistan unless Islamabad takes convincing and irreversible steps to fight terror menace and against the terror hideouts and groups.

The SCO was created in April 1996. On 9 June 2017, at its Summit in Astana, India and Pakistan officially joined the forum as full members.

Modi to have bilateral meetings with Putin, Xi Jinping at SCO Summit

New Delhi, June 10 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the two day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit to be held from June 13 in Kyrgyzstan's Bishkek.

This was officially announced here by Gitesh Sarma, Secretary West in the Ministry of External Affairs here.

However, MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar maintained that there is "no meeting" which is being organised between Prime Minister Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan.

"whatever we had to share (on possibility of Modi-Imran meet) we have said; to the best of my knowledge there is no meeting organised. There is nothing more that we can add at this stage," Mr Kumar said.

Meanwhile, China on Monday heaped praise on Prime Minister Modi and congratulated him yet again for his recent electoral victory.

"Once again we congratulate Prime Minister Modi. President Xi and Prime Minister Modi are good friends. They had very successful Informal Summit at Wuhan (April) last year," Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Hanhui told media briefing in Beijing.

Mr Sarma said - "This will be first multi lateral Summit Prime Minister will be attending after the recent elections".

The Summit will be held on June 14 while the leaders are expected to arrive in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on June 13 itself.

"The SCO represents 42 per cent of the world population ....and 20 per cent of the world GDP," he said.

"It is a structured platform to engage with central Asian countries," the Secretary said adding terrorism, separatism and Afghanistan related issues are some major matters taken up by the forum.

"The Summit is structured to discuss global security situations, multi lateral economic cooperation, people to people and other topical issues," he said.

Prime Minister Modi will make his intervention during the council of heads meeting on June 14, Friday.

"There will be bilateral meetings with China and Russia ....and there are other request also," Mr Sharma said adding these will be processed taking into account "limited time".

On June 14, there will be India-Kyrgyzstan bilateral segment on the sidelines of the Summit.

"One thing we can say here is that there is consensus for Central Asia-India stronger ties," Mr Sarma said.

Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov, who is also SCO chairperson, attended the oath taking ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and his council of ministers in Delhi on May 30.

"We have a very active bilateral relationship with Kyrgyzstan," he said adding there have been several high level engagements and meeting of ministers from both sides too including a visit by PM Modi in 2015.

There will be also a business summit between FICCI and the business chambers of Kyrgyzstan.

Mr Sarma further said there is a possibility of India-Kyrgyzstan Textiles Exhibition on Thursday, June 13.

Answering questions about the bilateral engagements with China and Russia, MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar said, "These are formal bilateral meetings, but the agenda will net be revealed or discussed now".

To a question whether presence of Pakistan in the SCO will 'not derail' the forum as has been the case with SAARC in the past, Mr Sarma said: "There is an understanding in the SCO that there should be focus on SCO and there is greater scope of cooperation and contentious issues are not really pushed in a big way".

"While working with SCO, we have not really seen great scope for such initiative where contentious issues are pushed forward," Mr Sarma said.

He further said anti-terror issues are at the "hearts" of the SCO efforts and India is happy to be part of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the SCO.

However to a specific question, Mr Sarma said - "If you look at the past deliberations at SCO meet, terrorism does figure".

PM assures to help Maldives to protect its historic Masjid: Makes veiled attack on Pak

Male, June 8 (UNI) A day before his visit to Sri Lanka, that experienced an ugly terror strike in April,Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a veiled attack on Pakistan and said terrorism poses a major challenge globally and a lot of time has been wasted in the debate on a good or a  bad terrorist.

"The water is already rising above the danger level," Mr Modi said addressing People's Majlis-Parliament-of Maldives here.

"I will  expect the world bodies and especially the major global players that within a time frame, a global conference be convened to discuss matters pertaining to terrorism. So that we can discuss all issues and loopholes that the terrorists and their supporters make use of," Mr Modi said marking a significant note on his maiden overseas visit since his re-election.

He also said India will contribute to the conservation of Maldives' iconic Friday Mosque, a historic landmark made up of coral stones.

"There is no such mosque elsewhere in the world like this historical mosque - Maldives' Friday Mosque also known as Hukuru Miskiy- made up of coral," Prime Minister said.

Mr Modi will be the first international leader to visit Sri Lanka on Sunday after it was hit with an unprecedented terror strike and the Easter bombings that killed over 250 people, including 11 Indians.

Mr Modi was conferred by Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih with its highest honour for any foreign dignitary- the 'Rule of Nishan Izzuddeen'- on his maiden foreign visit after assumption of office for the second term.

This is the fourth such high ranking international award conferred on Modi after South Korea, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announcing its highest civilian award 'Order of Zayed' on the Prime Minister and such an honour from Russia in April.

On April 12, 2019 Mr Modi joined the illustrious club of noted Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Chinese President Xi Jinping and others when the Russian Federation conferred the prestigious Russian highest civilian award 'Order of Saint Andrew The Apostle' on him.

In October last year, Mr Modi was honoured with Seoul Peace Prize by South Korea.

A joint statement issued at the end of bilateral talks between Mr Modi and President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said India and the Maldives pledged to work on the importance of maintaining peace and  security in the Indian Ocean Region and set up  a Joint Working Group on counter terrorism, countering violent extremism and de-radicalisation.

Both sides agreed on the importance to maintain peace and security in the Indian Ocean Region.

Addressing the Maldivian Parliament, Mr Modi: "I want to emphasise that every Indian was with you for the strengthening of democracy in the Maldives".

He said he was happy that the Maldives was working towards sustainable development and has become a part of the International Solar Alliance.

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih thanked the Indian side for their offer to carry out restoration of the mosque by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Built in 1658, Friday Mosque is one of the oldest and most ornate mosques in the city of Male in Kaafu Atoll.

Mr Modi arrived in the Maldives on Saturday on his first two-day foreign visit after re-election as Prime Minister. He will also visit Sri Lanka on Sunday and these visits are aimed at strengthening the bilateral ties, reflecting the importance India attaches to its 'Neighbourhood First' policy.

The relations between India and the Maldives had suffered a setback after the then President Abdulla Yameen imposed emergency on February 5 last year. However, the ties are back on track under Solih's presidency. Mr Modi had attended swearing in ceremony of President Solih in November 2018.

"Today in Maldives, and in Majlis, I am very happy to be present among you. Majlis took the decision to invite me, in its first meeting after Mohamed Nasheed Ji became the speaker. Your gesture has touched the heart of every Indian," Mr Modi told the lawmakers.

"I am very happy that we have signed a deal on the ferry service between the two countries today," Prime Minister said.

Besides improving strategic ties, India is expected to extend support to the Maldives to construct a cricket stadium. Mr Modi also gifted a cricket bat to President Solih.

Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid exuded confidence that India-Maldives bilateral relationship will touch new heights and described Mr Modi's visit to the island nation as a 'momentous' occasion.

He averred,"No doubt, this (visit) will be a momentous visit that would elevate Maldives-India relationship to new heights".

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PM Modi presents cricket bat to 'friend' and Maldives Prez Solih

Male, Jun 8 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his maiden overseas visit to Maldives after elections on Saturday presented a cricket bat to the Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

"Connected by cricket. My friend, President Solih is an ardent cricket fan, so I presented him a cricket bat that has been signed by Team India  playing at the Cricket World Cup 2019," Prime Minister tweeted.

Both sides took part at the bilateral meeting.

Earlier in the day, Maldives President Solih announced conferring of highest honour accorded to foreign dignitaries, 'The Most Honourable Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddeen', on Mr Modi.

"President Solih has announced his decision to confer on PM of India Narendra Modi the Maldives highest honour accorded to foreign dignitaries, The Most Honourable Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddeen during PM’s visit today. Namaskar, Swagatham," Maldives Foreign Minister wrote on the micro blogging site.

The Prime Minister will also address Maldives parliament, People's Majlis.

PM wraps up visit to Maldives, Sri Lanka: Makes a strong point on fighting terror

Colombo, June 9 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday wrapped up his two day and maiden overseas visit since he took over after a massive mandate given to BJP-led NDA.

During his visit to the Maldives and Sri Lanka, Prime Minister made a strong point on terrorism and called for a global conference to deal with the menace and laid emphasis for 'focused action'.

Prime Minister's choice of the two island nations for his first foreign tour reflect the importance his government attaches to its 'Neighbourhood First' policy especially in the context of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) doctrine.

In Colombo though he had a brief stay, he had a packed agenda and met top leadership including President Maithripala Sirisena, the Leader of the Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa and Tamil National Alliance leaders.

Mr Modi has been the first foreign leader to visit Sri Lanka after the deadly Easter terror attacks in April.

After bilateral talks with Sri Lankan President Sirisena, Prime Minister Modi tweeted - "President Sirisena and I agreed that terrorism is a joint threat that needs collective and focused action. Reiterated India’s commitment to partner with Sri Lanka for a shared,  secure and prosperous future".

The remarks are significant as Mr Modi's visit to Srilanka was considered as a sign of India's affirmation of solidarity with Sri Lanka  weeks after the terror strike.

On Saturday at Maldives capital Male, Prime Minister Modi in his address to People's Majlis (Parliament) called for a global meet to fight terrorism and terror sponsors.

"24 hours - 2 countries - 15 engagements.  PM Narendra Modi emplanes after a successful visit to Maldives and Sri Lanka,  demonstrating our priority to NeighbourhoodFirst," MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar tweeted as Mr Modi emplaned for return to India.

In Colombo, a banquet was hosted in honour of Prime Minister Modi by President Sirisena.

Mr Modi also received a special gift, a replica of the Samadhi Buddha Statue from "special friend" Mr Sirisena.

"A special gift from a special friend. President Maithripala Sirisena presented PM Narendra Modi the Samadhi Buddha Statue. This is considered to be one of the best sculptures in the Anuradhapura era. The original statue was sculptured between the 4th and 7th centuries AD," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) tweeted.

"This replica of the Samadhi Buddha Statue has been hand carved using white teak. This masterpiece has taken almost two years to complete. The meditation pose is known as Dhyana Mudra," it said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi visited St Anthony's church - one of the sites of the Easter Sunday attacks on April 21 - wherein he paid tributes to the victims of the deadly terror strikes.

"I am confident Sri Lanka will rise again. Cowardly acts of terror cannot defeat the spirit of Sri Lanka. India stands in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka," said PM Modi.

The Islamic State has claimed the attacks, but the government has blamed local Islamist extremist group for the bombings.

PM Modi also planted a sapling of an evergreen Ashoka tree at the President's House.

In another missive, Mr Modi stated that he had "fruitful discussions" with his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe.

During the meeting, Mr Modi assured India's full support to "further strengthen bilateral development partnership" including through people oriented projects in Sri Lanka.

Prime Minister also had an extensive meeting with the Leader of Opposition in Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa.

"We discussed the need for close collaboration between India and Sri Lanka in the fields of counter terrorism, security and economic development," Mr Modi wrote in the micro blogging site.

"I had a short but immensely fruitful Sri Lanka visit. Sri Lanka has a special place in our hearts," Prime Minister tweeted shortly before emplaning for return to India.

"I assure my sisters and brothers of Sri Lanka that India will always be there with you and support your nation’s progress. Thank you for the memorable welcome and hospitality," he wrote.

A delegation of Tamil community-based party Tamil National Alliance delegation led by R. Sampanthan called on Mr Modi. The delegation congratulated PM on his electoral victory, MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar stated.

Namo and Sri Lankan Prez

I am obliged to inform, hence I am a journalist

'Nagaland Page' was launched in 1999. I had moved to Delhi in 1998.

(This is my piece written as the paper completes 20 years, and I am being honest to point at the malady in contemporary journalism)

What is journalism, what does it mean in our lives? Why should it mean anything? Bertrand Russel is what of fashion these days. 

Once he wrote: “Religions grow old like tress unless reformed from time to time”.

Journalism too like everything dynamic – like religion – in this world needs changes. But journalism in India and perhaps globally has actually ‘changed’ pretty fast and possibly towards a wrong direction.

One single biggest difference between religion and journalism is that the latter does not come in inheritance. One can be Hindu only if one is born to Hindu parents.

But one can be a journalist even if one is born to parents who would prefer ten to five jobs at any cost.

One certainly gets personal and emotional while writing a few lines for Nagaland Page when the esteemed paper is completing 20 years of its existence. It certainly came out of hard work of some professionals – one knew them closely as friends.

1999 Journalism in Nagaland was also about life risk! Hence salute to friends Monalisa Changkija and Dilip!

My baptism into journalism in Nagaland was in an era when it was hardly considered glamorous in Nagaland. “So you also (emphasis) write…” – used to be the usual refrain.

The excitement among those who would like to admire you would enhance further as one knew – you are also a science drop out and you are a Bong!

Actually after my ‘adventure with science’ flopped miserably like a pack of cards, JOURNALISM emerged as my SAVIOUR! Without journalism and having failed to turn into an ‘engineer’ – a very fashionable sickness of our time – one could have turned a drug addict.

To give it a romantic flavor – after my grand mom – Journalism became my first love! The encouragement from senior Naga journalists and my All India Radio ‘guru’ Asheem Poddar is worth cherishing.

I ought to thank and bow in tribute to former colleague the late Lelie Legise and DIPR Nagaland officials led by very energetic K Pesieye sahab.

Support came from an equally supporting ‘friend’ Chipeni Merry – who used to even reprimand. “Don’t rot here”!

One needed to board the train to Delhi.

But journalism in Delhi was in transformation mood right from the moment I landed in the capital. Slowly it turned into a ‘disease’ by itself.

Today, unhesitatingly I can say – I have started hating it for the manner it is moving.

It, therefore, certainly needs reforms today — but the bigger challenge is – it has to come inherently. And this looks difficult under the given circumstances largely because selfish motives of glamour, power and money have struck people. And sadly even a fresher joining journalism in India today is guided into the noble profession with ‘motives’.

He or she is hardly keen about ‘out of box’ life schedules and adventures associated with journalism.

I am not suggesting earlier generations were saints. But, things started deteriorating almost by late 1990s at the national level. Incidentally, this writer landed in Delhi in 1998 with a first regular job with Press Trust of India (PTI) and it was in 1999 Nagaland Page hit the stands.

Around the same time came in the ‘liberalism of economy’ and advent of television and so-called pink paper (business) journalism.

At the national level, as one experienced, the new era journalism brought in packet journalism and ‘gifted’ press conferences!

Slowly the standards reached higher scale – it got mixed up with demand for flats, foreign junkets, etc. Owners and Editors were no sacred cows (or any other animal) too!

Thus – we have reached the stage where we stand today.

As it is from ethical perspective, Delhi has a history of being a ‘jugadu’ city. If you know someone – your work is always easier here – no matter you could be on the wrong side.

As one went around press conferences and other events in the city, it became clear – not many people around were ‘meritorious’ nor committed to journalism.

“Naukri karni hae bhai (I am just doing my job)” – was one approach that guided my colleagues.

Brand Moditva: A Turning point in India's political history

The main apprehension among religious minority leaders and a section of left-liberals has been that the BJP could change the constitution to discard the parliamentary system.This fear is not new.In the 1990s, when Indian politics had entered an era of coalition regimes, veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani, a former deputy prime minister, had floated the idea of a presidential form of government.

Advani said the Indian constitution required a "fresh look."Before the election there was five years of debate over allegations that the Modi-government was making subtle attempts to subvert constitutional bodies such as the poll panel and Supreme Court to meet their ends.

More broadly, many believe the BJP's return, and the country's ongoing march towards Hindu majoritarianism, is a near fatal situation for religious minorities, especially for Muslims. Kewekhape Therie, president of the Nagaland state unit of the Indian National Congress and a Christian leader, clearly sees the outcome of the election to be a mandate for "religion polarization."

India's 2019 general elections could have redirected the country's politics from the trajectory it had been hurtling on for the past five years. There had been some wishful thinking that if the electorate replaced the ruling pro-Hindu party, the country's strength — its plurality — would have been protected. But the election's outcome was different. In a historic mandate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a second term to run the world's largest democracy. Modi is the first prime minister since 1971 to return to power with an absolute majority. 

He is the third one to do so after the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi. In the recent elections, Modi's pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) garnered 303 seats while with his allies it has 353 seats in the 545-member Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament.

The question now for many Indians is: What comes next?"A new battle for the idea of India begins today," wrote Shiv Visvanathan in The Hindu on May 24 when the election results were declared. To some the 'battle' is one picked by a BJP leadership that seeks to subvert the secular principles of the Indian constitution, a foundation that allows religious and ethnic plurality to breathe in the country.

Minorities' concerns about India's future are not without reason. In the run-up to the polls, the BJP made its pro-Hindu stance clear when it fielded Sadhvi Pragya Thakur who is accused of terrorism over a deadly bomb blast targeting Muslims in 2008.Another hardliner BJP lawmaker Sakshi Maharaj, who has been re-elected from Uttar Pradesh, triggered a row when he said after this election was done he believed there would be no elections in 2024.Earlier, BJP national president Amit Shah, a trusted lieutenant of Modi, said if the party returned to power in 2019, it would be in power for next 50 years.Some took these as threats while BJP leaders said such statements were only a reflection of confidence in the party's leadership.The 2019 elections India also marks a significant drop in communist influence, mainly in the form of ideology.

The communists lost miserably in their so-called bastions in Kerala and West Bengal. Left parties did not win any of the 42 seats in West Bengal, where they ruled for 34 years until 2011.Although communists continue to run the state government in Kerala, they only won one of 20 seats in the state. In the parliament, they were reduced to two seats.But the communists had hardly any role in an election fought on the planks of God and religion. The BJP leaders, of course, included temple visits and public prayers in their campaigns while accusing their opposition of being anti-Hindu. That resulted in Congress and other opposition leaders visiting temples to put on a show for the media.BJP's political growth is also linked to a surge of nationalism which reached great heights after Modi hardened his stance against arch-rival Pakistan in February when the countries' two militaries traded blows over Kashmir.The election results have likewise been seen as an approval of Modi's muscular brand of nationalism. "[This makes] a right synthesis along with the developmental agenda and the spirit of Hindutva values," says political analyst Vidyarthi Kumar.

Speaking after the elections, another BJP leader Virendra Sachdeva, said that his party won because "people admired our sincerity and the last-man-delivery.

"People were content with what they got--the gas cylinders, rural houses and toilets," Sachdeva said.

Certainly, the election results endorsed Modi's style of governance and showed how ineffective the Congress' attempts to project him as a corrupt were.But the results have pushed Indian political history to a turning point. The decimation of the Congress suggests the total collapse of a political system that had thrived since Indian independence in 1947.As part of that Modi has shown how he abhors Nehruvian politics and what the BJP calls the dynasty rule Nehru family. Nehru, his daughter Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv Gandhi together headed the government in New Delhi for 37 years.

Since the British left, politics has mainly centered around the Congress, who ruled the country for a total 52 years with the odd interval. It was a dominance that waned in 2014 and the 2019 results officially ended it, placing BJP at the center as the new national party.At the center of BJP stands Modi. A man who made a synthesis of Hindu ideology and development.

With Modi and BJP now securely affirming their place, Indian political history is sure to shed its status quo.

Another lesson from the 2019 poll was that people have endorsed Modi’s campaign style. On the other hand, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chowkidar Chor hae’ (PM is a thief) campaign simply boomeranged. The charge related to a defence deal and even the French government rejected the charge and maintained there was no fault line in a government to government deal. 

On this score, BJP leader Virendra Sachdeva counters it well, “People did not buy the line that Modi has been personally corrupt. The faceless Indian voters have proved themselves smarter than everyone dealing them had thought”.It has been alleged that there was 'refusal' to crack down on vigilante squads and mobs who lynch people for engaging in the cow-slaughter trade. But nothing stalled Modi’s popularity graph.

BJP leaders say poor and faceless Indian voters in many parts of the country were also not attracted to Congress 'Nyay' scheme or the freebies. Even the caste arithmetic by two foremost regional parties BSP led by a Dalit (lower strata leader) and socialist Samajwadi Party did not help.

"People admired our sincerity and the strike rate vis-a-vis last man delivery. People were content with what they got -- the gas cylinders, rural houses and toilet," the BJP leader Sachdeva said.

On the other hand, it has been also argued that the decimation of Congress suggests the total collapse of a political system that thrived in the past. 

In 1970s and 1980s, the Congress politics was centrist. It also revolved around families and the system passed on to dynasties in other parties.

 

But this status quo 'collapsed' in 2019. Hence, there is an unleashing of 'new politics' and the forces will in future perhaps have to toe the new line as being already articulated by the BJP --- a high rate of delivery in good governance.

PM Modi and his team have said free delivery of gas cylinders for poor women also did the trick.

There was also successful implementation of housing for poor in rural areas.

Articulating yet another facet of this year's polls, the pro-BJP analysts say since 2014 the electorate -- especially the younger generation -- seemed to have lauded the saffron party's and Narendra Modi's 'image' of a fighter against the existing system.

"In the past, as politics revolved around Congress and others who believed in status quo. With Modi was a different man.

He made a synthesis of Hindutva and development. This was given further push by his tough stance against terrorism.

Modi showing his abhorrence to Nehruvian politics has also gone in his favour as for the first time, younger lots and

disgruntled Indians thought the existing system - status quo - was being seriously challenged.

Ends