Many will hope this is the beginning of a new phase in Dr Singh's tenure, when he lets his office, the government, his council of ministers, his party and coalition and the country know that he means business, that the buck stops with him, that his colleagues and officers must shape up or ship out, says Sanjaya Baru
Modi's meeting with Dr Singh, totally unexpected and unique in all respects, will take place perhaps after Monday's swearing-in ceremony, and before his bilateral meeting with visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday.
The prime minister's remarks on relations with Pakistan and on the Maoist issue do not bode well for our success in dealing with these two challenges to our national security in an effective manner, writes B Raman.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally announced on Friday morning that he would 'welcome' his Indian counterpart 'Dr Manmohan Singh for a bilateral visit on June 27.'
Sharpening its attack on Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday demanded that he step down owning "moral responsibility" for the 2G spectrum scam.
In a bid to remove irritants which have crept in bilateral relations in the last one year, India and China on Thursday reached broad consensus on several issues and pledged firm commitment to resolve outstanding differences, including the boundary issue at the earliest through peaceful negotiations.
While Sonia's emphasis and priorities are clearly tilted towards the protection of environment, the prime minister is clear environment cannot stand in the way of development and stresses for industrialization, if required.
Whether it was the MGNREGS or the NFSA or the Aadhaar-based DBT scheme for cash transfer, the Modi government has built on the basic architecture created by the Singh government. Policy makers in the Modi government, instead of discarding them as products of the previous political regime, worked on them, expanded their scope and reach, and used new tools to improve their performance, explains A K Bhattacharya.
'If the period between 1991 and 2014 was about laying the foundations and building the runway, the period from 2014 to 2024 has been about the aircraft taking off.'
Hard-selling American military technology to India, United States President Barack Obama has assured Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a top-secret letter signed by him that the 'US is a willing, capable and reliable defence partner to India'.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper had a telephonic conversation with his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh on Monday morning about preparations and priorities for the Toronto G20 Summit to be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Center on June 26-27.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Tuesday left for Italy to attend the G-8 summit in L'Aquila.Before his departure, Dr Singh said he would project India's views on major global issues related to the world economic and financial crisis."During my visit, I will discuss several issues relating to the world economic and financial crisis and its impact on development, food and energy security, climate change, international trade negotiations and reform with G-8 leaders," he said
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was the chief guest at the Golden Jubilee Convocation at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay at Powai. This is how he inspired the students of the prestigious institute.
Ahead of their talks on key security and strategic issues on Thursday, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will host a private dinner for Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao after his arrival in New Delhi on Wednesday.
'The only problem -- as I realised through my association with him -- is that he is too soft and could not think of \n\nmeting out punishment to any RBI official even when the official concerned was guilty.'
Appraising Rediff.com about the meeting, a source close to Dr Singh said Modi sought Dr Singh's advice on the economy and foreign policy. Dr Singh told Modi that he concurs with the Reserve Bank of India's concerns about the Indian economy.
Readers hope Dr Manmohan Singh will take India to new heights during his tenure as prime minister.
There is one part of India where the prime minister's campaign skills are being missed sorely, it seems.
Amidst the flurry of allegations against former telecom minister A Raja and the strong indictment of his handling of 2G spectrum allocation, the controversy is taking a dramatic new turn with hitherto unpublished documents indicating that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh may have some clarifications to make.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh could meet his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting scheduled to be held in November in Trinidad, sources said.However, when asked about the meeting, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, who met his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in New York on Sunday, said,: "We have just come out of one (meeting). So, give us some time."
Asserting that Maoist violence has no place in democratic India, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Wednesday called upon state governments to work with the Centre in combating this menace.
Manmohan Singh's reign as prime minister has been severely criticised by his former ministerial colleague Natwar Singh, who says he leaves no legacy after being in power for 10 years.
'The UPA's claim of growth at 9.5 percent was absolute nonsense and a fraudulent claim because the country did not grow; it was only statistical growth.' 'I do believe that when there is a determined leader who wants to bring a desired change, the system will begin acting. Today, people think there is policy paralysis, but there is functional paralysis also.' 'When things start moving, people will invest. Many companies are holding cash, many people are not investing. Nobody is making any move. Everybody is waiting for the elections to get over.' Economist and Swadeshi Jagran Manch convenor Swaminathan Gurumurthy in conversation with Shobha Warrier/Rediff.com
Dharmendra remained one of the most loved stars of all time, even when his movies tapered off, and age caught up with him.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will meet Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt on July 16, the Pakistan Foreign Office has said.Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said that the foreign secretaries of both countries would also meet during the summit.
In November 2011, ketu will come as the pratyantar lord causing him severe anguish and a permanent damage to Dr Manmohan Singh's once bright and unsullied reputation.
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang hosted a lunch for his visiting Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh immediately after crucial talks between the leaders at the Great Hall of People in Beijing on Wednesday.
Launching a frontal attack on the ruling Left Front government, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Saturday said the law and order situation in West Bengal was a matter of "grave concern" and called for a change to give a fresh lease of life to the state.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda during his bilateral meeting at the New York Palace Hotel on Friday.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will be meeting the Republican nominee for US presidency, Senator John McCain, on September 24 in New York. Significantly, Dr Singh will not be meeting the Democratic nominee for the President's post, Senator Barack Obama
The Indian prime minister had earlier said that India will actively pursue talks with Pakistan and is sincere about discussing and resolving all issues, including Kashmir.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Saturday said he is "worried" about the future of the Parliamentary system in the wake of a complete washout of the winter session of Parliament on the 2G spectrum issue.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said the 'wholesale attack on the democratic system' currently underway in India is the single biggest risk the country is facing, and asserted that allowing different traditions to thrive is very important as 'we cannot do what China does, which is to run an authoritarian system'. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: / Rediff.com Speaking at a seminar titled 'The Future is Today' at the EIA University in Medellin, Colombia, Gandhi also alleged that there are 'huge amounts of corruption at a centralised level' in India now. "In India, we have huge amounts of corruption now at a very centralised level. So, three or four businesses taking over the whole economy, having a direct relationship with the prime minister, is rampant in India," the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said. "But I believe decentralising power, making things more transparent, bringing people into conversations, and bringing people into processes is the best way forward," Gandhi said while addressing the seminar on Wednesday. Hitting back at the Congress leader for his remarks, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday accused Gandhi of insulting and degrading India on foreign soil. Posting a video clip of Gandhi's speech on X, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, 'Rahul Gandhi does it again, degrades India on foreign soil. From defaming our democracy in London, to mocking our institutions in the US, now in Colombia he spares no chance to insult Bharat globally.' 'This isn't dissent. It's disgrace to the fake Gandhi. Criticising BJP may be your right but dare you malign Mother India for your cheap and petty politics,' Bhatia said. Speaking at the seminar, Gandhi said India has a much more complex system as compared to China and its strengths are very different from that of the neighbouring country. India also has a very old spiritual tradition and a thought system with profound ideas that are useful in today's world, he said, adding that there is a lot that the country can offer in terms of tradition and way of thinking. "I am very optimistic about India, but at the same time, there are fault lines within the Indian structure. There are risks that India has to overcome. The single-biggest risk is the attack on democracy that is taking place in India," the Leader of Opposition said. "India has multiple religions, traditions and languages. India is actually a conversation between all its people. Different ideas, religions and traditions require space. The best method for creating that space is the democratic system," he said. "Currently, there is a wholesale attack on the democratic system in India, so that is a risk. The other big risk is different conceptions -- some 16-17 different languages, different religions... So, allowing these different traditions to thrive, and giving them space to express themselves is very important for a country like India.
Dr Manmohan Singh is the woolly-headed idealist ready to make any sacrifice to woo Pakistan quite unmindful of its inimical mindset vis a vis India, feels former Deputy National Security Adviser Satish Chandra.
'Personalities are temporary, policies provide for stability.' 'With the former, when personalities change so does the nature of the relationship.' 'Policies and structures, on the other hand, are idiot-proof, as well as maverick-resistant,' explains Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
'Rahul Gandhi's problem is that he doesn't think big.' 'He looks more like an activist, while politics is like a game of chess. You attack and then defend and have a game-plan.'
School students in Rajasthan will no longer study two-part supplementary textbooks with state Education Minister Madan Dilawar arguing that these reading materials are not required because they glorify the Nehru-Gandhi family and carry no marks for students.
If the prime minister doesn't plan to step down post the FDI fiasco, he should get down to real governance -- and can start by having the numerous clowns in his court shut up, says Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
India and China may not be the antagonists everyone says they are, fighting for the same piece of pie, but nor are they the best of friends. Unlike, say, the United States and India which have discovered each other after a long period of standoffishness.
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