Admitting that the government was in a "bind" from which it has to come out, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday night said that "practical and pragmatic" solutions have to be found to the Lokpal issue.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday held talks with US President Barack Obama, the first bilateral summit meeting after nearly three years.
After spending nearly 50 years in a colonial bungalow at 24, Akbar Road, the Congress moved into a new office on January 15. Rasheed Kidwai, who knows the history of the Congress better than the Congress, looks back at the people who breathed life into this address.
Dear readers, please help the prime minister figure out how to mix business with cricket. Kindly suggest five things the good doctor should tell Yusuf Raza Gilani.
Kishida Fumio, who served as Japan's foreign minister from 2012 to 2017, visited India multiple times in that role and interacted with Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi both in New Delhi and in Tokyo, and with Dr Manmohan Singh, when the then prime minister, visited Japan in 2013.
No bilateral meeting has been fixed so far between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani in Bhutan during the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said on Thursday."As of now, no such meeting has been set up between the prime minister and Gilani," she said, adding that Dr Singh will have separate meetings with leaders from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan.
While Modi has spent fewer days abroad than his predecessor (270 days versus Dr Singh's 306), he has travelled more extensively and actively than any other Indian PM.
Manmohan Singh was on Tuesday re-nominated as Congress Parliamentary Party leader, setting in motion the process of formation of the new government of which he will be sworn in as PM that is likely to take place on Friday.
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.
United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday dismissed reports of differences with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, asserting, "We all stand by him". "There are no differences between the prime minister and me. There is collective leadership," Gandhi told reporters at a function held to celebrate four years of the UPA-II government.
Surprising even his own protocol men, Putin gave Dr Singh an artwork about Tsarevich, who later became Nicholas II, which was a work of art of the Maharajas of Benares reflecting the connection of two royalties.
'Unfortunately, some ill-informed's would rather take swipes at Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA govt than fight NDA/BJP'
With just one act of disowning the ordinance on convicted lawmakers, Rahul Gandhi has exposed the fault-lines in the Congress party. Sheela Bhatt reports.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left for the United States in a blaze of optimism. The trip ended with an unrelieved gloom, says Mihir S Sharma
During the meeting, which lasted for about 30 minutes, the Defence Secretary appreciated India's contribution in the development of Afghanistan.
Addressing a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron in New Delhi, Dr Singh said that India expected the world community to promote India's position that Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used for terrorism against India.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said expanding Indo-Russian bilateral cooperation and consolidating coordination on regional and global issues was in the interest of India and that of global peace and prosperity.
American Congressman Ed Royce, a ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the senior-most minority member on the Subcommittee on Terrorism and Nonproliferation, who was part of the Congressional leadership that met with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh during his recent visit to Washington, is disappointed that the United States-India civilian nuclear deal wasn't completed to make it the signature highlight of the Obama-Singh summit.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh Monday dismissed the controversy that arose over the joint statement issued by United States President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing on the eve of his state visit to Washington, seemingly mooting a role for Beijing in resolving the India-Pakistan dispute, saying, "What happens between President Obama and President Hu is not our direct concern."
In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday accused him of lowering the dignity of public discourse and the gravity of the office of the PM by giving "hateful speeches" during the poll campaign.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday told his Italian counterpart Mario Monti that a view on specific aspects of the case involving two marines facing murder charges in the country cannot be taken pending investigations.
former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the two discussed issues related to the economy and foreign policy.
An influential American Senator on Tuesday asked United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to take up the plight of Kashmiri Pandits and their future with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to US in November. "I urge you to discuss the future of the Pandits with the Indian government," Senator Sherrod Brown from Ohio said in a letter to Secretary Clinton.
Gearing up for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's state visit, top officials of the Barack Obama administration, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have discussed the key areas of 'strategic dialogue' that the US plans to have with India.In preparation of Dr Singh's visit to Washington on November 24, Clinton on Wednesday attended a meeting of the US-India Strategy Dialogue to review the progress and identify key areas to be accomplished.
'...as then it brings them closer to the complaints and grievances that the public faces.'
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to undertake a six-day visit to the United States from September 20, during which he will have a bilateral meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington besides attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Launching a strong attack on Opposition, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday accused them of targeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the 2G scam and described him as a man of integrity and a person "100 per cent above board".
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, was the third American leader to visit India during which a village in Haryana was named Carterpuri in his honour.
We must resist the temptation to look at the absolute numbers being vaccinated, and focus instead on the percentage of the population vaccinated, he said in his letter.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh skipped his usual attire of pristine white to take part in a photo-op with United States President Barack Obama and the top leaders of Asia.
Into his 10 year, Manmohan Singh is struggling to retrieve his legacy -- thanks to bad luck, a bad situation and at least two very bad calls, says Mihir S Sharma
Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has lauded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for responding positively to the proposals made by President Pervez Musharraf to resolve the Kashmir issue.
We believe the situation in Sri Lanka does not call for military victory but negotiated, political settlement that respects Sri Lankan sovereignty and human rights of ethnic Tamils, Dr Singh said.
Singh, who drove to Chatterjee's residence in New Delhi, did not speak to the waiting media persons after the meeting that lasted about 10 minutes.
Dr Singh, who will be accompanied by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, would represent India at the high-level segment of the General Assembly on Saturday and deliver his address.
Terming the problem of malnutrition in the country as a national shame, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said the government cannot rely solely on the Integrated Child Development Scheme to tackle it. "The problem of malnutrition is a matter of national shame. Despite impressive growth in our GDP, the level of under-nutrition in the country is unacceptably high," Dr Singh said while releasing a report on Hunger and Malnutrition in Delhi.
"The Prime Minister will arrive in Bhubaneswar in the evening hours and spend the night at Raj Bhavan. On Tuesday, the PM is scheduled to inaugurate the Indian Science Congress," a senior home department official said.
