BJP and RSS leaders are once again pushing to remove the words 'secular' and 'socialist' from the Constitution's Preamble, showing a deeper effort to change India's identity from a diverse, multi-religious republic to a Hindu-first nation, even though they don't have the numbers in Parliament to officially change the Constitution, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Tensions between the Congress and its leader Shashi Tharoor escalated on Thursday with the party saying he was very much part of their family but had erred in claiming that surgical strikes against Pakistan were held for the first time in 2016.
Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a 70-year-old Punjab farmer leader, is on his 21st day of a hunger strike demanding the Indian government address farmers' concerns, including a legal guarantee of MSP on crops. His health has deteriorated, and doctors have recommended immediate hospitalization. However, Dallewal, a cancer patient, has refused medical treatment.
Only in the event of the RSS managing to force Modi into accepting a consensual candidate, will the party not continue to 'being' the 'next Congress', observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
In the midst of a war of words between the two countries, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday expressed his desire to meet his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.The Chinese leader's remarks come a day after Beijing raked up its claim over Arunachal Pradesh, questioning Prime Minister Singh's visit there on October 3. India hit back on Wednesday, reacting strongly to Chinese plans to get involved in projects in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
Veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, in his latest book, argues that Pranab Mukherjee should have been made Prime Minister in 2012 instead of Manmohan Singh, who was then recovering from health issues. Aiyar believes this would have prevented the "paralysis of governance" and "doomed" any prospects the Congress might have had to form UPA-III. He also criticizes the government's handling of the Anna Hazare-led agitation and the Commonwealth Games scandal, which he believes contributed to the party's downfall in the 2014 general elections.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to Congress stalwart and former prime minister Manmohan Singh thanking him for his 'sheer presence' in Rajya Sabha despite his poor health to vote against the Delhi services bill.
India and China on Wednesday signed in all nine agreements, including the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement and one on strengthening cooperation on trans-border rivers, after restricted and delegation-level talks that lasted over two hours as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Premier Li Keqiang met for the second time this year for talks which the Indian leader described as "fruitful and productive".
In a missive to Bush, USCIRF chair Felice D Gaer urged him to 'ask Prime Minister Singh to ensure the immediate security of Indian citizens -- security that is undermined by recurrent attacks on religious minorities and communities.'
Acknowledging that the peace process has been under strain in recent months, India and Pakistan on Wednesday announced that cross-Line of Control trade in Jammu and Kashmir will commence on October 21 and vowed to take severe action against any elements directing or involved in terrorist acts, giving fresh momentum for an "an early and full normalisation of bilateral relations".
China on Wednesday rejected suggestions that it had snubbed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by not extending an invitation for the Olympics opening ceremony and said Indian leaders were welcome to the event. He was responding to a query on reports in a section of the Indian press that China had invited United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi to the opening ceremony of Olympics, while ignoring Dr Singh.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appears a natural choice as the prime ministerial candidate of the United Progressive Alliance in the next elections and it may be 'too early' for Rahul Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party chief and a key UPA partner, Sharad Pawar has suggested.
Delhi is experiencing its first heatwave of the season, with temperatures reaching 40.2 degrees Celsius. Doctors have warned that exposure to extreme heat can lead to a range of health issues, from mild rashes and muscle cramps to serious conditions like heat exhaustion and heatstroke. They advise staying hydrated, avoiding outdoor activities during peak hours, and wearing light, breathable clothes. Vulnerable groups like children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing conditions are at greater risk.
Chief Justice of India B R Gavai has said the 'trivial issue' of the protocol lapse during his visit to Mumbai on May 18 should not be blown out of proportion and the matter should be given 'quietus'.
It is because of the feared domestic backlash that the Modi government is now stepping up pressure on Pakistan to accommodate Indian interests.
At least five people were injured after an assailant attacked people with an iron rod in the Golden Temple premises on Friday.
Menon said there is a large degree of congruence or identity of views between China and India.
Over the past four years, India has given around $281 million worth of credit, which have been used to import wheat, petroleum products and buses.
"The Chinese premier underlined that whatever anybody might say, India and China are friendly neighbours and have a common view of how the world should be looked at," Naraynan said.
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Hours after an Indian court convicted Ajmal Kasab for involvement in the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh had told him that he trusted Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the carnage to justice.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would have his tete-a-tete with Obama in Bali in a surreal setting, says MK Bhadrakumar, and draws comparisons to the US-China encounter in Honolulu
United States President Barack Obama has utmost respect and admiration for the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and the two leaders continue to have frequent exchanges in making sure that the two countries continue the momentum that has been generated, a top US official has said.
Debroy, in an interview with India TV news anchor Karan Thapar, said there would be no shortage of currency notes and the demonetisation exercise was justified -- it would be a deterrent for future generations.
A five-time Olympic shooter, Randhir Singh was the lone eligible candidate for the OCA president's post.
Activist Swami Agnivesh on Friday launched an attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of being silent about crucial issues and not listening to the voices of the people. Addressing protestors as Anna Hazare launched his fast at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, he said, "Mr Manmohan Singh, the country wants you to end your silence and open your mouth. You have been silent for the past three years".
The Hurriyat Conference and other major separatist groups will boycott the conference.
Dr Ramakant Panda performed bypass heart surgery on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009, shortly before the general election. As the Asian Heart Institute, which Dr Panda built from scratch in Mumbai, completes 200,000 heart treatments, Dr Panda tells Rediff.com's Prasanna D Zore about the prime minister's current state of health.
The world, the United States in particular, is lucky to have Manmohan Singh as the Indian Prime Minister who has taken personal risk to avoid confrontation along the western border despite provocations, former US National Security Advisor Gen (retd) James Jones said.
Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso has called on his Indian counterpart to personally look into an attack on a Pakistani prisoner in a jail in Jammu and ensure a thorough investigation.Sanaullah Ranjay, a Pakistani national serving a life sentence was attacked in the prison in Jammu, a day after Indian national Sarabjit Singh succumbed to injuries sustained in a brutal assault within a jail in Lahore.
Steven S Reinemund, Chairman and CEO, Pepsi, said though there were bottlenecks, India had the best managerial talent and was comparable with any other developed country.
Fifty-nine members of delegations visiting 33 world capitals, reaching millions of people, giving one message, in one language, in one voice -- is an unprecedented world movement, observes former BJP MP Tarun Vijay, former Chief Editor, Panchjanya, the RSS weekly.
United States President Barack Obama hosted the first state dinner of his presidency for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House on Tuesday night.
American President Barack Obama gets along well with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United States ambassador Timothy J Roemer said on Thursday, adding that their expected five to six minute telephonic chat sometimes turns into a conversation twice as long. "During the hour-long meeting with President Obama before I came to India, the President touched his heart and said he finds that he gets along well with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," he said.
When the country has been at war, the Opposition has buried its differences with the government, points out Aditi Phadnis.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh deserves 'full marks' for his 'sincere' efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue and have peace with Pakistan, but is held back from taking a bold step over fears of domestic political backlash, former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said.
Gram Chikitsalay uses the same template as Panchayat but with a fraction of its humour or charm, observes Deepa Gahlot.
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