Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will probably want to forget the year 2011 as soon as possible. The recent hold back of the Cabinet decision to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investment in retail trade was just another humiliation that plagued his government, which still finds itself cornered by a plethora of allegations of scams, administrative excesses and outstanding misgovernance.
Cornered back home for his "man of peace" remarks about his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani at the ongoing SAARC summit in Maldives, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday went on the offensive stating that the ties between the two countries were far from normal.
Dr Singh said the "international community and Pakistan in particular must work comprehensively to end the activities of all such groups who threaten civilised behaviour and kill innocent men, women and children".
An eight-member delegation of the United Liberation Front of Asom, led by leader Arabind Rajkhowa, will call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday. The ULFA delegation will brief Dr Singh about the on-going talks between the Centre and the militant outfit. ULFA leaders on Thursday met Home Minister P Chidambaram and Home Secretary G K Pillai in Delhi.He made it clear that the ULFA had no plans to contest the state assembly elections.
'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.'
Six years after he made his first trip to Afghanistan as Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh on Thursday embarked on a two-day visit to Kabul during which he will discuss terrorism, regional development and ways to step up India's assistance to the war-torn country.
Dr Singh should explain his worries, concerns, hopes and determination to act to the people through the media, says B Raman
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is heading for the most crucial time of his political career. On Tuesday, no less than the Supreme Court dragged Prime Minister's Office in the massive telecom scam and that gives the hint of forming of the political storm which has the potential to damage PM Dr Singh.
Launching cricket diplomacy to give a fresh impetus to bilateral ties, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday invited President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to watch the India-Pakistan cricket encounter in Mohali on March 30 when he will also be present.
Dr Singh said he did not hanker after the post of the prime minister but it came to him.
How will Dr Singh save his government? Tell us!
Praising Dr Singh as an "excellent economist", Zardari told the then National Security Advisor Gen (rtd) James Jones in a meeting in Islamabad on June 25, 2009 that the Indian Prime Minister was unaware of what it took to change the mindset of the Pakistani establishment.
Singh, who opened up the economy as finance minister and served as prime minister for two consecutive terms, died on Thursday at the age of 92. "History will forever honour his pivotal role in the transformative 1991 reforms that reshaped India and opened its doors to the world.
'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.'
Notwithstanding the chill in bilateral relations, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani have sent their New Year greetings to their Indian counterparts.Zardari and Gilani have sent their greetings to President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh through the Ministry of External Affairs, sources said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) issued high sea waves, up to 4.7 metres high, warning across several coastal districts.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav likened Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to an infiltrator, saying he is from Uttarakhand and should be sent back to the state. Yadav also criticized the BJP's governance and alleged injustices against Dalits and backward communities.
Tejashwi Yadav and Prashant Kishore claim that a group of senior Janata Dal-United leaders and retired bureaucrats, locally dubbed the 'Bhunja Party', manages the state administration on Nitish Kumar's behalf.
'A nation that has no long-term strategic intent, and whose leaders can be easily manipulated through flattery, is a banana republic. Unlike China, which intends to rule the world, India, which can only imagine itself as a second-rate power, will remain one.'
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's first ever official visit to China, between January 13 and January 15, will be a low-key affair. He will not be visiting any city other than Beijing. He will be accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur, Commerce minister Kamal Nath and National Security Advisor M K Narayanan.
'His belief that he is touched by the Almighty reflects in his performances.'
Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday claimed that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was a "a nice man with no independence" to run his government the way he wanted to.
PM accepted the invitation to the meeting during a telephonic conversion with Putin late Saturday night.
However much one underplays the meeting between India and Pakistan's top leaders, it can never be undervalued, reports Sheela Bhatt.
Since June, India's ministry of external affairs has intensified its diplomatic calendar, hosting several heads of state and government, foreign ministers, and key trade delegations.
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
A timeline of key events that shaped the RSS' journey, including the various highs and lows, as the organization approaches its 100th anniversary.
Now if only Manmohan Singh showed such acumen in dealing with other crises his government is facing, says Shivam Vij.
Highly tilted trade relations in favour of Iran, supply of oil and gas and other key strategic bilateral and international issues, including Syria, are expected to dominate the meetings of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran.
'They are totally disconnected with farm activities which their families have been involved in for years.'
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday night played host to his 'dear friend and mentor' Manmohan Singh at his official residence in Tokyo.
The dates for the visit will be decided by the two sides after diplomatic consultations. This was the first meeting between the two leaders after a long time and they reviewed bilateral relations, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai told reporters while briefing them about the meeting.
Relatives of patients admitted to the ICU recounted harrowing experiences as smoke engulfed the ward, exposing critical lapses in safety measures.
The possibility of a meeting between United States President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the G-20 Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, is not being ruled out, days after the two leaders agreed to work together to address the faltering global economy and the painful Eurozone crisis.
Readers share their impressions of the man who will soon be India's prime minister.
With a major earthquake measuring 6.8 on the richter scale rocking mountainous state of Sikkim, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday spoke to its chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling and offered help in all possible ways, including availability of defence forces.
The 'Toshkhana' (treasury) of the Banke Bihari temple in Mathura, locked since 1971, was opened for inspection under the supervision of a Supreme Court-appointed committee. The inventory included copper coins, stones, silver and golden sticks.
Dr Singh and Obama, who met on the sidelines of ASEAN and East Asia Summits, talked about strengthening the bonds of strategic ties put in place during the historic visit of the US President to India in November last year.
Dr Manmohan Singh first embossed himself on the national consciousness when as India's finance minister he flagged off economic reforms which changed this nation forever.
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