Colonel Anil A Athale outlines the contours of the coming Sino-Indian conflict in East Asia. The first of a two-part series.
The Maharashtra unit of the Congress on Thursday suspended 16 rebels, including a minister and a Member of Legislative Assembly, for six years from the party, for contesting against official candidates in the assembly elections.State Finance Minister Sunil Deshmukh, who is contesting against Rajendra Shekhawat, son of President Pratibha Patil from Amravati, and sitting MLA Rajiv Rajale, who is in fray as a rebel from Shegaon in Ahmednagart district, were among the 16 rebels.
The road show of Bollywood star Sunil Shetty and cricketer-turned-politician Mohammad Azharuddin organised by the Congress candidate Raosaheb Shekhawat to woo voters saw good turnout in Amravati.
President Pratibha Patil's son is fighting on a Congress ticket against the powerful two-term sitting Member of Legislative Assembly and Maharashtra Finance Minister Sunil Deshmukh, who has quit the party to contest as an independent. A R Rahman made it a part of his Oscar awards acceptance speech. But not many imagined that the politics of Amravati would revolve around Salim-Javed's immortal dialogue in the Hindi blockbuster Deewar: "Mere paas maa hai!"
Giant effigies of demon king Ravan along with his son Meghnad and brother Kumbhkaran went up in flames as part of the Dussehra celebrations in all its colour symbolising the triumph of good over evil.
In fact, no senior leader from Maharashtra is expected to campaign in Amravati for the President's son, who had three months ago put up posters and banners in his constituency stating "ticket pakki, jeet pakki".
Mohammad ElBaradei, director general of International Atomic Energy Agency, was on Wednesday honoured with the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for his 'impassioned opposition to use of nuclear energy for military purposes.'
Deshmukh, Minister of State for Finance, is taking on President Pratibha Patil's son Rajendrasinh Shekhawat, the official Congress candidate, in Amravati constituency of Vidarbha as an Independent.
The Congress leadership has given President Pratibha Patil's son Rajendra Shehawat for the Amravati Assembly seat in Maharashtra.
The scheduled caste organisations submitted a memorandum to President Pratibha Patil on Saturday night seeking her intervention in upholding the rights and equal opportunities bestowed upon them by the Constitution and 'infringed' by TTD in respect of worship and employment.
Amidst fireworks and dazzling lights, the Prince of Wales and India's President Pratibha Patil declared the Commonwealth Games open. A capacity crowd at the J N stadium welcomed the participating nations.
Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Tejinder Khanna and Chief Minister Mrs Sheila Dikshit, who normally do not see eye to eye on most administrative matters, have decided to impose undeclared curfew and restrict the movement of people in public places on Sunday to ensure there is no untoward incident that could mar the opening and closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games.
Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court resigned on Thursday, five days before his impeachment motion was to taken up in the Lok Sabha.
Narang won four gold medals at last year's Commonwealth Games. The 28-year-old rifle shooter, who was the first Indian marksman to qualify for next year's London Olympics with a bronze in the World Championships last year, was disgruntled at being "ignored" for the award last year.
It was a quiet birthday for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who turned 78 on Sunday. President Pratibha Patil and Vice President Hamid Ansari sent flowers and wished the prime minister on the occasion. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati called up Dr Singh and greeted him. Among those who wished the prime minister on the occasion are Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.
The government advised the warring Ambani brothers several times that they should stop fighting, but failed to bring about a reconciliation, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said on Wednesday.
The electoral college for the presidential poll is 4896, constituting 776 members of Parliament and 4120 members of legislative assemblies, including those of Delhi and Puducherry. The total value of votes is 10,98,882, with that of MLAs being 5,49,474 and that of MPs being 5,49,408
The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal to increase reservation for women to 50 per cent in panchayats.
The President was replying to a question on whether Laos and Cambodia leaned more towards China than India. Patil felt that the full potential of trade and commerce between India and the two ASEAN countries had still not been exploited and hoped her visit would prove effective in enhancing it.
With President Pratibha Patil rejecting the clemency petitions of three killers of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the mother of one of them on Friday demanded a 'fresh and transparent trial' and claimed her son was not at all connected with it.
President Pratibha Patil, Vice President Hamid Ansari, music director A R Rahman and noted lyricist Gulzar on Sunday watched the Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire at the Rashtrapati Bhavan auditorium in New Delhi. Oscar awardee Resul Pookuty and Vikas Swarup, on whose novel Q and A the movie is based, also attended the screening. According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson, the two-hour-long special screening was exclusively organised for the President.
India is sending two naval ships with relief and medical supplies to Myanmar, where a severe cyclone claimed over 3,000 lives and rendered thousands more homeless. The ships, carrying food items, tents, blankets, clothing and medicines will sail to Yangon from Port Blair, the External Affairs Ministry announced in New Delhi. The top leadership has conveyed India's readiness to provide immediate emergency relief assistance and to assist Myanmar in its rehabilitation efforts.
Rejecting suggestions by President Pratibha Patil to modify Gujarat Control of Organised Crime bill, the Narendra Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party's government on Tuesday re-introduced the bill which was passed by the state assembly.
President Pratibha Patil on Monday made public her movable and immovable properties worth over Rs 2.49 crore on the request of Central Information Commissioner as she completed four years in office. Rediff.com takes a look at the total worth of some other politicians in the country, and tries to find out where our President stands.
An embattled Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is expected to return to Bengaluru on Monday from a week-long Mauritius holiday with family amid debate in the party on his future in the wake of Lokayukta's damning indictment on the mining scam.
Gujarat Congress president Siddarth Patel and state assembly leader Shaktisinh Gohil on Wednesday led a delegation of party Members of Legislative Assembly and state leaders to President Pratibha Patil to seek her 'constitutional intervention' in the state to restore democracy, peace and law and order.
Asking Maoists to abandon the path of violence, President Pratibha Patil on Saturday said they must come to the negotiating table for working out a solution. Addressing the nation on the eve of 64th Independence Day, she also said terrorism poses the biggest threat to global peace and to defeat it all nations should come together and ensure that terrorists do not get sanctuaries and financial assistance.
Kerala government on Friday said the arrest warrant against Peoples Democratic Party leader Abdul Nasser Madani, an accused in the Bengaluru serial bomb blasts case, will be executed by Karnataka police at an 'appropriate time' after the ongoing visit of President Pratibha Patil.
"We are in close touch with Karnataka police. Madani will be arrested at the appropriate time. There is no confusion on his arrest between us," Kerala DGP Jacob Punnose told reporters at nearby Aluva.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday and discussed the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir besides other issues.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who was present at the singing ceremony along with visiting Indian President Pratibha Patil, said India was an 'important' partner for his country in the Asia-Pacific region. The first agreement calls for cooperation in air services between the two countries while the second one was related to enhanced ties in the energy sector.
Both Houses of Parliament will mark the 60th anniversary of their first sitting by holding a special sittings on Sunday.
Nonagenarian Rajya Sabha member Rishant Keising of Manipur and Resham Lal Jangde, 87, of Chhattisgarh will have the proud honour to be felicitated by President Pratibha Patil at the celebrations of Parliament's 60 years on May 13, for being the only live members of the first Lok Sabha constituted in 1952.
Myanmar's notorious dictator General Than Shwe, who is on a five-day official visit to India, met President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday.
The Rajasthan Dharma Swatantraya Bill, 2008, reintroduced by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje last week, prohibits conversion by use of force, allurement or fradulent means. It was passed by voice vote, even as Congress, Communist Party of India-Marxist and Lok Janshakti Party Legislative Assembly members demanded that it be referred to a select committee.
President Droupadi Murmu, the Republic's second lady Head of State, met President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, the nation's first lady Rashtrapati, at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday, July 26, 2022.
With the Karnataka assembly continuing to be rocked over the alleged illegal mining issue, state Governor H R Bharadwaj on Tuesday said nobody can be given license to indulge in corruption and that he would not shirk from his responsibilities.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma laughed at the suggestion that his name has been floating as a potential presidential candidate for the forthcoming elections to the office of President of India. President Pratibha Patil's term ends on July 24, and the new President would be sworn in on July 25.
If the the Amendment Bill to the Land Acquisition Act and the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill are enacted, it will not only help in better implementation of infrastructure and industrial projects, but also safeguard the interests of the farmers. That is because both the Bills contain clear guidelines to be followed while acquiring land, like the compensation package and the quantum of land to be acquired.
The United Progressive Alliance government on Thursday declared that it will pursue a policy of 'zero-tolerance' towards terrorism from whatever source it originates and seek to reshape its relationship with Pakistan, which should confront terror groups inimical to India. Outlining ten broad areas of priority for the next five years, President Patil, in her address to the jt session of Parliament, said that security and preservation of communal harmony will be among those.
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