United States President has greeted India on its Republic Day. In a brief message, he said the US and India shared belief in values of liberty, pluralism, and religious tolerance.
The MHA said all the "glossy statements" about humanitarian work and speaking truth to power are nothing but a "ploy to divert attention" from their activities which were in clear contravention of laid down Indian laws.
President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the nation on the eve of India's 75th Independence Day. Here's the text of what he said:
On this technological revolution, we are 7-10 years behind the US. So, the threat to newspapers doesn't exist now, says Trai Chairman Rahul Khullar.
A strong leader, known for his strong speeches, uses his communication skills to guide and heal. He does not wait for 10 days to comment, provoking a worried President to speak instead-not once, but twice.
In a letter, Dr Singh invited Obama and his wife Michelle to visit India. The letter focused on the multi-faceted relationship that is anchored in the common values of democracy, pluralism and respect for diversity shared by the two countries.
'This visit will further the convergence of our political, economic and strategic interests,' Modi tweeted.
The Indian Muslim Council-USA, an advocacy group dedicated to protecting the rights of minorities and promoting pluralism, had its fourth annual convention May 31 with the theme 'The Idea of India: Challenges and Prospects.' Tarun Tejpal, CEO and editor in chief of India's Tehelka newsmagazine, was the keynote speaker.
It is time we pre-empt Pakistan and the separatists by fast tracking normalcy, advises Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
A colossal musician from this part of the world, late Bhupen Hazarika describing the spring festival (Bohag Bihu) in Assam sang one of its timeless tune -- 'Bohag mathu eti ritu nohoi, nohoi Bohag ethi mah, Asomiya jatir.' Bhupen Hazarika described Bohag, as not only a season or a month but eternal the source of courage, inspiration and lifeline for the Assamese people to win over the darkness of evil.
The move came as the Pakistan government decided to curtail the space given by the press to jailed politicians like Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Zardari.
'The uneducated think of their rights as a gift. This is deeply troubling.' 'If they were educated they could claim what is rightfully theirs.'
'Mohan Bhagwat's reaffirmation of the RSS's Hindu rashtra ideal has shown that nothing has changed, that it remains firmly rooted in its fundamental beliefs, that the willingness to listen to voices from outside its fold was a pretence about being openminded,' argues Amulya Ganguli.
Secularism as a principle and practice in India is in "danger", but "forces of hatred" cannot alter the country's secular character, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said during an interview on his new book 'The Battle of Belonging'. In the book, Tharoor makes a stinging critique of the Hindutva doctrine, asserting that it is a political doctrine, not a religious one.
The prime minister said there was a need to demonstrate strong and collective will to defeat terror networks that cause bloodshed and spread fear.
"Such attacks are a grim reminder of the challenges we face from destructive forces, which have pitted themselves against the values of democracy and pluralism and the voices of moderation," Dr Singh said in a letter to his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani.
While a 51 per cent majority gives her high marks for being "knowledgeable and experienced enough to handle the presidency," pluralities rate Clinton negatively on honesty, likeability and sharing their position on issues.
Ajay Maken, who has also served as the Speaker of the Delhi Assembly in the past, asked Deora to "leave Congress" before propagating "half-baked facts."
'Sachin Pilot has revived the Congress.' 'What goes in favour of Ashok Gehlot is experience.'
Congress on Sunday expressed surprise over the Modi government's "inability" to rein in affiliates of Sangh Parivar "brewing communal hatred and mistrust" for electoral gains.
'The current government must act sooner rather than later,' asserts Vivek Gumaste.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday pitched for communal harmony and brotherhood in the country, saying Hindus and Muslims should work together to fight the common enemy of poverty and ignore "irresponsible" statements made by politicians, even if he himself makes any.
She used her speech in the Lok Sabha during a special discussion on the Quit India movement to underline the contributions of the Congress and Jawaharlal Nehru to the landmark episode in India's struggle for independence.
"Both sides strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and underscored it as a major threat to democracy, pluralism, international peace and security," said a statement from the Indian Embassy. Host of issues like regional counter-terrorism efforts, threat assessments in South Asia, Middle East and South East Asia, bio-terrorism, anti-terrorism assistance training programme and co-operation in the field of forensic epidemiology were discussed.
Consul General of India in New York Neelam Deo outlined a series of steps taken by the Government of India to promote investment and competitive entrepreneurship in India. Deo touched on several sectors, and cited the Nano car, introduced by the Tata group, as an example of how Indian entrepreneurship is introducing efficiency in production to reduce the cost.
The bench said that non-acceptance of Hadiya's choice would simply mean creating discomfort to the Constitutional right by a Constitutional court which is meant to be the protector of fundamental rights.
Biden is best qualified to address the root cause of the polarisation in American politics before it turns into terminal malignancy, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
It will not be to India's advantage to create misperceptions that it is bandwagoning with some Anglo-American project for regime change in Myanmar, argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
India has suffered the brunt of terrorism, including that of the cross-border variety, he said.
"Indeed, the effort to bring about a rapprochement in India-China relations was initiated when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the foreign minister in Morarji Desai's government. His historic meeting with Deng Xiaoping in 1979 broke the ice and resumed top-level dialogue that had been frozen since the 1962 Indo-China war. Shri Vajpayee also gave a big boost to this effort when he became the Prime Minister," he said.
According to the temple literature, 1,800 craftsmen were engaged for 18 months, sculpting 24,000 pieces which were later transported to the temple site in suburban Etobicoke, North-West of Toronto, and assembled together.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday said his government is equally committed to the rehabilitation and rights of Kashmiri Pandits and refugees from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan.
'The rise of IS and intolerant Wahabism are the real dangers to Indian democracy and pluralism, not the RSS,' says Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay.
Although there is no indication of a genuine change of heart, what is probably happening is that the BJP is slowly undergoing a process of becoming acclimatised, as it were, to India's diversity.
The 2 countries signed 15 agreements including one on defence cooperation after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held 'productive discussions' with President Joko Widodo.
'The prospect is of a self-confident and self-sustaining India will make it a more effective player in the global arena,' External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar points out delivering the Sardar Patel Lecture-2020: India and the Post-Covid World.
Indians are perhaps the world's most undemocratic people, living in the world's largest and most plural democracy where a person's self-worth is almost exclusively determined by the rank he occupies, says a new book.
"By soft power, I imply a power based on cultural values, social values, political values and foreign policy values," Shashi Tharoor told the BBC
Trump will pay a state visit to India on February 24 and 25 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Wednesday said the US President's visit will be a 'very special one' and it will go a long way in further cementing India-USA friendship.
Sponsorship and external linkages have 'tended to fertilize indigenous terrorism.'
