Month: March 2019

Expect No Miracle But Priyanka Makes polls Exciting

By Anita Katyal

As political parties in India get ready for the mother-of-all electoral battles, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has emerged as the X-factor in the forthcoming contest.

Her formal entry into politics nearly two months ago as Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh created a buzz in political circles. For starters, Priyanka succeeded in galvanizing an otherwise frustrated and dejected party cadre. 

Always seen as a natural and instinctive politician unlike her brother Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Congress workers had been clamouring for years that Priyanka is given a larger role in the party. Her resemblance to her grandmother Indira Gandhi, her easy connect with people and her ability to give speeches in flawless Hindi had convinced the party rank and file that Priyanka indeed possesses the Midas touch to turnaround the  Congress’s fortunes, not just in Uttar Pradesh but across the country.

However, Priyanka is a mystery for the Congress party’s political opponents. The Bharatiya Janata Party was, of course, quick to attack the Congress for promoting dynastic politics when Priyanka was appointed party general secretary. The BJP followed it up by highlighting her husband Robert Vadra’s involvement in dubious land deals. At the same time, the Modi government fast-tracked pending inquiries against Vadra soon after Priyanka’s plunge into politics. Her decision to back her husband and her public declaration that she “stands by her family” baffled the BJP as it did not know how it should react to Priyanka the politician. The Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, which left the Congress out of their seat-sharing arrangement in Uttar Pradesh, is also wary about the impact Priyanka could make in this electorally-crucial state which sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha.

After its initial acerbic comments on Priyanka, the BJP decided to ignore the new Gandhi in the field. On her part, Priyanka also went underground after making a splash with a roadshow in Lucknow. The Pulwama attack and India’s retaliatory air strike against Pakistan sent the Congress into a tailspin and forced it to put its political activities on a temporary hold. Priyanka’s much-awaited press conference was called off while her tour programme was deferred. With the BJP riding high on its nationalist agenda, it appeared that the euphoria over Priyanka’s political debut had waned.

But now that the Lok Sabha election is round the corner and the country is in the grip of feverish political activity, Priyanka has come out of her shell. This will force the Congress party’s political rivals to reassess Priyanka’s political role.

After keeping a low-profile for the past two months, the new Congress general secretary finally addressed her first public meeting and, that too, in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home turf. Her brief, understated speech referred to the Modi government’s failure to deliver on its promise to create more jobs while drawing attention to farmers’ woes and the issue of women’s security but without naming the Prime Minister.

At the same time, Priyanka has embarked on her first tour in Uttar Pradesh including a boat ride down the Ganga, from Prayagraj to Varanasi. Modi’s Parliamentary constituency. Undoubtedly, Priyanka is familiar with Uttar Pradesh. She has been managing both Rahul and Sonia Gandhi’s Lok Sabha constituencies, Amethi and Rae Bareli, for several years now. But so far, she confined her activities to the two Nehru-Gandhi bastions. She is now stepping out of this safety zone and in a new role. Her public foray will be monitored closely by her own party and its rivals as each one seeks to assess how people are reacting to her and whether she can live up to her reputation as the Congress party’s trump card.

But Priyanka has a tough job at hand. The Congress has been reduced to a bit player in Uttar Pradesh, having lost its traditional support base of Brahmins, Dalits, and minorities to the BJP and the two regional forces, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. With a defunct party organisation and no social base, Priyanka requires more time to get the Congress back in shape. She was given charge of Eastern Uttar Pradesh barely three months before the election which certainly does not give her sufficient time to build a cadre and carve out a social base for the Congress.

As it is, Priyanka has to contend with a resurgent BJP, which got an impressive 42 percent vote share in the 2014 Lok Sabha election in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, the area under her charge. At the same time, the SP-BSP combine, which brings together the social forces of Dalits, Yadavs, and minorities, also poses a tough challenge as it has an equally strong presence in this region.

The Congress is hoping that Priyanka will succeed in disturbing the BJP’s Brahmin vote and reach out to Dalits and minorities, particularly women, youth and workers. It is a tall order but in the process of rebuilding and strengthening the Congress, the party may end up helping the BJP as her outreach has the potential of dividing the anti-BJP vote. It is unlikely that Priyanka’s presence will work instant miracles.

The Congress rank and file will possibly have to wait till the 2022 assembly election to find out if Priyanka has what it takes to pull the party out of oblivion. After all, Rahul Gandhi did say that Priyanka is here for a long haul.

India Won't Forget Pulwama: Doval

By LokMarg Publishing

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Tuesday said that India will never forget the killing of 40 CRPF jawans in the Pulwama attack last month and it is the leadership which decides “when, where and how” to respond to it.

Speaking on the occasion of 80th CRPF anniversary parade in Gurugram, Doval said, “We have not forgotten 40 jawans who lost their lives in Pulwama; the country will never forget this.”

He added, “What we have to do, which path we have to follow, what action is to be taken and at what time, our nation’s leadership is capable and strong enough to take this decision and face every kind of challenge.”

He said that the country is capable of doing whatever is needed to be done, whether it is against terrorists or those who are helping them. “We will fight against them. We have the courage and intention to fight against any crisis,” said Doval.

The NSA paid tributes to 40 CRPF jawans who were killed in a ghastly attack by Pakistan based Jasih-e-Mohammed (JeM). The CRPF convoy was targetted in Awantipora area of Pulwama district on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway on February 14.

Emphasising on CRPF’s contribution, he said, “Whenever we have meetings and discuss which force to send, how many battalions should be sent and where, we say send the CRPF, it is a credible force, we can completely trust them. It takes years to achieve such credibility.”

Appreciating the CRPF’s hard work, Doval added that the CRPF was initially started with just two battalions and it has 242 battalions today. “This is the only security force which has reached every part of the country for elections, law and order, etc. You are an incredible force of the nation,” he underlined.

On February 26, Indian Air Force attacked terror camps in Balakot area in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, targeting a huge advanced training camp of JeM. (ANI)

Union Home Minister

Pramod Sawant Sworn In As Goa CM

By LokMarg Publishing

BJP leader Pramod Sawant was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Goa by Goa Governor Mridula Sinha at Raj Bhavan in the wee hours of Tuesday. Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari was also present at the ceremony.

In addition, 11 other leaders, who were part of erstwhile Goa Cabinet, including Sudhin Dhavalikar of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Vijay Sardesai of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), and BJP MLA Vishwajit Rane, to name a few, took oath as Cabinet ministers.

Speaking to ANI after taking oath as chief minister, Sawant said his aim is to complete the projects that were initiated under Parrikar’s leadership.

“I have taken oath as Chief Minister today. I feel we must proceed together with the support of the allies. The aim is to complete all the work that had begun under Manohar Parrikar’s government. I may not be able to perform as well as him (Parrikar), but I will try my best,” he said.

The Chief Minister’s post went vacant following the death of Parrikar on Sunday evening after a prolonged illness.

43-year-old Sawant represents Sanquelim assembly constituency. His wife, Sulakshana Sawant is the president of the women’s wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Goa.

Goa Assembly has a strength of 40 members with four seats lying vacant due to deaths of two legislators, including Parrikar and resignation of two others. The by-polls on the three seats are scheduled to take place on April 23.

BJP currently has 12 legislators and enjoys the support of legislators from GFP, MGP, and three independents. GFP and MGP each have three MLAs.

Congress, on the other hand, has 15 MLAs in the house and is also short of the majority mark without external support. However, it had also, for the third time in two days staked claim to form a government in Goa. (ANI)

Manohar Parrikar: Destiny Ends A Brilliant Career

By Lt Gen Ike Singha

Manohar Parrikar was the most stable, effective, amiable and intelligent Raksha Mantri (RM) from the NDA 1 and 2 so far. He has been one of the few forward looking Raksha Mantris (RMs) of India who was pragmatic, hardworking, clear headed and open to suggestions. He always gave us an out of box solution to certain vexed issues. Shortly after taking over as RM he proclaimed that he would give the services a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) provided all three services were on the same platform.

Passing away of Manohar Parrikar is a loss not to the BJP alone but the whole political community of modern India. Tributes have been received cutting across party lines because essentially he was a cultured and amicable person who generally maintained the dignity of his office. A young IIT graduate, Manohar Parrikar became the Chief Minister of Goa in 2000 at the age of 45. Prior to that he had been an RSS worker from school days and leader of the opposition in Goa assembly. In one of the election conclaves of BJP in Goa in 2013, he was the first one to suggest that Modi should lead a united BJP campaign at national level. Modi was grateful to him and as a goodwill gesture got him to the Centre as a full time RM in November 2014. Prior to him the significantly important portfolio of defence was given as additional charge to an ailing finance minister.

The defence budget being limited in resources, Parrikar was able to clearly and pragmatically prioritise procurements for the three services. While he understood the need for modernisation of all the three services, he was also able to devise a time bound procurement plan. He tried to streamline and simplify procurement procedures and ushered in a new procurement policy. He had a very analytical mind and his being an IIT graduate helped him in coherently finding the way forward. A patient listener, he was quite quick on the uptake and was able to suggest workable but sometime naive, out of the box solutions to the defence forces.

Although he had excellent managerial abilities at the highest levels, his understanding about the actual conduct of operations was limited due to lakh of actual combat experience. However, he was a quick learner and during his short stint as the RM, the Army conducted surgical strikes across the international border with Myanmar and across line of Control in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

As a first he ordered some high level studies to be conducted by a group of retired and serving officers to streamline efficient functioning of the armed forces. As a result of these studies, outdated organisations were pruned or closed down to spare manpower and equipment for newly desired capabilities and capacity building.

The man had a flip side of his personality. He had no penchant for customs and time tested traditions of the armed forces and tried to bring in contemporary business practices which were not always well received by the veterans community. He was seen taking salute at ceremonies like guard of honour, a very solemn affair, in Chappals and crumpled bush shirt. At the same time, he was immaculately dressed in suit and Oxford shoes when he attended similar ceremonies abroad especially in the western countries. This did not go well with maintaining the traditions, ethos and elan of our proud armed forces and the veteran community.

Although he promised institution of the post of CDS and exhibited a will to resolve the One Rank One Pay issue, the bureaucrats salvaged his efforts and did not let these resolutions go through. He took credit for surgical strikes stating that he told the army what to do and how to do disregarding and downplaying the immaculate planning by senior officers and bold and audacious execution by junior leaders and troops on the ground. He did shake the bureaucrats a bit in a bid to make them more accountable and efficient but could not change their moral fibre and archaic ways of functioning.

He deviated from the proven tradition of martial music on beating the retreat after Republic Day celebrations to contemporary Bollywood style music with band players swaying in a manner not conforming to the values and traditions of the services. He was highly criticised for this act by the veterans and he confessed that he should take advice from the senior serving and retired officers before introducing radical changes. Inspite of his lack of strategic and operational depth in matters purely military, as a senior level manager he always gave suggestions some of which were workable and deserved to be given a chance.

Parrikar gave a fillip to all stalled defence projects because prior to him the services were not able to approach and convince the part time RM the necessity and urgency. Once he got the complete picture, which took about three months of detailed briefings from November 2014 to February 2015, he was able to prioritise logically and suggest to us how to stagger big ticket projects over the years in order to fit into the allotted defence budget. 

The much debated Rafael deal also exhibited his pragmatic approach wherein he agreed with PMO that at least two squadrons required urgently for strategic reasons should be procured through the fast government to government lane. Once the PMO took full charge of the Rafael deal he told the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to maintain a standoff distance and stayed out of the controversy inspite of opposition trying to rope him in.

In one of our meetings on enhancing the capacity of defence industries, I suggested to him that these units only worked during day light hours and if we had three continuous shifts around the clock like the heavy steel plants, then we could triple our production. He quite liked the idea but unfortunately, continuity was not maintained as he was sent back to Goa to cobble a minority coalition BJP government, which non other than him could have managed to stitch ; since one to one, congress had 25 percent more number of legislators than BJP in the state.

Parrikar would be remembered for what he achieved in his short life. Goa will always remain indebted to him for all the development he carried out in the state. The armed forces would always wish he had a longer tenure with them.

(The writer worked closely with Manohar Parrikar during the latter’s tenure as Defence Minister)

Bank Loan Default

Nirav Modi Faces Arrest In London

By LokMarg Publishing

In a major development, a London court on Monday issued an arrest warrant against diamond merchant Nirav Modi, who is wanted in India for an alleged loan default case, according to the sources in the Enforcement Directorate.

The arrest warrant was issued by the Westminster Court, the sources added.

India had already requested the extradition of Nirav Modi from the United Kingdom.

The development comes days after the fugitive was tracked down to a 33-storey Centre Point Apartment complex in London’s Theatre District.

The tower was an office complex and was converted into luxury residences with prices ranging from PS2 million to PS55 million all with superb views over the city of London.

Modi is believed to be living in a property worth PS8 million apartments in the tower, the rent for a similar apartment in the tower comes to approximately PS17,000 a month, stated the Daily Telegraph.

On March 9, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said that India is making strong efforts to bring back the fugitive businessman and was waiting for a response from the United Kingdom with regard to its extradition request sent in August last year.

At a media briefing here, Raveesh Kumar said the government is aware of Modi’s presence in the UK and had made the request for his extradition in August last year. He added that the fact the UK was sent that request clears that India is aware of his presence in that country and action has been initiated for his extradition.

Nirav Modi, one of the prime accused in the PNB scam in India. Modi is the subject of an extradition request by India, along with an Interpol Red Corner Notice being issued for the PNB scam accused. Modi is the prime accused in the Rs 13,000 crore PNB fraud, along with his uncle Mehul Choksi.

Choksi was granted citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda on January 15, 2018, while Modi is in London.

Both Modi and Choksi left India in January last year before the PNB scam came out in the public. The duo has not returned to India despite repeated summons from probe agencies and courts. (ANI)

Cong Stakes Claim To Form Govt In Goa

By LokMarg Publishing

Leader of Opposition in Goa Assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar led Congress delegation on Monday told Governor Mridula Sinha that the party will prove majority to form the government in the state.

“We met the Governor and staked claim to form the government as we are the single largest party in the state. We have 14 MLAs and we should be given the chance to form the government. We have told that we will prove majority. We are saddened by the demise of Goa Chief Minister,” Kavlekar told media after meeting the Governor.

The Congress communicated their claim to form the government hours after the death of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s death. The opposition Congress is the single largest party in the 40-member Goa assembly.

However, BJP MLA Glenn Ticlo on Monday said that one among the 12 BJP MLAs should lead Goa since the demise of Parrikar.

Ticlo’s reaction came after the Congress wrote to the Governor for the second time in the last two days staking claim to form the government.

The four-time Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Manohar Parrikar died on Sunday evening after a prolonged battle against cancer at the age of 63.

The present strength of the Goa Assembly stands at 37 instead of 40.

The Congress is currently the single-largest party in Goa with 14 MLAs. The BJP has 13 legislators and its government is supported by three MLAs each of the Goa Forward Party and Maharashtra Gomantak Party, and three Independents. Two Congress MLAs have resigned after defecting to the BJP. (ANI)

Parrikar Cremated With State Honours

By LokMarg Publishing

Thousands of mourners on Monday gave a teary tribute to Goa’s four-time chief minister Manohar Parrikar as his body was cremated with full state honours. The final rites were performed with Vedic Hindu rituals as Parrikar’s son lit the pyre.

The final journey of Goa’s ‘son of the soil’ begun from Kala Academy in Panjim. A teeming column of mourners followed on foot and vehicles.

The news of Parrikar’s demise was shared by President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday evening. “Extremely sorry to hear of the passing of Shri Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister of Goa after an illness borne with fortitude and dignity. An epitome of integrity and dedication in public life, his service to the people of Goa and of India will not be forgotten,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman paid last respects to Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar by visiting his mortal remains in Goa and consoling the bereaved family.

While Congress president Rahul Gandhi observed a two-minute silence at a public rally to pay homage to Parrikar, Congress-led opposition leader in Goa assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar called him a “leader of great abilities whose loss is certainly irreversible and incalculable.”

Embodying ‘work is worship,’ Parrikar efficiently led from the front till his last breath. Exactly 10 days before his death, he was last pictured on March 7, in his trademark attire of a simple shirt and trouser, unveiling the plaque of foundation stone for a sewerage scheme.

His political journey of about 28 years took him from one high office to other, only culminating in the position that he often referred as most close to his heart.

In October 2000, Parrikar had become the Chief Minister of the state for the first time. He was the first IIT graduate politician to take reins of the coastal state.

His love for Goa was so earnest that even after he moved to New Delhi to take on the post of country’s defence minister, Parrikar left no chance to visit his hometown frequently.

Hence it wasn’t much of surprise that after the BJP failed to get a complete majority after the 2016 state assembly polls, the allies clearly stated their faith in Parrikar.

Even for the brief period of little less than three years that he served as the Defence Minister, Parrikar earned friends and admirers at the national and global level. His untimely death was also condoled by the United States and Russia.

Parrikar not only transformed Goa’s infrastructure but also oversaw the first surgical strikes of 2014 as the defence minister.

Born in a middle-class Gaud Saraswat Brahmin family, his trademark image of wearing a simple shirt and trouser and waiting patiently in queues at different public places will remain itched for long in public memories.

(ANI)

Priyanka Kicks Off U.P. Poll Campaign

By LokMarg Publishing

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress’s newly appointed general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh, on Monday boarded a boat to start her three-day long Ganga Yatra from the Manaiya ghat in Prayagraj.

“Ganga maiyaa will give us blessings. She is very generous,” Priyanka said while talking to reporters at the start of the yatra.

She started the first day of Ganga Yatra by offering prayers at Bade Hanuman ji temple followed by a prayer at Triveni Sangam. She will be stopping at Dumdama ghat, Sirsa ghat, Lakshagriha ghat and Sitamarhi ghat in Sitamarhi district where she will stay for the night.

Priyanka is accompanied by party spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh, MLA Aradhana Mishra, MP Savitri Bai Phule and some students.

Phule who was elected from the Baharaich Lok Sabha constituency in 2014 elections from the BJP, joined Congress on March 2.

“This is an attempt to reach out to the people whom the ruling politicians did not give priority. From today, Priyanka ji will be (interacting) with Kevats, fishermen and common masses during the three-day ‘Ganga Yatra’ from Sangam to Kashi. This is not a not one-sided ‘Mann ki Baat’ but real dialogue with the people,” UP Congress Committee (UPCC) president Raj Babbar tweeted.

Priyanka’s tour will focus on Sanchi Baat Priyanka ke Saath in which she will talk to people during her 140 kms long travel on a steamer boat to Assi Ghat in Varanasi.

Speaking on the schedule of Priyanka’s campaign, senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said, “She will meet the poor communities living on both sides of the river bank like fishermen, farmers, Kevats. Her first-night halt will be at Sitamarhi, on the second day she will visit Chunar and, the third day, she will reach Assi Ghat in Varanasi.”

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Babbar said: “We are leaving seven seats vacant for SP, BSP, and RLD. These are Mainpuri, Kannauj, Firozabad and the seats from where Mayawati ji, RLD’s Jayant ji and Ajit Singh will contest the ensuing Lok Sabha election.”

“We have also decided to give two seats to the Apna Dal — Gonda and Pilibhit,” said Babbar, adding that the Congress party would chalk out a plan to work with the Mahan Dal as they have agreed to contest on the Congress symbol.

Babbar also said the Congress party has reached an agreement on seven seats with the Jan Adhikar party (JAP). “Out of those seven, JAP will fight on five and we will fight on two seats,” he said.

ANI

#PulwamaRevenge – ‘India Responded Well’

By LokMarg

I got to know about the Pulwama terror attack through television and my first reaction was sorrow mixed with anger. I kept wondering as to for how long our Indian soldiers will just be numbers; for how long will we keep losing our military and paramilitary forces for issues that can be prevented? I am glad that many sections of the media kept asking the right questions.

Though, I am no supporter of war, yet I feel Pakistan (because it has given protection to the JeM Commander Masood Azhar) must be sent a very strong message: hamari sharafat ko hamari kamzori mat samjho (our civility should not be mistaken for our weakness).

The surgical strikes at Balakot sent a very strong message that meant, ‘we won’t take things lying down anymore’. The civilians of Pakistan must be respected, but the terrorists living on Pakistani soil must not be spared. The Balakot strike was called non-military, pre-emptive action. It was necessary, since we can’t be sitting ducks waiting for more terrorist attacks, emboldening elements of terror.

However, having said all this, I do feel the government should accept there was intelligence failure during the Pulwama attack. The state of Uttar Pradesh has lost many of its men in the attack. The government should take good care of the old parents of jawans, who have lost their lives.

Many people are saying that important issues were getting sidelined as the war cry was getting stronger. But I don’t believe it. I feel the government is trying to manage everything quite well. For instance, the authorities in Uttar Pradesh were successful in carrying out the Ardh Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj, without any untoward incident during the turmoil. As for the issue of unemployment, yes the situation is not so good, but we cannot expect miracles in just five years.

This would be my first time as a voter and I am pretty excited about it. I will definitely vote for BJP, especially because I feel Narendra Modi has given a big boost to self-sufficiency/self-employment. Now youngsters are venturing beyond just thinking for themselves or operating merely for profit, they now also think about how to generate employment for others. Yes, the government needs to improve itself on many counts, but we need to give them a second chance.

Goa CM Manohar Parrikar Is No More

By LokMarg Publishing

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is no more, President Ram Nath Kovind state on Sunday evening on a social media platform. Sixty-three-year-old Parrikar, who was battling a pancreatic ailment for nearly a year, breathed his last at his residence.

Kovind wrote on Twitter, “Extremely sorry to hear of the passing of Shri Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister of Goa, after an illness borne with fortitude and dignity. An epitome of integrity and dedication in public life, his service to the people of Goa and of India will not be forgotten”.

A three-time Chief Minister of Goa, Parrikar had been in and out of the hospitals since February last year. It was in October that the state government made a formal announcement about the BJP leader suffering from a pancreatic ailment. He had undergone treatment in the United States as well as Delhi.

Parrikar took charge as the Chief Minister on March 14, 2017, and held the office till his end. He had previously served as the Chief Minister of the state from 2000 to 2002, 2002 to 2005 and from 2012 to 2014.

An engineer from IIT-Bombay, Parrikar led BJP in 2012 to victory and became the Chief Minister. He was made the Defence Minister in 2014 and was succeeded by Laxmikant Parsekar as the Chief Minister of Goa.

Considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Parrikar served as the Defence Ministerfrom May 2014 to March 2017.

Born in Mapusa in the coastal state of Goa, Parrikar studied at Loyola High School, Margao. In 1978 he graduated in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.

Parrikar was also one of those leaders who rose in ranks from RSS to BJP. Parrikar had joined RSS even during final years of his school days and later became the Sanghchalak at the age of 26.

Often referred to as the ‘Chief Minister of the Common’ by many, Parrikar was known for his simple style of living and for being easily approachable by the citizens of Goa.

Parrikar is survived by his two sons- Utpal, an Electrical Engineering graduate from Michigan State University, and Abhijat, a local businessman. His wife Medha passed away in 2000. (ANI)