For three decades, India has craved a nuclear energy deal that would bring prestige and advanced technology. Yet when the coalition government declared recently that it would move ahead with one, it triggered a crisis and a no-confidence motion in Parliament, which it had to scramble to survive.
Watching this drama unfold, the international community may be forgiven for feeling a little baffled. After all, the landmark Indo-US nuclear deal is immensely advantageous for India. It allows India to buy nuclear technology from the US in exchange for abiding by International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. It would give India's growing economy much-needed energy without endangering its strategic capabilities or influencing its sovereignty in foreign policy.
Simple fact
To understand the political anguish and hand-wringing in India over a nuclear deal with the US, one needs to understand a very simple fact. Unlike China, its rival rising power, India lacks a grand strategy or concept of its role in the world. India thinks it should be a great power but has no clear vision of its path. In contrast, China thinks it is a great power and expends a great deal of time and energy outlining its "peaceful rise" to itself and the world.
China's rise on the world stage is constantly discussed by Chinese academics, journalists, policy experts, political leaders, and the elite. This discourse emphasises that despite China's growing power and the need for resources and markets, it will not pursue militarisation and hegemony as Germany and Japan did before and during the Second World War.
Rather, it intends to rise peacefully and harmoniously. Simultaneously, this idea draws on the concept of tianxia ("all under heaven") which, simply put, promotes order over chaos and has been key to understanding governance in China for the past 2,000 years. With defined ideas of the world and their role in the world, China acts like a confident great power and pursues its international goals with single-minded zeal.
The last time India had a defined concept of its international role, Jawaharlal Nehru was the prime minister. Nehru made some notable foreign policy mistakes, particularly his disastrous Forward Policy that resulted in the 1962 war and bitter defeat at the hands of China.
But there is no doubt the man was a visionary. Designed by Nehru, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) was a domestic and international triumph for India. It was poor, struggling to develop economically and militarily, but there was a sense of purpose and national pride that it had, at least, cornered the moral market in international relations and assumed the leadership of the developing nations.
Post Nehru and post Cold War, India failed to adapt or abandon NAM, even when it had little significance. Nor, unlike China after Mao, did any Indian leader articulate an alternate ideology of the world and India's role in it.
It is, therefore, not surprising that such bitter ideological divisions now exist in India. What is the way forward for India as a would-be great power? Does signing a nuclear deal with the US make its old antagonist its new best friend? Does it mean that even paying lip service to the long-obsolete idea of NAM is no longer possible? Or does great power mean, as the communists suggest, proudly rejecting the nuclear deal and thereby showing the international community who's boss?
Even as the nuclear deal steams ahead, unless India articulates a vision for itself and gains the confidence of a great power, such splits will continue to plague its international relationships and negotiations.
- Manjari Chatterjee Miller is
Sunday, July 27, 2008
India on alert after two days of bombings kill 46
India's major cities were put on high alert on Sunday, with fears of more attacks after at least 46 people were killed in two days of bombings that hit a communally sensitive western city and a southern IT hub
At least 16 bombs exploded in the Indian city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state on Saturday, killing at least 45 people and wounding 161, a day after another set of blasts in Bangalore killed a woman.
Two more unexploded bombs were found in the city of Surat on Sunday, one of the world's biggest diamond-polishing centres, located in Gujarat state, police said.
A little-known group called the "Indian Mujahideen" claimed responsibility for the Ahmedabad attack on Saturday. The same group said it carried out bomb attacks that killed 63 people in the western city of Jaipur in May.
It is unusual for any group to claim responsibility, but India says it suspects militant groups from Pakistan and Bangladesh are behind a wave of bombings in recent years, with targets ranging from mosques and Hindu temples to trains.
"The entire nation, including major metro cities in India, have been put on high alert and they have been asked to step up security in vital installations," a home ministry spokesman said.
In New Delhi, police used loudspeakers and distributed leaflets in crowded market places, warning people to watch out for unclaimed baggage and suspicious objects. Police guarded Hindu temples in the eastern city of Kolkata.
There were two separate series of bombings in Ahmedadad, the first near busy market places. A second quick succession of bombs went off 20 to 25 minutes later around a hospital, where at least six people died, police said. All were detonated with timers.
"I came with my two children to cheer up my mother admitted to hospital," said Pankaj Patel, whose son Rohan and daughter Pratha were killed at Ahmedadad hospital. "They were laughing when the blast occurred. Now they are dead."
Two doctors were killed in the hospital in a blast in which at least one bomb was tied onto a gas cylinder. Charred motorcycles and bicycles were shown outside. TV showed victims writhing in pain and covered in blood on hospital floors.
The other bombs were in Ahmedabad's crowded old city dominated by its Muslim community. Many of the bombs were packed into metal tiffin boxes, used to carry food, and stuffed with ball-bearings. Some were left on bicycles.
Police found two unexploded bombs in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The state government ordered the closure of all shops, cinemas and markets on Sunday and told people to stay indoors.
Ahmedabad is the main city in the communally sensitive and relatively wealthy western state of Gujarat, scene of deadly riots in 2002 in which 2,500 people are thought to have died, most of them Muslims killed by rampaging Hindu mobs.
Ahmedabad and Bangalore are in states ruled by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and are among the country's fastest-growing.
Gujarat's Chief Minister Narendra Modi is one of India's most controversial politicians, accused of turning a blind eye to the Gujarat riots.
MUSLIM BACKLASH?
Some analysts say there is evidence of local Muslim groups, for years seen as unaffected by the rise of global Islamist militancy, of taking up violence against India, where they are a poor and often neglected minority. They might be getting training and financial backing from Pakistan or Bangladesh.
"Over the last few years, the dissatisfaction among Indian Muslims has hitched onto the wagon of the global/regional jihad," said C. Uday Bhaskar, a security analyst and former director of New Delhi's Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
"If you have 150 million Muslims in India, only 0.01 percent of that figure would mean a militant nucleus of 15,000 people."
Police raided one house in Mumbai where they believe e-mails from the Indian Mujahideen were linked, local media reported.
India's home ministry said on Friday it suspected "a small militant group" was behind the Bangalore blasts, while some police officials suspected the attack could be the work of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India.
Some IT companies in Bangalore, known as India's Silicon Valley, were increasing security. Each bomb had a similar explosive force to one or two grenades.
The city is a prominent software development centre and is also home to a major outsourcing industry.
At least 16 bombs exploded in the Indian city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state on Saturday, killing at least 45 people and wounding 161, a day after another set of blasts in Bangalore killed a woman.
Two more unexploded bombs were found in the city of Surat on Sunday, one of the world's biggest diamond-polishing centres, located in Gujarat state, police said.
A little-known group called the "Indian Mujahideen" claimed responsibility for the Ahmedabad attack on Saturday. The same group said it carried out bomb attacks that killed 63 people in the western city of Jaipur in May.
It is unusual for any group to claim responsibility, but India says it suspects militant groups from Pakistan and Bangladesh are behind a wave of bombings in recent years, with targets ranging from mosques and Hindu temples to trains.
"The entire nation, including major metro cities in India, have been put on high alert and they have been asked to step up security in vital installations," a home ministry spokesman said.
In New Delhi, police used loudspeakers and distributed leaflets in crowded market places, warning people to watch out for unclaimed baggage and suspicious objects. Police guarded Hindu temples in the eastern city of Kolkata.
There were two separate series of bombings in Ahmedadad, the first near busy market places. A second quick succession of bombs went off 20 to 25 minutes later around a hospital, where at least six people died, police said. All were detonated with timers.
"I came with my two children to cheer up my mother admitted to hospital," said Pankaj Patel, whose son Rohan and daughter Pratha were killed at Ahmedadad hospital. "They were laughing when the blast occurred. Now they are dead."
Two doctors were killed in the hospital in a blast in which at least one bomb was tied onto a gas cylinder. Charred motorcycles and bicycles were shown outside. TV showed victims writhing in pain and covered in blood on hospital floors.
The other bombs were in Ahmedabad's crowded old city dominated by its Muslim community. Many of the bombs were packed into metal tiffin boxes, used to carry food, and stuffed with ball-bearings. Some were left on bicycles.
Police found two unexploded bombs in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The state government ordered the closure of all shops, cinemas and markets on Sunday and told people to stay indoors.
Ahmedabad is the main city in the communally sensitive and relatively wealthy western state of Gujarat, scene of deadly riots in 2002 in which 2,500 people are thought to have died, most of them Muslims killed by rampaging Hindu mobs.
Ahmedabad and Bangalore are in states ruled by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and are among the country's fastest-growing.
Gujarat's Chief Minister Narendra Modi is one of India's most controversial politicians, accused of turning a blind eye to the Gujarat riots.
MUSLIM BACKLASH?
Some analysts say there is evidence of local Muslim groups, for years seen as unaffected by the rise of global Islamist militancy, of taking up violence against India, where they are a poor and often neglected minority. They might be getting training and financial backing from Pakistan or Bangladesh.
"Over the last few years, the dissatisfaction among Indian Muslims has hitched onto the wagon of the global/regional jihad," said C. Uday Bhaskar, a security analyst and former director of New Delhi's Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
"If you have 150 million Muslims in India, only 0.01 percent of that figure would mean a militant nucleus of 15,000 people."
Police raided one house in Mumbai where they believe e-mails from the Indian Mujahideen were linked, local media reported.
India's home ministry said on Friday it suspected "a small militant group" was behind the Bangalore blasts, while some police officials suspected the attack could be the work of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India.
Some IT companies in Bangalore, known as India's Silicon Valley, were increasing security. Each bomb had a similar explosive force to one or two grenades.
The city is a prominent software development centre and is also home to a major outsourcing industry.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Rahul Gandhi visits village in Andhra Pradesh
: Continuing his tryst with the common man, Congress party general secretary Rahul Gandhi made a surprise visit to the backward Mahabubnagar district in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday and interacted with some labourers.
Gandhi, who arrived here on a two-day visit, took everyone by surprise by departing from his scheduled programme to visit a village, about 100 km from here.
Soon after landing at the international airport at Shamshabad, about 30 km from the city centre, the young MP decided to undertake a surprise tour of a village instead of entering the city.
Though a large number of senior Congress leaders had turned up at the airport to receive him, he choose to go alone to the countryside to have first-hand information about labourers enrolled in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).
The Congress-led government's flagship welfare initiative is aimed at ensuring 100 days of employment to the rural poor every year. The Congress leader en route stopped at a road-side dhaba (eatery) near Jadcherla in Mahabubnagar district and had lunch.
He then reached Bhutpur village and interacted with a few labourers to know about the benefits of the scheme and their problems. He also attended a social audit programme of the scheme in a government building.
Officials were not ready to reveal the details of the closed-door interaction and the meeting. Villagers gathered to catch a glimpse of the Congress leader. A beaming Gandhi was seen waving at them and also gave autograph to a few people.
Earlier, Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, in charge of party affairs in the state M. Veerappa Moily, state Congress party president D. Srinivas and several state ministers accorded a warm welcome to Gandhi at the airport.
M. Jannatham, an MP expelled from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) for defying the whip to vote for the Congress-led government in Tuesday's trust vote, was also among the leaders who received him.
On Sunday, Rahul Gandhi will visit Gandhi Bhavan, the headquarters of the Congress party here, and interact with the leaders and workers.
Later, he will participate at the Aam aadmi ke sipahi camp at Miyapur on the city outskirts. The party workers in the camp are being trained to conduct social audit for government schemes and to disseminate information to people
Gandhi, who arrived here on a two-day visit, took everyone by surprise by departing from his scheduled programme to visit a village, about 100 km from here.
Soon after landing at the international airport at Shamshabad, about 30 km from the city centre, the young MP decided to undertake a surprise tour of a village instead of entering the city.
Though a large number of senior Congress leaders had turned up at the airport to receive him, he choose to go alone to the countryside to have first-hand information about labourers enrolled in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).
The Congress-led government's flagship welfare initiative is aimed at ensuring 100 days of employment to the rural poor every year. The Congress leader en route stopped at a road-side dhaba (eatery) near Jadcherla in Mahabubnagar district and had lunch.
He then reached Bhutpur village and interacted with a few labourers to know about the benefits of the scheme and their problems. He also attended a social audit programme of the scheme in a government building.
Officials were not ready to reveal the details of the closed-door interaction and the meeting. Villagers gathered to catch a glimpse of the Congress leader. A beaming Gandhi was seen waving at them and also gave autograph to a few people.
Earlier, Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, in charge of party affairs in the state M. Veerappa Moily, state Congress party president D. Srinivas and several state ministers accorded a warm welcome to Gandhi at the airport.
M. Jannatham, an MP expelled from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) for defying the whip to vote for the Congress-led government in Tuesday's trust vote, was also among the leaders who received him.
On Sunday, Rahul Gandhi will visit Gandhi Bhavan, the headquarters of the Congress party here, and interact with the leaders and workers.
Later, he will participate at the Aam aadmi ke sipahi camp at Miyapur on the city outskirts. The party workers in the camp are being trained to conduct social audit for government schemes and to disseminate information to people
India confident of wrapping up N-deal by Sept: Sibal
India is "hopeful" of getting the support of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and wrapping up its nuclear accord with the US by September, Science and Technology Minister Kabil Sibal said before leaving for Finland and Sweden.
"I will be going to Finland and Sweden tonight. The response is positive," Sibal said in an interview when asked about whether India was confident of getting the support of the 45-nation NSG for the deal which seeks to re-open doors of global nuclear business for India.
"Let's see what happens. We are hopeful they will support us," Sibal, who returned from Geneva on Friday morning, said when asked about his impression of skeptics in the NSG who have some reservations about the nuclear deal.
Sibal confirmed that the IAEA board was meeting on August 1 to decide on approving the India-specific safeguards pact and expressed confidence that the proposed pact will mass muster with the UN watchdog.
"The process is on. Beyond that I don't want to say anything right now," Sibal added on a cautious note.
"Hopefully, we should be able to," Sibal replied when asked whether India was confident of wrapping up the nuclear deal with the US by September as Washington indicated two days ago.
Sibal also underlined that India was hopeful of getting support of China with whom the country's relations have grown significantly over the last few years.
Every country counts in the NSG as it operates by consensus.
A couple of days ago, US ambassador David Mulford had said that the US was keen to convene the meeting of the NSG in the first week of August after the approval of the India-specific safeguards agreement by the IAEA board at its meeting on August 1.
The NSG process is likely to be completed in August so that the 123 agreement can be endorsed by the Congress in September before Washington and New Delhi ink the bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement.
Sibal is among a handful of ministers and diplomats who have been deputed by the government to go to various NSG countries and allay their concerns about some aspects of the nuclear deal which they suspect will impinge negatively on global non-proliferation regime.
Sibal's brief is to convince two of the difficult countries in the 45-nation NSG -- Finland and Sweden -- which are known for strong non-proliferation sensitivities and have serious reservations about the very use of nuclear energy on safety and environmental grounds.
Sibal will underline India's impeccable non-proliferation record and its need for environmentally clean nuclear energy to convince his interlocutors about the merits of the deal.
With a tight timeline for wrapping up the nuclear deal in view of the looming US presidential elections, India has scaled up its NSG diplomacy to win over some of the skeptics like Ireland, Finland, Norway, Austria and Australia and New Zealand.
Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma headed to Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa Friday from Singapore after meeting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and foreign ministers of NSG countries like Australia and New Zealand.
South Africa is a former chair of the NSG. The other three countries are members of the IAEA.
"I will be going to Finland and Sweden tonight. The response is positive," Sibal said in an interview when asked about whether India was confident of getting the support of the 45-nation NSG for the deal which seeks to re-open doors of global nuclear business for India.
"Let's see what happens. We are hopeful they will support us," Sibal, who returned from Geneva on Friday morning, said when asked about his impression of skeptics in the NSG who have some reservations about the nuclear deal.
Sibal confirmed that the IAEA board was meeting on August 1 to decide on approving the India-specific safeguards pact and expressed confidence that the proposed pact will mass muster with the UN watchdog.
"The process is on. Beyond that I don't want to say anything right now," Sibal added on a cautious note.
"Hopefully, we should be able to," Sibal replied when asked whether India was confident of wrapping up the nuclear deal with the US by September as Washington indicated two days ago.
Sibal also underlined that India was hopeful of getting support of China with whom the country's relations have grown significantly over the last few years.
Every country counts in the NSG as it operates by consensus.
A couple of days ago, US ambassador David Mulford had said that the US was keen to convene the meeting of the NSG in the first week of August after the approval of the India-specific safeguards agreement by the IAEA board at its meeting on August 1.
The NSG process is likely to be completed in August so that the 123 agreement can be endorsed by the Congress in September before Washington and New Delhi ink the bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement.
Sibal is among a handful of ministers and diplomats who have been deputed by the government to go to various NSG countries and allay their concerns about some aspects of the nuclear deal which they suspect will impinge negatively on global non-proliferation regime.
Sibal's brief is to convince two of the difficult countries in the 45-nation NSG -- Finland and Sweden -- which are known for strong non-proliferation sensitivities and have serious reservations about the very use of nuclear energy on safety and environmental grounds.
Sibal will underline India's impeccable non-proliferation record and its need for environmentally clean nuclear energy to convince his interlocutors about the merits of the deal.
With a tight timeline for wrapping up the nuclear deal in view of the looming US presidential elections, India has scaled up its NSG diplomacy to win over some of the skeptics like Ireland, Finland, Norway, Austria and Australia and New Zealand.
Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma headed to Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa Friday from Singapore after meeting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and foreign ministers of NSG countries like Australia and New Zealand.
South Africa is a former chair of the NSG. The other three countries are members of the IAEA.
Serial blasts in Ahmedabad
Terror struck Gujarat when 17 serial blasts ripped across the city on Saturday evening leaving 15 killed and 30 injured sending a wave of panic. )
The synchronised explosions in the space of 90 minutes in the eastern and western areas after the first blast hit Maninagar at 6.45 pm occurred in 13 places. There were two blasts each in Maninagar--the constituency of Chief Minister Narendra Modi--and in Sarkej targeting a state transport CNG bus and Sangam theatre.
Significantly two hospitals were also the target of attack. An NSG team has been rushed to Ahmedabad.
The low-intensity explosions occurred at eight areas of Maninagar, Isanpur, Narol circle, Bapunagar, Hatkeshwar and Sarangpur bridge, Sarkej and Odhav and created a wave of panic.
There were two blasts in Maninagar and the first blast occurred in this area at 6.45 PM. The second blast here occurred near LG hospital. Maninagar is the constituency of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
The Ahmedabad blasts came a day after the multiple explosions in Bangalore in which two persons were killed. The mobile network in the area has completely collapsed.
Police said at least two had died and 25 injured, some of them seriously, in the blasts. The injured have been rushed to civil hospital and LG hospital.
Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal said in New Delhi there were eight blasts. Unconfirmed reports said there were 13 blasts.
The explosion in the sensitive Sarkej area occurred in a CNG bus.
Some of the bombs were believed to have been placed in cycles eerily similar to the Jaipur blasts on May 13 in which 65 persons died. A couple of bombs were reported to have been placed in tiffin boxes in a modus operandi similar to the explosions outside a Lucknow court last year.
President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed for calm.
The synchronised explosions in the space of 90 minutes in the eastern and western areas after the first blast hit Maninagar at 6.45 pm occurred in 13 places. There were two blasts each in Maninagar--the constituency of Chief Minister Narendra Modi--and in Sarkej targeting a state transport CNG bus and Sangam theatre.
Significantly two hospitals were also the target of attack. An NSG team has been rushed to Ahmedabad.
The low-intensity explosions occurred at eight areas of Maninagar, Isanpur, Narol circle, Bapunagar, Hatkeshwar and Sarangpur bridge, Sarkej and Odhav and created a wave of panic.
There were two blasts in Maninagar and the first blast occurred in this area at 6.45 PM. The second blast here occurred near LG hospital. Maninagar is the constituency of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
The Ahmedabad blasts came a day after the multiple explosions in Bangalore in which two persons were killed. The mobile network in the area has completely collapsed.
Police said at least two had died and 25 injured, some of them seriously, in the blasts. The injured have been rushed to civil hospital and LG hospital.
Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal said in New Delhi there were eight blasts. Unconfirmed reports said there were 13 blasts.
The explosion in the sensitive Sarkej area occurred in a CNG bus.
Some of the bombs were believed to have been placed in cycles eerily similar to the Jaipur blasts on May 13 in which 65 persons died. A couple of bombs were reported to have been placed in tiffin boxes in a modus operandi similar to the explosions outside a Lucknow court last year.
President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the blasts and appealed for calm.
Who bribed the BJP MPs?
ON THE day the no confidence motion was moved against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government ie on Tuesday (July 22), three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members of parliament (Members of Parliament) alleged in the Lok Sabha that each of them was promised three crore rupees to refrain from voting. To firm up the deal, each of them was advanced one crore rupees. The said MPs further alleged that the advance of three crore rupees (at one crore rupees apiece) was given by the secretary of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Amar Singh.
CNN-IBN, the TV channel, claimed that it was in possession of the relevant evidence - it was on video. The channel passed on the evidence to the Speaker of the house, Somnath Chatterjee. Presently, it is in the custody of the secretary of the Lok Sabha. According to reliable sources, the Speaker watched the video on Wednesday (July 23).
According to the said reliable source, the video shows the three MPs arriving at Singh’s bungalow on Lodhi Estate on Tuesday (July 22). A man, identified as Sanjeev Saxena addresses them at the drawing room. Another man tells them that the government should win the no-confidence motion and to ensure it, the three MPs should refrain from voting. Simultaneously, he hands them wads and wads of currency, telling them the money is theirs. The three MPs count the money in Saxena’s presence and leave Singh’s bungalow. Subsequently they are interviewed by CNN-IBN and this is also on video. According to the said source, the camera reveals Saxena’s face clearly. But the audio is not clear with the result that none can make out clearly what Saxena says or what the three MPs say. But the camera does not reveal Singh.
But SP maintains that Saxena is a former secretary of Singh, the general secretary of SP. The Parliamentary Secretariat is looking into the matter and if the evidence is found to be genuine, investigation will begin no sooner the Speaker gives permission.
more >> Meanwhile, Shakeel Ahmed, a senior Congress party leader, said that if the Speaker desired to air it, his party would not object to it. Asked to name the people behind ‘operation bribe’, he said that according to rumours, a chief minister’s wife and a leading industrialist, who were allegedly into a joint venture were behind the operation. The currency wads allegedly carried the seal of the State Bank of Indore although he was not sure of it. When asked to comment on the rumour that Sonia Gandhi’s political advisor Ahmed Patel was amongst those who bribed the MPs, Shakeel Ahmed remarked that Ahmed Patel had offered to quit public life if the same was proved.
CNN-IBN, the TV channel, claimed that it was in possession of the relevant evidence - it was on video. The channel passed on the evidence to the Speaker of the house, Somnath Chatterjee. Presently, it is in the custody of the secretary of the Lok Sabha. According to reliable sources, the Speaker watched the video on Wednesday (July 23).
According to the said reliable source, the video shows the three MPs arriving at Singh’s bungalow on Lodhi Estate on Tuesday (July 22). A man, identified as Sanjeev Saxena addresses them at the drawing room. Another man tells them that the government should win the no-confidence motion and to ensure it, the three MPs should refrain from voting. Simultaneously, he hands them wads and wads of currency, telling them the money is theirs. The three MPs count the money in Saxena’s presence and leave Singh’s bungalow. Subsequently they are interviewed by CNN-IBN and this is also on video. According to the said source, the camera reveals Saxena’s face clearly. But the audio is not clear with the result that none can make out clearly what Saxena says or what the three MPs say. But the camera does not reveal Singh.
But SP maintains that Saxena is a former secretary of Singh, the general secretary of SP. The Parliamentary Secretariat is looking into the matter and if the evidence is found to be genuine, investigation will begin no sooner the Speaker gives permission.
more >> Meanwhile, Shakeel Ahmed, a senior Congress party leader, said that if the Speaker desired to air it, his party would not object to it. Asked to name the people behind ‘operation bribe’, he said that according to rumours, a chief minister’s wife and a leading industrialist, who were allegedly into a joint venture were behind the operation. The currency wads allegedly carried the seal of the State Bank of Indore although he was not sure of it. When asked to comment on the rumour that Sonia Gandhi’s political advisor Ahmed Patel was amongst those who bribed the MPs, Shakeel Ahmed remarked that Ahmed Patel had offered to quit public life if the same was proved.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Post trust vote, Govt puts reforms on fast-track
With the UPA Government surviving a trust vote without the support of reforms-wary Left parties, Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said focus would now be on greater economic liberalisation, including relaxing FDI limit in sectors like insurance.
"On Tuesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wanted to make a point on this in his reply after the debate on trust vote, but he had to table it due to uproar in Lok Sabha," Chidambaram said.
The focus now in greater economic liberalisation in pension, insurance and banking sectors. Passing of the Insurance Bill and raising FDI caps from 26 per cent to 49 per cent is the first priority.
Chidambaram said the Centre would now reach out to other political parties, including those that voted against the UPA government on the Indo-US nuclear agreement, for faster economic reforms and passing of the bills
When asked about the measures for containing inflation, he said, "It is not a new question. We have answered inflation-related questions every week. There is nothing new to add. It is driven by crude oil and commodities prices. It is imported inflation. We have taken monetary measures to curb it."
"On Tuesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wanted to make a point on this in his reply after the debate on trust vote, but he had to table it due to uproar in Lok Sabha," Chidambaram said.
The focus now in greater economic liberalisation in pension, insurance and banking sectors. Passing of the Insurance Bill and raising FDI caps from 26 per cent to 49 per cent is the first priority.
Chidambaram said the Centre would now reach out to other political parties, including those that voted against the UPA government on the Indo-US nuclear agreement, for faster economic reforms and passing of the bills
When asked about the measures for containing inflation, he said, "It is not a new question. We have answered inflation-related questions every week. There is nothing new to add. It is driven by crude oil and commodities prices. It is imported inflation. We have taken monetary measures to curb it."
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