The Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin, will tomorrow make a last-ditch bid to save his job when he tells MPs he intends to lead a drive to reform parliament's corrupted expenses system, and so defy a gathering campaign supported by senior figures in all three main parties to oust him from office immediately.
Martin saw his support erode alarmingly today when Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader; Charles Clarke, the former home secretary; and David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, called on him to resign immediately.
The Speaker, who has been criticised for missing the public mood of anger over the disclosures about MPs' expenses, and for attempting to block them becoming public, is due to make a statement to the Commons on Monday. His allies, including the senior Labour MP Stuart Bell, indicated today that Martin might try to protect himself from humiliation by saying he will stand down at the next election, but not before, defying calls to go immediately.
But he chances of Martin surviving were hit when it was alleged that the parliamentary fees office for which he is responsible encouraged MPs, certainly until 2004, to inflate claims for mortgage interest relief. It was alleged that the Labour MP Ben Chapman was advised by the fees office to claim for a mortgage in full, even though he had paid much of it off, so increasing his expenses by £15,000 in one year,
In what is rapidly escalating into a constitutional crisis, Gordon Brown did little to shore up Martin's personal authority when he issued a statement in support of the office of Speaker that did not support Martin personally.
The former home secretary Clarke became the most senior Labour figure to call on Martin to stand aside, telling the Guardiantoday: "Michael Martin is not the right man to oversee the necessary reform of the members' allowance system. It would be best if he stood down so a new Speaker could take on that responsibility immediately."
A motion of no confidence will be tabled on Monday by the Tory backbencher Douglas Carswell that will have the support of Davis and some Labour MPs, including Kate Hoey.
Clegg also broke with precedent to become the first party leader to call for Martin to quit, telling the BBC's Andrew Marr show: "I don't think he is now the right man for the job in leading the renewal of Westminster. We need a fresh start. He's been far too willing to drag his feet on issues like transparency."
The Speaker's office said the main focus of Martin's statement to MPs would be on how to reform the allowance system, adding that he had a fruitful meeting last week with the chairman of the committee on standards in public life, Sir Christopher Kelly. The committee is due to report later this year on how to reform MPs' expenses, but Kelly's committee last night played down the significance of the meeting.
After a day of private consultations, No 10 issued a statement of neutrality, saying: "The Speaker is not appointed by the prime minister. It is right … that the prime minister should support the individual elected to be Speaker by the House."
The statement did not repeat previous personal praise of Martin.
The foreign secretary, David Miliband, speaking on the Politics Show, also refused to back Martin, saying politics was in a "profound crisis" and "a battle for honour". He said the Speaker was wrong to criticise backbench MPs last week.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Keep working 'to avoid dementia'
Keeping the brain active by working later in life may be an effective way to ward off Alzheimer's disease, research suggests.
Researchers analysed data from 1,320 dementia patients, including 382 men.
They found that for the men, continuing to work late in life helped keep the brain sharp enough to delay dementia taking hold.
The study was carried out by the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London.
It features in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Around 700,000 people in the UK currently have dementia and experts have estimated that by 2051, the number could stand at 1.7m.
It is estimated that the condition already costs the UK economy £17bn a year.
Brain connections
Dementia is caused by the mass loss of cells in the brain, and experts believe one way to guard against it is to build up as many connections between cells as possible by being mentally active throughout life. This is known as a "cognitive reserve".
There is evidence to suggest a good education is associated with a reduced dementia risk.
And the latest study suggests there can also be a positive effect of mental stimulation continued into our later years.
Those people who retired late developed Alzheimer's at a later stage than those who opted not to work on.
Each additional year of employment was associated with around a six week later age of onset.
Researcher Dr John Powell said: "The possibility that a person's cognitive reserve could still be modified later in life adds weight to the "use it or lose it" concept where keeping active later in life has important health benefits, including reducing dementia risk."
The researchers also admit that the nature of retirement is changing, and that for some people it may now be as intellectually stimulating as work.
Key threshold
Researcher Professor Simon Lovestone said: "The intellectual stimulation that older people gain from the workplace may prevent a decline in mental abilities, thus keeping people above the threshold for dementia for longer."
However, he added: "Much more research is needed if we are to understand how to effectively delay, or even prevent, dementia."
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, which funded the study, said: "More people than ever retire later in life to avert financial hardship, but there may be a silver lining - lower dementia risk."
However, Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said the small sample size of the study made it difficult to draw firm conclusions.
She said: "There could be a number of reasons why later retirement in men is linked with later onset of dementia.
"Men who retire early often do so because of health conditions, such as hypertension or diabetes, which increase your risk of dementia.
"It could also be that working helps keep your mind and body active, which we know reduces risk of dementia."
A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said it had carried out work showing that working beyond pension age had many positive effects.
"Not only can it mean more income, but also social networking and increased activity.
"We also find that many of today's older workers are choosing rejecting the cliff edge between work and retirement in favour of a gradual step down. And employers should help them to do this."
Researchers analysed data from 1,320 dementia patients, including 382 men.
They found that for the men, continuing to work late in life helped keep the brain sharp enough to delay dementia taking hold.
The study was carried out by the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London.
It features in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Around 700,000 people in the UK currently have dementia and experts have estimated that by 2051, the number could stand at 1.7m.
It is estimated that the condition already costs the UK economy £17bn a year.
Brain connections
Dementia is caused by the mass loss of cells in the brain, and experts believe one way to guard against it is to build up as many connections between cells as possible by being mentally active throughout life. This is known as a "cognitive reserve".
There is evidence to suggest a good education is associated with a reduced dementia risk.
And the latest study suggests there can also be a positive effect of mental stimulation continued into our later years.
Those people who retired late developed Alzheimer's at a later stage than those who opted not to work on.
Each additional year of employment was associated with around a six week later age of onset.
Researcher Dr John Powell said: "The possibility that a person's cognitive reserve could still be modified later in life adds weight to the "use it or lose it" concept where keeping active later in life has important health benefits, including reducing dementia risk."
The researchers also admit that the nature of retirement is changing, and that for some people it may now be as intellectually stimulating as work.
Key threshold
Researcher Professor Simon Lovestone said: "The intellectual stimulation that older people gain from the workplace may prevent a decline in mental abilities, thus keeping people above the threshold for dementia for longer."
However, he added: "Much more research is needed if we are to understand how to effectively delay, or even prevent, dementia."
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, which funded the study, said: "More people than ever retire later in life to avert financial hardship, but there may be a silver lining - lower dementia risk."
However, Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said the small sample size of the study made it difficult to draw firm conclusions.
She said: "There could be a number of reasons why later retirement in men is linked with later onset of dementia.
"Men who retire early often do so because of health conditions, such as hypertension or diabetes, which increase your risk of dementia.
"It could also be that working helps keep your mind and body active, which we know reduces risk of dementia."
A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said it had carried out work showing that working beyond pension age had many positive effects.
"Not only can it mean more income, but also social networking and increased activity.
"We also find that many of today's older workers are choosing rejecting the cliff edge between work and retirement in favour of a gradual step down. And employers should help them to do this."
Obama faces down abortion heckles
President Barack Obama has been briefly heckled as he addressed students at the largest US Catholic university, amid a row over abortion rights.
Anti-abortion activists have protested against the president's visit to Notre Dame, in Indiana.
Protests and vigils have been held on and around campus, with several people arrested before Mr Obama's speech.
Mr Obama, who received an honorary degree, defended the right to abortion but said the procedure should be rare.
After entering the White House in January the president also quickly moved to reverse a Bush-era ban on embryonic stem-cell research, angering many social conservatives.
There are approximately 60 million Roman Catholics in the US, with almost half of them supporting abortion rights, research suggests. Some 42% believe abortion should be illegal.
'Inappropriate'
Wearing the blue robes of Notre Dame, Mr Obama was welcomed onto the stage with a lengthy ovation from students and staff.
Support for the president's visit was strong among those in the audience, who watched him receive an honorary degree before delivering the commencement, or graduation, address
He was interrupted soon after beginning his speech, prompting a majority of those in the audience to cheer the president, who asked for calm and told listening graduates: "We don't do things the easy way."
The AFP news agency said four men heckled the president, shouting "abortion is murder" and "stop killing babies" before being escorted from the auditorium.
Mr Obama laid out his views on abortion in clear terms, describing it as "a heart-wrenching decision for any woman".
To sustained applause, he outlined steps he supported
Let's work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term," he said.
The decision to invite Mr Obama to Notre Dame, the largest Catholic university in the US, has been fiercely criticised.
Many activists and Church leaders have directed their ire at university authorities they accuse of betraying Catholic principles.
"It is clear that Notre Dame didn't understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation," said Cardinal Francis George, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Bishop John D'Arcy, of the diocese where Notre Dame is located, said he would boycott the graduation for the first time in his 24 years as bishop, the Chicago Tribune reported.
And conservative critics have described the awarding of an honorary degree as "inappropriate".
Avoiding caricatures
Addressing his critics indirectly, Mr Obama told academics and graduates at Notre Dame that he did not want the debate around abortion to go away.
Conceding that the views of opposing advocates were "irreconcilable", he said each side would continue to make its case with conviction.
"Surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature?" he asked.
A strong majority of students were reported to be in favour of the president's visit, but a petition containing some 360,000 names was delivered to the university as a mark of protest.
Overnight, students opposed to abortion rights attended an all-night prayer vigil to protest against Mr Obama's visit, and an estimated 200 people attended a prayer session at Alumni Hall Chapel.
More than 100 protesters gathered and 23 marched onto the campus on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. Police arrested 19 for trespassing, with four also charged with resisting police.
A university spokesman said none of those arrested were students, AP added.
Anti-abortion activists have protested against the president's visit to Notre Dame, in Indiana.
Protests and vigils have been held on and around campus, with several people arrested before Mr Obama's speech.
Mr Obama, who received an honorary degree, defended the right to abortion but said the procedure should be rare.
After entering the White House in January the president also quickly moved to reverse a Bush-era ban on embryonic stem-cell research, angering many social conservatives.
There are approximately 60 million Roman Catholics in the US, with almost half of them supporting abortion rights, research suggests. Some 42% believe abortion should be illegal.
'Inappropriate'
Wearing the blue robes of Notre Dame, Mr Obama was welcomed onto the stage with a lengthy ovation from students and staff.
Support for the president's visit was strong among those in the audience, who watched him receive an honorary degree before delivering the commencement, or graduation, address
He was interrupted soon after beginning his speech, prompting a majority of those in the audience to cheer the president, who asked for calm and told listening graduates: "We don't do things the easy way."
The AFP news agency said four men heckled the president, shouting "abortion is murder" and "stop killing babies" before being escorted from the auditorium.
Mr Obama laid out his views on abortion in clear terms, describing it as "a heart-wrenching decision for any woman".
To sustained applause, he outlined steps he supported
Let's work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term," he said.
The decision to invite Mr Obama to Notre Dame, the largest Catholic university in the US, has been fiercely criticised.
Many activists and Church leaders have directed their ire at university authorities they accuse of betraying Catholic principles.
"It is clear that Notre Dame didn't understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation," said Cardinal Francis George, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Bishop John D'Arcy, of the diocese where Notre Dame is located, said he would boycott the graduation for the first time in his 24 years as bishop, the Chicago Tribune reported.
And conservative critics have described the awarding of an honorary degree as "inappropriate".
Avoiding caricatures
Addressing his critics indirectly, Mr Obama told academics and graduates at Notre Dame that he did not want the debate around abortion to go away.
Conceding that the views of opposing advocates were "irreconcilable", he said each side would continue to make its case with conviction.
"Surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature?" he asked.
A strong majority of students were reported to be in favour of the president's visit, but a petition containing some 360,000 names was delivered to the university as a mark of protest.
Overnight, students opposed to abortion rights attended an all-night prayer vigil to protest against Mr Obama's visit, and an estimated 200 people attended a prayer session at Alumni Hall Chapel.
More than 100 protesters gathered and 23 marched onto the campus on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. Police arrested 19 for trespassing, with four also charged with resisting police.
A university spokesman said none of those arrested were students, AP added.
Sri Lanka battles Tiger remnants
International concern is growing over the fate of civilians in northern Sri Lanka as fighting continues despite reports of a Tamil Tiger ceasefire.
Sri Lanka's government said troops were engaged in "final brushing up" hours after a website linked to the rebels said the Tigers were laying down arms.
EU ministers are expected to call on Monday for an independent inquiry into claims civilians have been targeted.
Both sides say the other has killed civilians in the closed off war zone.
The inquiry calls come as the final act appears to be being played out in a long and bitter 26-year civil war which has left some 70,000 people dead.
See a map of the conflict region
Sri Lanka's army says the last LTTE (Tamil Tiger) fighters have been penned in a 1.5 square kilometre patch of jungle.
On Sunday the Tigers chief of international relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, said in a statement on the Tamilnet website: "This battle has reached its bitter end."
A later statement appeared to modify the rebel position, saying the LTTE was "prepared to silence its guns if that is what needed by the international community to save the life and dignity of the Tamil people".
The country's President Mahinda Rajapaksa has already claimed victory, declaring on Saturday that Sri Lanka had been made free from "barbaric acts".
Europe 'appalled'
In Brussels the EU issued a draft statement ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers on Monday, expressing a sense of outrage at the reports of civilian casualties on both sides.
The statement said the EU was appalled both at the high numbers of casualties and at the use of heavy weapons in the conflict
The EU is pushing for the UN Human Rights Council to convene a special session on Sri Lanka, just as it has in the past done for Burma, Darfur and the Palestinian territories, reports the BBC's Oana Lungescu, in Brussels.
A pledge of aid came from the UK, which offered £5m ($7.5m) to help avoid a "humanitarian catastrophe".
"It is essential that we get food, medicines and shelter in as soon as possible to save lives, and thereafter that we help people to return to their homes as soon as they safely can," said Hillary Benn, the UK's international development secretary.
Diplomats say the EU has limited leverage, our correspondent notes, although it could remove preferential trade access worth $150m (£100m) if the country is found to be in breach of international human rights obligations.
Reports differ on the numbers of civilians caught up in the last battles, with the government saying that all those who had been trapped in Sri Lanka's northern war zone had escaped.
The rebel spokesman, though, said more than 25,000 were injured and in need of attention.
The government said it did not respond to statements released on Tamilnet, and asserted that 50,000 Tamil civilians had left the war zone in recent days.
The UN has told the BBC the army figures reinforced its view that Sri Lanka's authorities were ill-prepared for the huge influx of internally displaced people.
Refugee camps inland are already badly strained accommodating the huge numbers of those who have fled the conflict.
Leader at large?
The fighting is drawing to a close without any official word on the fate of the Tamil Tigers' leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Some reports have suggested he has died, but - as with all information from the war zone - there has been no confirmation.
The army had suspected that Prabhakaran, who formed the Tigers in 1976, would fulfil his long-held pledge to take his own life rather than face capture.
Reports suggested some of the last remaining Tigers launched themselves in suicide attacks at government troops, but there was no word on whether Prabhakaran was among them.
President Rajapaksa is expected to give a nationally televised news conference in parliament on Tuesday, when reports suggest he may officially declare the war over.
More than 70,000 people have died in the bitter war for a Tamil homeland.
Sri Lanka's government said troops were engaged in "final brushing up" hours after a website linked to the rebels said the Tigers were laying down arms.
EU ministers are expected to call on Monday for an independent inquiry into claims civilians have been targeted.
Both sides say the other has killed civilians in the closed off war zone.
The inquiry calls come as the final act appears to be being played out in a long and bitter 26-year civil war which has left some 70,000 people dead.
See a map of the conflict region
Sri Lanka's army says the last LTTE (Tamil Tiger) fighters have been penned in a 1.5 square kilometre patch of jungle.
On Sunday the Tigers chief of international relations, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, said in a statement on the Tamilnet website: "This battle has reached its bitter end."
A later statement appeared to modify the rebel position, saying the LTTE was "prepared to silence its guns if that is what needed by the international community to save the life and dignity of the Tamil people".
The country's President Mahinda Rajapaksa has already claimed victory, declaring on Saturday that Sri Lanka had been made free from "barbaric acts".
Europe 'appalled'
In Brussels the EU issued a draft statement ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers on Monday, expressing a sense of outrage at the reports of civilian casualties on both sides.
The statement said the EU was appalled both at the high numbers of casualties and at the use of heavy weapons in the conflict
The EU is pushing for the UN Human Rights Council to convene a special session on Sri Lanka, just as it has in the past done for Burma, Darfur and the Palestinian territories, reports the BBC's Oana Lungescu, in Brussels.
A pledge of aid came from the UK, which offered £5m ($7.5m) to help avoid a "humanitarian catastrophe".
"It is essential that we get food, medicines and shelter in as soon as possible to save lives, and thereafter that we help people to return to their homes as soon as they safely can," said Hillary Benn, the UK's international development secretary.
Diplomats say the EU has limited leverage, our correspondent notes, although it could remove preferential trade access worth $150m (£100m) if the country is found to be in breach of international human rights obligations.
Reports differ on the numbers of civilians caught up in the last battles, with the government saying that all those who had been trapped in Sri Lanka's northern war zone had escaped.
The rebel spokesman, though, said more than 25,000 were injured and in need of attention.
The government said it did not respond to statements released on Tamilnet, and asserted that 50,000 Tamil civilians had left the war zone in recent days.
The UN has told the BBC the army figures reinforced its view that Sri Lanka's authorities were ill-prepared for the huge influx of internally displaced people.
Refugee camps inland are already badly strained accommodating the huge numbers of those who have fled the conflict.
Leader at large?
The fighting is drawing to a close without any official word on the fate of the Tamil Tigers' leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Some reports have suggested he has died, but - as with all information from the war zone - there has been no confirmation.
The army had suspected that Prabhakaran, who formed the Tigers in 1976, would fulfil his long-held pledge to take his own life rather than face capture.
Reports suggested some of the last remaining Tigers launched themselves in suicide attacks at government troops, but there was no word on whether Prabhakaran was among them.
President Rajapaksa is expected to give a nationally televised news conference in parliament on Tuesday, when reports suggest he may officially declare the war over.
More than 70,000 people have died in the bitter war for a Tamil homeland.
Rahul Gandhi speaks after landslide victory in Lok Sabha elections 2009
Q What is the message being sent out by the electorate? Is this the rejection of caste, religion and regional politics? What does this mean?
RG: As I have stated in my press conference, India is progressing very quickly and the Congress party believes that this progress belongs to everybody. It does not belong to a small group of people. It belongs to the large mass of people of this country. I think the policies we had made in the last five years, particularly programmes like NREGS & loan waiver, have sent a message that we are not going to let this country develop with a huge portion of it lagging behind. If this country progress, everybody will benefit. A person who has given us everything, who works everyday of their life in extremely hard conditions will also benefit. Congress party is going to stand by that person...
Q Priyankaji, will you be part of this government or will you work for the party?
PG: I will do exactly what I am doing!
Q Do you now need Mulayam Singh Yadav? Do you, at all, need SP to be part of this government?
RG: These are decisions taken by senior members of the Congress party, the Prime Minister and Congress President. I personally feel that the people of UP feel they need a government that works and have rejected politics of religion and caste. They have voted for politics of development in UP and that is what the Congress party will try to deliver over the next three years and certainly beyond that.
Q On L K Advani
RG: I would like to say one more thing. I think that our opposition fought a hard election, and Advaniji in particular fought a strong election. I have fundamental differences with Mr Advani in terms of secular politics. But as a senior person who is 80 plus, I think he fought this election with a lot of grit.
Q Manmohan Singh has said that he wishes you become part of his cabinet. What will you say?
RG: I have answered this in English. I think that the mandate is in favour of youth and the poor people of this country. I want the youth of this country to participate in politics with ease. Whatever we are doing in Youth Congress, we want to organize it in the coming days. As I said in a press conference, we need an organization of young people and that is going to be built over the next 2, 3 or 5 years
Q Priyanka has worked a lot for your and Soniaji’s campaign. How much credit will you give her for the results in UP?
RG: (smiling) just ask her! (Priyanka intervenes)
PG: All the credit goes to him, he has all the credit.
RG: I’ll tell you. Nobody can lay sole claim on this achievement as it is complete teamwork. If you ask me how much credit I give Priyanka, I’ll say that 100% credit goes to our team.
Q Then when is Rahul bringing in Priyanka?
RG: She will answer that question better. But the credit doesn’t go to one person. And this credit don’t belong to us either, this credit goes to the people of UP. The people of UP told us that they are tired of the way politics is being done currently. They asked us to bring about a change in UP. In fact our challenge has started from today. You can view it from the election point of view, but I don’t view it like that. For many years UP is lagging behind and being the largest state of this country it has to be number one in term of development. So just by winning 20 or more seats is just a beginning for us. This is really a small beginning. We have to work for the people of UP wholeheartedly. And that work will not be done by Rahul Gandhi alone. It would be completed by Rahul Gandhi along with the youth of this state.
I think that the people of UP are tired of the way politics has been done in last 20 years. Now we have to provide a new kind of politics to UP. And we will try our best that in the next 3 years we can give a new Congress to UP which can bring about change in the state. We will try to provide you such an organization.
Q What will be the agenda now, for reviving Congress all across India, UP being the focus area?
RG: I will not revive Congress. I will involve the youth of this country in politics. Our country has 70 % youngsters and we need some youngsters in politics. There are not enough of them in politics (Smiling) and I think we are on a lookout for them, and I know that lots of youngsters are listening to me. Come and join us.
Q How many youngsters will be there in the cabinet?
RG: (Smiling) You will get some youngsters in the ministry.
I have said again and again that I don’t view my job as winning or losing elections. I view my job as a duty I have. And I don’t view it in short term, I view it in a relatively long term. My job, as I see it right now, is to try to change the politics in this country using youngsters and unleashing the energy of these youngsters in this country. Seriously, my job would be no different, had I lost these elections. I would have been the same. My job has not changed in the least. My job is to try and empower youngsters in this country and I will continue to do my job whether I lose or win. Thank you very much. Have a nice evening.
excerpts from pressbdrief.in
RG: As I have stated in my press conference, India is progressing very quickly and the Congress party believes that this progress belongs to everybody. It does not belong to a small group of people. It belongs to the large mass of people of this country. I think the policies we had made in the last five years, particularly programmes like NREGS & loan waiver, have sent a message that we are not going to let this country develop with a huge portion of it lagging behind. If this country progress, everybody will benefit. A person who has given us everything, who works everyday of their life in extremely hard conditions will also benefit. Congress party is going to stand by that person...
Q Priyankaji, will you be part of this government or will you work for the party?
PG: I will do exactly what I am doing!
Q Do you now need Mulayam Singh Yadav? Do you, at all, need SP to be part of this government?
RG: These are decisions taken by senior members of the Congress party, the Prime Minister and Congress President. I personally feel that the people of UP feel they need a government that works and have rejected politics of religion and caste. They have voted for politics of development in UP and that is what the Congress party will try to deliver over the next three years and certainly beyond that.
Q On L K Advani
RG: I would like to say one more thing. I think that our opposition fought a hard election, and Advaniji in particular fought a strong election. I have fundamental differences with Mr Advani in terms of secular politics. But as a senior person who is 80 plus, I think he fought this election with a lot of grit.
Q Manmohan Singh has said that he wishes you become part of his cabinet. What will you say?
RG: I have answered this in English. I think that the mandate is in favour of youth and the poor people of this country. I want the youth of this country to participate in politics with ease. Whatever we are doing in Youth Congress, we want to organize it in the coming days. As I said in a press conference, we need an organization of young people and that is going to be built over the next 2, 3 or 5 years
Q Priyanka has worked a lot for your and Soniaji’s campaign. How much credit will you give her for the results in UP?
RG: (smiling) just ask her! (Priyanka intervenes)
PG: All the credit goes to him, he has all the credit.
RG: I’ll tell you. Nobody can lay sole claim on this achievement as it is complete teamwork. If you ask me how much credit I give Priyanka, I’ll say that 100% credit goes to our team.
Q Then when is Rahul bringing in Priyanka?
RG: She will answer that question better. But the credit doesn’t go to one person. And this credit don’t belong to us either, this credit goes to the people of UP. The people of UP told us that they are tired of the way politics is being done currently. They asked us to bring about a change in UP. In fact our challenge has started from today. You can view it from the election point of view, but I don’t view it like that. For many years UP is lagging behind and being the largest state of this country it has to be number one in term of development. So just by winning 20 or more seats is just a beginning for us. This is really a small beginning. We have to work for the people of UP wholeheartedly. And that work will not be done by Rahul Gandhi alone. It would be completed by Rahul Gandhi along with the youth of this state.
I think that the people of UP are tired of the way politics has been done in last 20 years. Now we have to provide a new kind of politics to UP. And we will try our best that in the next 3 years we can give a new Congress to UP which can bring about change in the state. We will try to provide you such an organization.
Q What will be the agenda now, for reviving Congress all across India, UP being the focus area?
RG: I will not revive Congress. I will involve the youth of this country in politics. Our country has 70 % youngsters and we need some youngsters in politics. There are not enough of them in politics (Smiling) and I think we are on a lookout for them, and I know that lots of youngsters are listening to me. Come and join us.
Q How many youngsters will be there in the cabinet?
RG: (Smiling) You will get some youngsters in the ministry.
I have said again and again that I don’t view my job as winning or losing elections. I view my job as a duty I have. And I don’t view it in short term, I view it in a relatively long term. My job, as I see it right now, is to try to change the politics in this country using youngsters and unleashing the energy of these youngsters in this country. Seriously, my job would be no different, had I lost these elections. I would have been the same. My job has not changed in the least. My job is to try and empower youngsters in this country and I will continue to do my job whether I lose or win. Thank you very much. Have a nice evening.
excerpts from pressbdrief.in
Saturday, May 16, 2009
UPA trashes predictions, makes strong comeback
With the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) trashing all predictions of a tight race, Manmohan Singh (76) will take fresh oath this week, only the second Indian Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 to return to power after a full five-year term.
With 206 seats — 61 more than 2004 — India’s grand old party ran up its best tally in 18 years, winning urban and rural seats from across the country. (Listen to podcast: Part 1, Part 2)
The victory also boosted the standing of party general secretary Rahul Gandhi (39) who led the charge into India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh — where the Congress won 21 seats, the highest in 25 years.
Latest results and leads indicate the UPA is around a dozen seats short of the halfway mark of 272 in a House of 543. The alliance will bridge the gap through independents and smaller outfits.
With 60 per cent of India now under 35 years of age, expect to see some younger MPs getting ministerial berths, as it happened in 1984 when Rajiv Gandhi led the Congress to 404 seats, its best showing ever. The party won 232 seats in 1991.
“People have appreciated the work done by us,” said Congress president Sonia Gandhi, beaming, as Singh stood stoically by her side.
“We worked for them with sincerity.”
As Sonia spoke to reporters at her 10, Janpath residence on Saturday, Congress workers across the country distributed sweets, burst crackers and danced in the streets.
With the Left and the BJP tally declining, the verdict is being seen as an approval of the UPA government’s policies, particularly the redistribution of wealth to India’s poorest through unprecedented welfare schemes that totalled nearly Rs 1,00,000 crore in rural development, agriculture, health and education.
The Prime Minister’s image — as an able and incorruptible administrator and reformer — coupled with urban makeovers, helped the party deliver all seven seats in Delhi and all six in Mumbai to the Congress.
For the BJP it was back to square one, plummeting from its 2004 figure of 138 to 116 on Saturday, close to its 1991 tally when it began its ascendancy to become India’s ruling party by 1998.
Its best performance was 182 seats in 1999.
The 15th Lok Sabha election also rejected the concept of a non-BJP, non-Congress third front pushed by the Left, particularly the CPM, which declined in its bastions of West Bengal and Kerala.
Sonia’s popularity grew over the last five years after she renounced the post of prime minister in 2004, and later when she resigned as a Parliament member when the BJP tried to build a campaign against her that she was holding an office of profit.
With 206 seats — 61 more than 2004 — India’s grand old party ran up its best tally in 18 years, winning urban and rural seats from across the country. (Listen to podcast: Part 1, Part 2)
The victory also boosted the standing of party general secretary Rahul Gandhi (39) who led the charge into India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh — where the Congress won 21 seats, the highest in 25 years.
Latest results and leads indicate the UPA is around a dozen seats short of the halfway mark of 272 in a House of 543. The alliance will bridge the gap through independents and smaller outfits.
With 60 per cent of India now under 35 years of age, expect to see some younger MPs getting ministerial berths, as it happened in 1984 when Rajiv Gandhi led the Congress to 404 seats, its best showing ever. The party won 232 seats in 1991.
“People have appreciated the work done by us,” said Congress president Sonia Gandhi, beaming, as Singh stood stoically by her side.
“We worked for them with sincerity.”
As Sonia spoke to reporters at her 10, Janpath residence on Saturday, Congress workers across the country distributed sweets, burst crackers and danced in the streets.
With the Left and the BJP tally declining, the verdict is being seen as an approval of the UPA government’s policies, particularly the redistribution of wealth to India’s poorest through unprecedented welfare schemes that totalled nearly Rs 1,00,000 crore in rural development, agriculture, health and education.
The Prime Minister’s image — as an able and incorruptible administrator and reformer — coupled with urban makeovers, helped the party deliver all seven seats in Delhi and all six in Mumbai to the Congress.
For the BJP it was back to square one, plummeting from its 2004 figure of 138 to 116 on Saturday, close to its 1991 tally when it began its ascendancy to become India’s ruling party by 1998.
Its best performance was 182 seats in 1999.
The 15th Lok Sabha election also rejected the concept of a non-BJP, non-Congress third front pushed by the Left, particularly the CPM, which declined in its bastions of West Bengal and Kerala.
Sonia’s popularity grew over the last five years after she renounced the post of prime minister in 2004, and later when she resigned as a Parliament member when the BJP tried to build a campaign against her that she was holding an office of profit.
India boosts 'strategic presence' along Chinese border
India is strengthening its strategic depth and presence along the Chinese border in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. The purpose is to maintain vigil over the Chinese road from Lhasa to Xijiang in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The road passes through the strategic mountainous area of Aksai Chin.
The construction of Indian roads in the region is a follow-up action after the country reactivated its two strategically important airfields in May and November last year after more than four decades.
The idea is to build India’s “strategic presence” there as new global realities and challenges are emerging on the borders, said an Army officer on condition of anonymity.
These roads will connect Daulat Beg Oldie and Fukche air fields which were reactivated on May 31 and November 4, 2008, for the first time after the Sino-Indian war of 1962.
“The roads are being constructed from both the eastern and western flanks,” confirmed minister of tourism Nawang Rigzin Jora, who represents Leh constituency in the J&K Assembly. He said work is in progress.
While the minister did not reveal much about the reasons for these roads, the army officer recalled: “We had lost Aksai Chin because of our absence there. But now we have realised that the presence in all the fields is required with the twin objective to strengthen ourselves strategically and make our presence felt there. We can also keep tabs on the Chinese activities in the Aksai Chin region.”
The argument for building roads is that there cannot be a permanent dependence on the air presence, though there are plans to land fighter planes. The AN-32 and medium sized transport plane IL-76 have already landed there.
The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) fixed-wing aircraft (AN-32) landed at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO). Following this, IL-76 planes made sorties over the region and landed in the airfield.
The Advanced Landing Ground (ALG), where the aircraft landed at DBO, has an unpaved surface and is located in the Aksai Chin area at a height of 16,200 feet near the strategic Karakoram Pass, very close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
DBO is an important army forward area post linking the ancient silk route to China. This base was built during the India-China conflict in 1962. Packet aircraft of the IAF operated from DBO between 1962 and 1965. In 1996, an earthquake caused some loosening of the surface soil, making this base unfit for further fixed-wing aircraft operations.
But now everything has been repaired and the airfield is functional.
The construction of Indian roads in the region is a follow-up action after the country reactivated its two strategically important airfields in May and November last year after more than four decades.
The idea is to build India’s “strategic presence” there as new global realities and challenges are emerging on the borders, said an Army officer on condition of anonymity.
These roads will connect Daulat Beg Oldie and Fukche air fields which were reactivated on May 31 and November 4, 2008, for the first time after the Sino-Indian war of 1962.
“The roads are being constructed from both the eastern and western flanks,” confirmed minister of tourism Nawang Rigzin Jora, who represents Leh constituency in the J&K Assembly. He said work is in progress.
While the minister did not reveal much about the reasons for these roads, the army officer recalled: “We had lost Aksai Chin because of our absence there. But now we have realised that the presence in all the fields is required with the twin objective to strengthen ourselves strategically and make our presence felt there. We can also keep tabs on the Chinese activities in the Aksai Chin region.”
The argument for building roads is that there cannot be a permanent dependence on the air presence, though there are plans to land fighter planes. The AN-32 and medium sized transport plane IL-76 have already landed there.
The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) fixed-wing aircraft (AN-32) landed at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO). Following this, IL-76 planes made sorties over the region and landed in the airfield.
The Advanced Landing Ground (ALG), where the aircraft landed at DBO, has an unpaved surface and is located in the Aksai Chin area at a height of 16,200 feet near the strategic Karakoram Pass, very close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
DBO is an important army forward area post linking the ancient silk route to China. This base was built during the India-China conflict in 1962. Packet aircraft of the IAF operated from DBO between 1962 and 1965. In 1996, an earthquake caused some loosening of the surface soil, making this base unfit for further fixed-wing aircraft operations.
But now everything has been repaired and the airfield is functional.
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