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The main day of bathing has been held at India’s Kumbh Mela, with tens of millions of pilgrims taking a dip at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.
This is the most auspicious of six bathing days at the event, billed as the world’s biggest human gathering.
Hindus believe bathing at the rivers will cleanse them of their sins and help them attain “moksha”, setting them free from the cycle of birth and death.
The mela (meaning “fair” in Hindi) has been held in Allahabad city (recently renamed Prayagraj) in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh for centuries now. But it has grown into a mega event in the past two decades.
Image copyrightANKIT SRINIVAS
The BBC’s Vikas Pandey, who is at the festival, said people had arrived from all parts of the country and had walked miles to take a dip. “Every street in the city leading to the mela grounds is flooded with people,” he said.
The bathing began at midnight with people chanting “hail mother Ganges”.
At dawn, visitors jostled to get a glimpse of the Akharas – different congregations of Hindu saints – who had started their procession.
Image copyrightANKIT SRINIVAS
These processions are highly coveted as people line up to see holy men and women perched on top of heavily decorated floats.
“It is so crowded but everyone seemed excited, despite having walked long distances in the cold,” our reporter said.
Officials say more than 10 million people have already taken a dip and the number is likely to rise during the day.
Avnish Tripathi, who had arrived from Madhya Pradesh state, walked for five hours from the outskirts of Allahabad city to reach the festival. “Once I got there, I had to wait for two hours to take a dip because of the crowds. But it was a magical experience and I didn’t feel tired at all,” he told the BBC.
Many other devoted pilgrims had walked more than 50km (31 miles) in the hope of taking a dip.
Image copyrightUTTAR PRADESH GOVERNMENT
“It has been nearly 12 hours since bathing began but the crowds haven’t thinned,” our reporter added.
The Naga sadhus are the biggest draw of the festival. Thousands of the Sadhus, naked and wearing garlands around their necks, charged into the river with swords and tridents in their hands.
They were escorted by the police as people watched from behind barricades.
Image copyrightANKIT SRINIVAS
This year’s festival is an “ardh Kumbh” – a “half-size” version that falls mid-way between two Kumbhs – but there’s nothing diminutive about it. In fact, it’s much bigger than the last.
KOLKATA, India (Reuters) – The chief minister of a big Indian state led a sit-in on Monday in a standoff with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government over a corruption investigation she condemned as a vendetta, as political tension rises ahead of a general election.
Mamata Banerjee, the firebrand chief minister of West Bengal, began the protest overnight in the state capital, Kolkata, after federal police swooped on the home of a police commissioner as part of an investigation into Ponzi schemes that defrauded thousands of small investors.
Banerjee, who leads a regional party trying to forge a front against Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accused the federal government of trying to undermine state powers.
West Bengal, which sends the third largest number of legislators to the lower house of parliament, has become a battleground state as the Hindu nationalist BJP looks to make in-roads in the east to make up for any losses in its northern heartland.
Over the past several months, disputed have erupted between the BJP and Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and there have been allegations that hardline Hindu groups are trying to stir up tension with minority Muslims to win votes.
“The highest levels of the BJP leadership are doing the worst kind of political vendetta,” Banerjee said in a tweet. “They are misusing power to take control of the police and destroy all institutions.”
Hundreds of her supporters gathered at Banerjee’s protest venue on Monday, shouting encouragement.
The chief minister sat on a wooden platform, surrounded by ministers and party leaders, and held a meeting of her cabinet.
But the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is controlled by the federal government, said state police prevented its agents from carrying out their work on Sunday and even briefly detained them.
“A clash like this, between law enforcement agencies, is not only unfortunate but is also dangerous for the country’s federal and political system,” Home Minister Rajnath Singh told parliament.
Modi has to call the election by May. Polls suggest his alliance may emerge as the largest group in parliament but short of a majority. Regional parties like Banerjee’s could play a crucial role in any coalition building.
Opposition parties led by the Congress party said they backed Banerjee in her fight with Modi’s administration.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said Modi and his party were waging an “unrelenting” attack on political institutions.
“The entire opposition will stand together and defeat these fascist forces,” he said.
Mamata Banerjee on dharna LIVE: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said her struggle will continue till “the situation is resolved”. Her comments came as she visited the police commissioner’s residence.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee launched a dharna in the heart of Kolkata on Sunday to protest the move of the CBI to question Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar as she accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah of plotting a ‘coup’.
She said her struggle will continue till “the situation is resolved.” Her comments came as she visited the police commissioner’s residence after a CBI team which showed up to quiz the Kolkata Police chief was detained by the local police.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continued her dharna against the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) move against the Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with ponzi scam cases.
SNS Web | New Delhi | February 4, 2019 1:31 pm
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during a sit-in (dharna) protest over the CBI’s attempt to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with a ponzi scheme scam, near the Metro Channel in Kolkata on Feb 4, 2019. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continued her dharna against the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) move against the Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with ponzi scam cases.
Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah of unleashing a state of “emergency” in the country, Banerjee, the chief of Trinamool Congress (TMC), said on Monday that her protest is a Satyagraha and she will continue till the country is saved.
Banerjee has been on a sit-in at a makeshift dais at Dharamtala area near Metro Channel of the city since 9 pm on Saturday.
“The nation can see but they can’t speak out of fear,” she said, further accusing the Centre of playing vendetta politics.
“The Modi govt has taken away the democratic rights of the people,” Banerjee said, adding, “Centre is targeting opposition.”
Banerjee, who was scheduled meet farmers today at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, addressed them from the protest site over Facebook Live.
“The Modi government has sucked the blood of the farmers. Around 12,000 farmers have committed suicide,” she alleged.
Banerjee said that her government works for farmers’ welfare.
Commenting on crop insurance schemes for the farmers, Banerjee claimed that the state government has done more than the Modi government in this regard.
“Modi says he has sent money. He hasn’t. Eighty per cent of the money contributed into the scheme is of the state government. We pay the share of both the state government and that of the farmers. We have given Rs 600 crores. We have given Kisan credit card to 70 lakh farmers,” Banerjee said.
Further hitting at the Modi government, Banerjee said that the Modi government, after 5 years, says that farmer income will double by 2022.
“I say with pride, we have tripled the income already. The West Bengal govt is way ahead,” she told the gathering and the farmers.
“Those who try to insult Bengal should know that we consider work as dharma and karma. Doing lip-service is not enough. I will appeal to the farmer brothers and sisters to not allow anyone to exploit your weaknesses for political gains,” she said.
Opposition support
Banerjee’s sit-in, now dubbed ‘Save The Constitution’, received wide support from anti-BJP parties except a few from across the country.
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said that Banerjee is right when she says that the BJP is using CBI to target political opponents.
“Besides West Bengal, such things have been heard from other states too. BJP and Centre have started misusing CBI as elections are approaching. Not only I, not only Samajwadi Party, but all political parties are saying this,” he said on Monday.
“There was CBI row, centre was scared of a CBI director, now they are trying to scare everyone using CBI. Who has misused? The institutions. If someone has politicised the institutions, it is BJP,” Yadav said.
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister recently formed an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to take on the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He was also among the leaders present at the mega anti-BJP rally organised by Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on 19 January.
Extending support of the National Conference (NC), Farooq Abdullah said, “Her (Mamata Banerjee) allegation is right. This country is in danger as its becoming dictatorial. They (Central govt) are not masters of this country, people are.”
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and DMK leader M K Stalin were among leaders who expressed their solidarity with Banerjee in tweets.
Kejriwal called Modi-Shah duo’s action is against democracy.
“Spoke to Mamta didi and expressed solidarity. Modi-Shah duo’s action is completely bizarre and anti-democracy,” Kejriwal said.
Yadav, who also spoke to Banerjee, extended RJD’s support, “BJP has not only venomous and nefarious agenda against opposition leaders but Indian Administrative Service and Police Officers. Might visit Kolkata tomorrow,” he said on Sunday night.
Stalin said he stood with Banerjee in her fight to protect the federal structure of this country and to save democracy. “The independence of every institution has been compromised under this fascist BJP Government.”
Congress president Rahul Gandhi too threw his weight behind Banerjee.
Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) general secretary, said that corruption cases against TMC government in chit fund scam have been public for years but the Modi government chose to stay quiet as the top mastermind of the scam joined BJP.
“It does a drama to act now, after 5 years, and TMC leadership responds by staging a drama to protect its corrupt. This drama in Kolkata by BJP and TMC is not a fight for any principle but only to save their corrupt and hide their corruption. CPI(M) has fought both these undemocratic, corrupt, communal and dictatorial regimes in the Centre and the state and will continue to do so,” he said.
CBI vs Kolkata Police: How it began
The showdown began when CBI officials reached official residence of the police commissioner in the evening to question him in connection with the ponzi scam cases. Reports indicate that the probe agency sleuths were spotted in the vicinity in the afternoon, alerting the police who reached the Commissioner’s residence immediately.
Kolkata Police officials inquired if the 40-odd CBI officers had the documents required to question the CP.
After preventing the CBI officials from entering the residence of Commissioner Kumar, the police whisked away some of the sleuths to the Shakespeare Sarani police station for further discussions.
More CBI men arrived at the Loudon Street home of Rajeev Kumar and a commotion ensued. Some CBI men were then bundled into police jeeps and taken to the police station.
It was after this incident that Mamata Banerjee began a sit-in in front of the Metro Cinema to protest “insults” faced at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. She accused both the BJP leaders of organising a “coup” on West Bengal.
The CBI on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar to cooperate with the investigation.
Representing CBI, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought directions to Kumar to cooperate with the investigation and surrender all the evidence related to the chit fund case, stating that the top cop was a “potential accused”.
The CBI has claimed that Kumar has been instrumental in causing destruction of evidence and obstructing justice.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha that the CBI action was initiated after the Supreme Court ordered an investigation into Saradha chit fund case.
“The Police Commissioner was summoned many times but he did not appear. West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi has summoned Chief Secretary and Director General of Police and has asked them to take immediate action to resolve the situation,” Singh told the House.
Banerjee is expected to hold a scheduled cabinet meeting at the protest venue itself. The events were expected to cast a shadow on the Budget Session of Parliament on Monday with the opposition expected to vociferously raise the issue.
The Railways suspect rail fracture as the probable cause of the derailment of the Delhi-bound Seemanchal Express on Sunday morning that left at least seven dead and scores injured.
SNS Web | New Delhi | February 3, 2019 11:51 am
(Photo: Twitter/@NDRFHQ)
The Railways suspect rail fracture as the probable cause of the derailment of the Delhi-bound Seemanchal Express on Sunday morning that left at least seven dead and scores injured.
“Prima facie cause of Seemanchal Express accident is rail fracture of CMS X-Ing at Barauni end of station yard,” Rajesh Kumar, the Chief Public Relations Officer of the East-Central Railway, was quoted as saying by ANI.
The exact reason behind the accident will be unearthed after the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) concludes its investigation into the derailment.
Eleven coaches of the train went off the rails before dawn near Sahadai Buzurg in Vaishali district at a time when most passengers were deep in sleep.
Kumar said that the 12 unaffected coaches are being moved to Hajipur where more coaches will be attached before the train moves to its original destination at Anand Vihar Terminal railway station (ANVT) near New Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were among those who expressed grief at the loss of lives.
“Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to the derailment of coaches of the Seemanchal Express. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. Railways, NDRF, and local authorities are providing all possible assistance in the wake of the accident,” wrote PM Modi on Twitter.
Narendra Modi
“Deeply pained to learn about the train tragedy in Bihar. My thoughts are with the affected families. Requesting local Congress workers to extend all possible help to the families of the affected,” Gandhi wrote on Twitter.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also directed the state administration to provide all assistance in the rescue and relief operation.
He announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
A statement from Railway Minister Piyush Goyal’s office said that the Minister is in touch with Railway Board members and GM ECR regarding the accident.
The Indian Railways also announced that ex gratia Rs 5 lakh each will be given to the kin of the deceased while Rs 1 lakh would be given to the grievously injured and Rs 50,000 to those who have suffered simple injuries. The Railways will also bear medical expenses.
Rajesh Kumar said that one general coach, one AC coach (B3), three sleeper coaches (S8, S9, S10) and four more coaches derailed between 3-4 am near Shadai Buzurg railway station in Vaishali district.
The train, number 12487, was running at full speed when it derailed.
Officials fear that the death toll might increase as many are still trapped inside the derailed coaches.
Locals were the first to respond to the accident site. People were seen trying to rescue those trapped inside the derailed coaches before a massive rescue operation was launched involving personnel from NDRF and police.
NDRF personnel went in through broken windows to scan the insides of the overturned coaches for those trapped. Sniffer dogs, too, were deployed to help in the rescue mission.
The teams of doctors were rushed from nearby Sonpur and Barauni.
The Railways has also issued help line numbers – Sonpur 06158221645, Hajipur 06224272230 and Barauni 06279232222.
This is the second major train derailment in two days. On Friday, the Dayodaya Express derailed between Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur and Rajasthan’s Ajmer near Jaipur on Friday. No passenger was, however, injured in the accident.
The fall of Chanda Kochhar, the iconic banking CEO and a poster woman for Indian industry, holds a cautionary tale for the entire business community, writes the BBC’s business correspondent Sameer Hashmi.
India’s third-largest lender, ICICI Bank, on Wednesday found the former chief executive guilty of violating internal bank policies and professional misconduct.
It was the culmination of an investigation set up by the bank to look into allegations of conflict of interest. It concluded that she had failed to make mandatory disclosures and her actions were not in line with the bank’s internal processes.
The bank also announced it planned to “claw back” all bonuses paid to Ms Kochhar between April 2009 and March 2018, an amount estimated to run into millions of dollars.
Ms Kochhar had risen through the ranks of ICICI to become its chief executive in 2009.
But she went on indefinite leave in June 2018, following which she announced her retirement in October 2018 even as the investigation against her was still continuing.
‘The face of a movement’
Ms Kochhar was one of India’s most celebrated bankers and arguably the most prominent female chief executive in the country.
For nearly a decade, various surveys consistently called her one of the world’s most powerful and influential female CEOs. For many Indian women, especially those working in the corporate sector, Ms Kochhar was a role model.
“She was the face of a movement that encouraged women entrepreneurs. Her downfall has done immeasurable harm to Indian chief executives, especially women business leaders,” Gurcharan Das, author and former chief executive of Procter & Gamble India, told the BBC.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionMs Kochhar with Ivanka Trump, daughter of the US president and his adviser
Ms Kochhar began her career as a trainee at ICICI in 1984 after getting her MBA. At the time, ICICI was a financial institution that helped companies with project financing. It got a banking licence in 1994, following the liberalisation of India’s economy.
Ms Kochhar’s ascent mirrored ICICI’s journey from a small financial institution to one of India’s largest technology-driven financial service behemoths.
Under the tutelage of KV Kamath – the larger-than-life boss who headed the bank through much of the 1990s and 2000s – Ms Kochhar was given charge of several significant projects which saw ICICI set itself apart in a market dominated by public-owned banks.
In 2009, at the age of 48, she beat several other strong candidates to succeed Mr Kamath as chief executive.
Unlike her predecessors, who followed a more inclusive leadership approach, Ms Kochhar ran a tight ship with complete control and authority.
She was credited with navigating the bank out of troubled waters following the 2008 global recession.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionMs Kochhar is credited with navigating ICICI out of troubled waters following the 2008 global recession
Ms Kochhar was also renowned for her attention to detail – not only when it came to running the company but also when making public appearances or being interviewed.
She invested in a very strong PR machinery that ensured her public profile was meticulous. When I interviewed Ms Kochhar at her office in 2012, her communications team had a number of requests and queries ranging from the type of questions that would be asked to camera angles and even the size of the plant in the background.
Her love for saris and diamonds was well known. Her former colleagues say she was very particular about picking the right sari to match the mood and tone of an occasion. She even wore them while attending international conferences like the World Economic Forum in Davos – making it a style statement.
The fall from grace
Ironically perhaps, it was her lack of attention to disclosing allegedly critical information about her husband’s business dealings with a client of her bank that led to her downfall.
Ms Kochhar’s problems began in October 2016 when a whistleblower raised allegations of conflict of interest against her.
Initially the issue did not attract much media attention, but in March 2018 the story began to gain traction in the Indian press.
The scandal centres around a $456m (£347m) loan issued by ICICI bank to consumer electronics company Videocon Industries.
It had been alleged that Ms Kochhar sanctioned loans to Videocon Industries, violating the bank’s lending policies, in exchange for an investment by its owner Venugopal Dhoot in a business headed by Ms Kochhar’s husband.
Ms Kochhar, her husband and Mr Dhoot have denied the claims.
Soon after the allegations surfaced in April, Mr Kochhar said they were all “false”.
Speaking to India Today TV, he said, “Where is the conflict of interest? ICICI Bank will have relationship with all top corporates in India. If I can’t touch any corporate who deals with ICICI, is it fair to me? Can I function like this? I am a Bajaj MBA and a Harvard alumnus. I am an educated professional. Should I sit at home just because my wife is the CEO of ICICI?”
Mr Dhoot also denied any wrongdoing, insisting in an interview with the PTI news agency that the loan to his company was given on merit. He also said he knew all 12 members of the panel that approved it, not just Ms Kochhar.
Initially, ICICI’s board dismissed all the allegations against Ms Kochhar.
But continuous media glare and questions from investors forced the bank to set up an inquiry to investigate if Ms Kochhar had violated the bank’s rules with regards to conflict of interest and internal lending.
Even then Ms Kochhar did not step down, choosing instead to go on indefinite leave in June 2018. She resigned four months later.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionMs Kochhar has denied all the charges against her
But after the investigative committee – headed by a former Supreme Court judge – submitted its report, the bank decided to treat her resignation as termination. The report did not, however, investigate whether Videocon invested in her husband’s company in exchange for loans.
Speaking soon after that, Ms Kochhar issued a statement talking about her “disappointment” with the decision.
‘I am utterly disappointed, hurt and shocked by the decision. I have not been given a copy of the report. I reiterate that none of the credit decisions at the bank are unilateral. ICICI is an institution with established robust processes and systems which involve committee based collective decision making with several professionals of high calibre participating in the decision making,” it read.
The controversy has also raised questions about the credibility of the board and its failure to investigate the matter when it was first raised.
Shiriram Subramaniun, who heads InGovern, a corporate governance advisory firm, called the episode a lesson for company boards across the country.
“Companies need to recognise that their primary duty is toward the shareholders and not star chief executives,” he told the BBC.
But Ms Kochhar’s troubles didn’t stop there. Last week, the country’s federal investigating agency, the CBI, filed a case of criminal conspiracy and fraud against her and her husband Deepak Kochhar.
They are looking closely into Ms Kochhar’s role in the ICICI decision to sanction the loan to Videocon. In its preliminary complaint report, the organisation accused her of receiving “illegal gratification through her husband” to sanction the money.
It also accuses her of cheating, dishonesty and “abusing her official position” by sanctioning the loan to Videocon. It has also filed a case against Mr Dhoot and is investigating the roles of senior ICICI bank executives who were part of the bank committee that sanctioned the loans.
The bank told the BBC that they were not willing to comment about the investigation at this stage.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Three powerful women politicians, each from a very different section of Indian society, may pose a big threat to the chances of Prime Minister Narendra Modi winning a second term in a general election due by May.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, part of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has ruled India for much of the time since its independence from the British in 1947, joined the struggle in January, when the opposition Congress party made her its face in the nation’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh.
Two other senior female politicians – the firebrand chief minister of West Bengal state, Mamata Banerjee, and Mayawati, a former Uttar Pradesh chief minister – are also plotting to unseat Modi’s ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition by forming big opposition groupings, though there is no firm agreement between them as yet.
“The opposition has more powerful women leaders than the NDA, and therefore they will be able to carry conviction with voters generally, and with women voters, in particular,” said Yashwant Sinha, 81, a former finance minister who quit Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which dominates the NDA, last year.
“They should be very worried, especially after the defeat in the three major Hindi heartland states,” he said, referring to BJP’s losses in recent state elections.
The entry of Priyanka – she is usually referred to by just her first name – into the political fray drew a gushing reaction from much of the Indian media.
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There were pictures of elated supporters dancing, a lot of talk of the 47-year-old’s resemblance to her grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and comments about her gifts as a speaker able to connect with voters. That contrasts with her brother, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who in the past has been criticized for lacking the common touch.
TRIPLE CHALLENGE
The other two women seen threatening Modi’s grip on power have a lot more experience than Priyanka, and both could be seen as potential prime ministerial candidates in a coalition government.
Mayawati, a 63-year-old former teacher who goes by just the one name, last month formed an alliance between her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) – which mainly represents Hinduism’s lowest caste, the Dalits – and its once bitter foes, the Samajwadi Party that tends to draw support from other lower castes and Muslims.
Then there is 64-year-old Banerjee, who has twice been railways minister in federal governments. Last month, Banerjee – who built her All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) party after leaving Congress in 1997 – organised an anti-BJP rally in Kolkata that attracted hundreds of thousands.
Party colleagues of the three women leaders said they were not available for comment.
To be sure, Modi remains, for now, the most popular leader in the country, opinion polls show.
Modi also cannot be accused of ignoring women’s issues during his first term. He has launched a government campaign – Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, or “Save the Daughter, Educate the Daughter” – and called for the eradication of female foeticide. His campaigns to provide toilets and subsidised gas cylinders for poorer Indians are often promoted as ways to empower women.
He has six women in his 26-strong cabinet, though a lot of power is centralised with Modi and a couple of senior male lieutenants.
The BJP said it would seek votes on the basis of achievements under Modi and the opposition did not have a “positive alternative to the government, and its activities”.
PERSONAL TIES
Congress has said it wants to form a post-poll partnership with Mayawati’s BSP and SP alliance, though it will be fighting against it in 78 seats. The alliance will not contest two Gandhi strongholds won multiple times by Rahul and his mother Sonia.
Mayawati told a press conference announcing the alliance with the SP that Congress was not part of it because they did not think “there would be much benefit in having them with us before the election”.
The BSP, however, backs Congress-led governments in the northern states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
There is no formal alliance between Banerjee and Congress, though she does know Rahul and Priyanka.
Dinesh Trivedi, a former federal minister and a close aide to Banerjee, said she enjoys a good personal relationship with Sonia Gandhi, the matriarch of the dynasty and a former Congress president, and so working with her two children would not be a problem.
“In terms of experience, Mamata Banerjee is far ahead,” Trivedi said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi would look at Mamata Banerjee as somebody who could really inspire them.”
The strength of Priyanka, Mayawati and Banerjee as a potential opposition alliance is that they can appeal to different parts of the electorate.
Two Congress sources said the formal entry into politics of Priyanka could help rejuvenate the party in Uttar Pradesh, where it is a marginal player. Coming from what is India’s first family, they said she could appeal to upper caste voters in the state who typically vote for the pro-business BJP.
A Congress leader close to the Gandhis said she would attract women, young people, and floating voters.
London’s African churches keep communities connected to their roots
Priyanka is far from a political neophyte, having supported her brother and mother during previous election campaigns. She has also experienced political and personal tragedy, as Rahul Gandhi stressed in a speech last week.
“You have to understand my relationship with my sister – we have been through a hell of a lot together,” he said.
“Everybody is like ‘look, you come from this illustrious family, and everything is easy’. Actually it’s not so easy. My father was assassinated, my grandmother was assassinated, huge political battles, wins in political battles, losses in political battles.”
“NATIONAL LEADER”
BSP spokesman Sudhindra Bhadoria said Mayawati’s gender did not matter.
“She has managed a party from scratch to this level. The important fact is that she has organised large numbers, both men and women, Dalits, other backward castes, the poor, minorities,” Bhadoria said. “I don’t fit them in the straightjacket of male-female. I think she’s a national leader.”
She is regarded as ambitious. A U.S. diplomatic cable in 2008, among many thousands leaked by Wikileaks two years later, described her as “first-rate egomaniac” who “is obsessed with becoming prime minister”.
But Mayawati has also been credited with empowering oppressed lower caste Hindus.
Banerjee, who defeated a 34-year-old communist government in West Bengal in an election in 2011, is known for her streetwise political skills and portrays herself as a secular leader in a country polarised under the BJP.
The External Affairs Ministry said India continues to closely monitor and take proactive measures to address the situation arising out of the detention of several Indian students in connection with their enrolment in a “fraudulent university in the US”.
The India mission and consulates have visited several detention centres throughout the US to extend consular assistance to the detained students, the MEA said.(AP Photo)
India Saturday issued a demarche to the American Embassy here, expressing its concern over the detention of Indian students in the US, and sought immediate consular access to them.
The External Affairs Ministry said India continues to closely monitor and take proactive measures to address the situation arising out of the detention of several Indian students in connection with their enrolment in a “fraudulent university in the US”.
One-hundred-thirty foreign students arrested by US authorities for enroling at a fake university allegedly to remain in that country are largely Indians. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents made the arrests on Wednesday.
“Our concern over the dignity and well-being of the detained students and the need for immediate consular access for Indian officials to the detainees was reiterated,” it said.
The ministry underlined to the US Embassy that students, who may have been duped into enrolling in the ‘university’ should be treated differently from those recruiters who have duped them. “We have urged the US side to share full details and regular updates of the students with the government, to release them from detention at the earliest and not to resort to deportation against their will,” the ministry said.
The India mission and consulates have visited several detention centres throughout the US to extend consular assistance to the detained students, the MEA said.
“So far, about 30 Indian students have been contacted by our consular officers. Efforts to contact the remaining Indian students are continuing,” it said.
The ministry said a 24/7 helpline has been established in the Indian Embassy in Washington for assistance/queries related to the detention of Indian students. The helpline numbers are: +1-202-322-1190 and +1-202-340-2590 and email is: cons3.washington@mea.gov.in. The ministry said the Indian government and the Indian Embassy and consulates in the US attach the highest priority to the welfare of the detained students and will continue to work with the American authorities and other stakeholders to address the issue. PTI MPB GVS
The Prime Minister also batted for the Hindu Bangladeshi migrants in a bid to woo the voters ahead of the Lok Sabha polls that are due this May.
SNS Web | New Delhi | February 2, 2019 4:01 pm
Addressing his second rally in West Bengal on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised the Mamata government for its “anti-development approach”.
Addressing a rally in Durgapur, PM Modi said the ruling Trinamool Congress was not bothered about the development of the state with major projects stuck for over a long period of time.
“Projects worth Rs 90,000 crore are moving at snail’s pace because of the attitude of the state government. They are not cooperating with the Centre, they have an anti-development approach,” PM Modi said while referring to infrastructure development in West Bengal.
He said while the state government is busy crushing the dreams of the poor and the middle class, the Central government is trying to deliver a new flight to those dreams.
He said the people of Bengal will oust and uproot the government led by Mamata Banerjee, which does not care about the dignity of democracy.
The PM further said the Mamata government has strangled democracy adding that the people of Bengal will no longer tolerate anarchy.
“Ruling TMC is certain to go, I can see clearly that Bengal will usher in parivartan (change),” he said.
Referring to clashes on Friday night in Durgapur, PM Modi said TMC has no respect for the law.
Clashes erupted between workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress late on Friday in Durgapur.
The clashes erupted after TMC workers allegedly attacked a BJP cadre and pulled down hoardings and banners announcing PM Modi’s visit.
Lauding the BJP workers in Bengal, he said their efforts and sacrifice would not go in vain.
“Your fervour is giving Didi sleepless nights, and that’s why she is adopting the ways of the Left,” PM added.
Lauding the Interim budget 2019, PM Modi said the budget illustrates “Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas”, adding that it was just a trailer.
“The budget after the elections will portray the contours of a New India,” he said.
The Prime Minister also batted for the Hindu Bangladeshi migrants in a bid to woo the voters ahead of the Lok Sabha polls that are due this May.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi kicked off the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign in West Bengal for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with a public rally in Thakurnagar.
In a bid to woo the people, the Prime Minister said the people will not be required to pay any ‘syndicate tax’ and the money to the farmers will be directly paid to their bank accounts.
The rallies are being held at a time when the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has upped the ante against the BJP-headed government at the Centre and has given the call to oust the PM Modi government in the next General Election.
Apart from PM Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and many other top leaders are also expected to attend several ‘Ganatantra Bachao’ rallies across the state.
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) – India’s revised e-commerce rules caused widespread disruption on Amazon’s India website when they kicked in on Friday, forcing the company to take down its key grocery service and remove a wide range of products such as sunglasses and floor cleaners.
The products began to disappear from Amazon India late on Thursday as it began complying with the regulations before a midnight deadline, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
In December, India modified foreign direct investment rules for its burgeoning e-commerce sector, which has drawn major bets from not only Amazon.com but also the likes of Walmart Inc, which last year bought a majority stake in homegrown e-commerce player Flipkart.
India’s new e-commerce investment rules bar online retailers from selling products via vendors in which they have an equity interest, and also from making deals with sellers to sell exclusively on their platforms.
Numerous items sold by Amazon vendors such as Cloudtail, in which Amazon holds an indirect equity stake, were no longer available on its India site. Amazon Pantry, a grocery service primarily managed by company affiliates, was also discontinued, though grocery products could be purchased individually.
“Pantry is completely empty, how I am suppose to grocery shop,” Twitter user Pamela wrote on the social network. “Whatever government rules are, (I) don’t care, you guys fix it, I need to shop.”
Amazon, which saw record sales and profit during the holiday season, has forecast first-quarter sales below Wall Street estimates due to the uncertainty in India – one of its key growth markets.
The situation in India is “a bit fluid right now,” but the country remains a good long-term opportunity, Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said. The company’s main goal was to minimize the impact of the new rules on customers and sellers, he added.
Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy warned last month that it faced “significant customer disruption” if the new rules were implemented from Feb. 1. On Friday, the company said it was disappointed the government acted in “haste”, but assured compliance.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to be compliant with the new rules,” Flipkart India executive Rajneesh Kumar said in a statement, without explaining how the website was impacted.
POLITICS, INVESTOR SETBACK
The new policy was announced after complaints from small Indian traders who said the e-commerce giants used their control over inventory from affiliated vendors to create an unfair marketplace where they could offer discounts. Such arrangements will now be barred.
Both Amazon and Walmart unsuccessfully lobbied against the latest rules and pushed for a delay in their implementation. The U.S. government too urged India to protect the investments of the two retailers, Reuters reported last week.
But Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration stood firm as the move was widely seen as one to appease small traders in the run-up to a general election due by May.
Industry sources have said the new rules will dent foreign investor sentiment and force the big online retailers to change their business structures, raising compliance costs.
“The company has no choice as they are fulfilling a compliance requirement, the customers will suffer,” said one of the sources. “It is very upsetting for foreign investors.”
Both companies have bet heavily on India being a big growth driver: Amazon has committed to investing $5.5 billion there, while Walmart last year spent $16 billion on Flipkart.
Amazon’s own range of Presto-branded home cleaning goods and other Amazon Basics products such as chargers and batteries vanished from its website late on Thursday.
Clothing from Indian department store chain Shopper’s Stop was also no longer available, as Amazon owns 5 percent of the company.
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which supported tougher scrutiny of large e-commerce players, said the removal of products by Amazon was a step in the “right direction”.
Exclusive deals with sellers, in compliance with the revised rules, will also be discontinued on Amazon India, the two sources said.
It was unclear how long the disruption will last. On Friday, Amazon’s own range of Echo smart speakers, which were earlier removed as they were sold by a company affiliate, returned for sale via other sellers on the platform.
However, buyers would now need to wait for up to 36 days to get some of the speakers delivered even under Amazon’s fast-delivery Prime service, which often delivers goods in a day or two.
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