BJP will definitely not come to power in 2019: Naidu

Agencies
May 27, 2018

Vijayawada, May 27: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he is a "campaign PM who has failed to deliver on promises" and said the BJP would "definitely not come to power in 2019".

Inaugurating Mahanadu, the TDP's annual conclave here, he said the Telugu Desam Party played a key role in forming governments in the past and had the power to change the political narrative in the country, hinting that it would tie-up with like-minded parties to stop the BJP's juggernaut in 2019.

"The Congress is in the opposition. It cannot do much. But the BJP will definitely not come to power in 2019," he said.

Naidu said the BJP coming to power in 2019 was a "distant dream" and Prime Minister Narendra was a "campaign PM, who gives slogans only, and has failed to deliver on promises".

The party president said the TDP was key in forming the United Front government in 1996.

"The TDP has in the past played a key role in forming governments. It has the power to change the political narrative in the country. We won't step back," Naidu said.

He said the TDP withdrew support from the NDA government as the Centre had reneged on its promise to grant Andhra Pradesh Special Category status and to implement the AP Reorganisation Act.

Naidu accused the BJP of betraying the people of Andhra Pradesh and trying to create law and order problems in the state in collusion with the YSRCP.

During Mahanadu, the TDP would adopt resolutions against the economic decisions taken by the Centre "without proper thinking, their improper implementation, failure of the Goods and Services Tax and demonetisation, and about people losing faith in the banking system" Srinivasa Rao, the officer on special duty to the chief minister, had said earlier.

The party would pass a resolution against the Centre's "non-cooperation and non-fulfilment" of assurances made in the Rajya Sabha regarding the special category status and the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, he had said.

At the conclave, detailed discussions would be held on the Centre's "betrayal and conspiracy politics".

Andhra Pradesh has been seeking special category status on the grounds that it is at a disadvantage, especially because of the loss of capital Hyderabad to Telangana.

When erstwhile Andhra Pradesh was being bifurcated in 2014, then prime minister Manmohan Singh, during a discussion on the AP Reorganisation Bill, had said, "Special category status will be extended to the successor state of Andhra Pradesh for a period of five years". 

But the BJP, which came to power at the Centre a few months later, has been saying that the 14th Finance Commission does not provide for such treatment to Andhra Pradesh.

The TDP had in March withdrawn support from the NDA government over the Centre's refusal to grant special category status to the state.

Naidu and his party have in the past accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of reneging on his election promise made in 2014 to accord special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu had earlier said that after the state's bifurcation, it was given a "raw deal".

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ahmed ali k
 - 
Sunday, 27 May 2018

We will come to power again in 2019 

We have EVM

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Agencies
July 30,2020

New Delhi, Jul 30: India's gold demand in 2020 is expected to fall to the lowest level in 26 years with domestic bullion prices hitting a record high and as falling disposable incomes could curtail retail purchases, the World Gold Council (WGC) said on Thursday.

Lower demand by the world's second-biggest bullion consumer could limit a rally in global prices, which hit a record high earlier this month, although it could also reduce India's trade deficit and support the ailing rupee.

"Fast rising gold prices could act as headwinds," said Somasundaram PR, the managing director of WGC's Indian operations.

Local gold futures have jumped 35% so far this year after rising a quarter in 2019.

India's gold consumption in the first half of 2020 plunged 56% on-year to 165.6 tonnes. Meanwhile, the coronavirus-triggered lockdown also slashed demand by 70% in the June quarter to 63.7 tonnes, the lowest in more than a decade, the WGC said in a report published on Thursday.

Millions of Indians have lost their jobs or taken a pay cut after the country imposed a lockdown on its 1.3 billion people to curb the spread of the virus that has infected more than 1.5 million Indians.

Consumption is generally high during the June quarter due to weddings and key festivals such as Akshaya Tritiya, but lockdown restrictions kept shoppers indoors this year.

The weak demand in the first half could drag down India's gold consumption in 2020 to the lowest since 1994, when demand stood at 415 tonnes, Somasundaram said, adding that it is still difficult to provide an estimate for full-year demand as the coronavirus crisis is still unfolding.

"Indian demand has previously jumped as much as 300 tonnes in a quarter. Latent demand could come out in the second half," Somasundaram said.

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News Network
April 11,2020

New Delhi, Apr 11: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with chief ministers, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday urged CMs of states where the party is in power to unanimously demand for transfer of cash to every poor family.

He said the poor have lost their jobs and have exhausted their savings. They are now standing in lines to get free food, the former Union finance minister said.

Chidambaram said remonetising the poor would cost only Rs 65,000 crore, which is economically viable.

"Chief ministers Amarinder Singh, Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, V Narayanasami, Uddhav Thackeray and E Palaniswani should tell the prime minister today that just as LIVES are important LIVELIHOOD of the poor is important, he tweeted.

"The poor have lost their jobs or self-employment in the last 18 days. They have exhausted their meagre savings. Many are standing in line for food," Chidambaram said.

Can the state stand by and watch them go hungry," he asked, adding that chief ministers should demand that cash be transferred to every poor family immediately.

"Remonetise the poor should be their unanimous demand," Chidambaram said.

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News Network
January 15,2020

Jan 15: Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos is facing a bitter welcome during his India visit this week as the country’s antitrust regulator initiated a formal investigation just hours before his arrival and trader bodies comprising millions of infuriated small store owners announced demonstrations.

Bezos is in New Delhi for the Smbhav summit, an Amazon India event for small and medium businesses. The billionaire is scheduled to conduct a fireside chat with Amazon India chief Amit Agarwal, anchoring an event that also features Infosys Ltd. co-founder Narayana Murthy and retail billionaire Kishore Biyani, who recently sold a stake in his retail group to Amazon. Ahead of the event, Bezos paid his respects at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial, wearing a white tunic and a rust-colored Indian vest.

The small businesses that Amazon’s CEO is hoping to endear himself to, however, are organizing in opposition. The Confederation of All India Traders announced that members of its affiliate bodies across the country would stage sit-ins and public rallies in 300 cities to raise a war cry against the world’s largest online retailer. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, the confederation’s Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal alleged that Amazon, much like Walmart Inc.-owned Flipkart, was an “economic terrorist” who engaged in predatory pricing that deprived the government of tax revenue and “compelled the closure of thousands of small traders.”

India’s e-commerce market is projected to grow to $150 billion by 2022, according to a 2018 report by software industry group Nasscom and consulting firm PwC India. Competition for this rapidly expanding sector is intensifying as Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, prepares to go live with JioMart, an online shopping platform challenging Amazon and Walmart directly. The latter’s Flipkart Online Services Pvt is also delving deeper into the countryside in its pursuit for more customers. Amazon, for its part, opened a huge office complex in the southern city of Hyderabad in September, underscoring its commitment to the country.

The Competition Commission of India said it would probe the deep discounts, preferential listings and exclusionary tactics that Amazon and Flipkart are alleged to have used as anti-competitive levers. India’s trade bodies have long argued that both retail giants were flouting rules by promoting sales and discounts through their favoured sellers, many of whom they have preexisting commercial arrangements. The regulator has ordered for the investigation to be completed within two months.

Bezos last visited India in 2014 under starkly different circumstances. During that trip, the Amazon founder wore local festive garb, rode atop a festooned truck for a photo opp and presented Amazon’s Indian unit with a giant check for $2 billion. Since then, Amazon has pledged a further $3.5 billion to expand in the country.

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