Shiv Sena warns of 'Mahabharata' if BJP ignores NDA allies

April 17, 2013
Mumbai, Apr 17: Comparing NDA constituents to horses of Arjun's chariot, Shiv Sena on Tuesday cautioned that BJP should take allies into confidence on the issue of its prime ministerial candidate or else there could be a "Mahabharata".

With the chasm between BJP and JD(U) widening over Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial nominee, the Sena also insisted on convening a meeting of the opposition alliance to end the prevailing "confusion".

sena"BJP has the right to name its PM candidate but it cannot do so on its own steam. This (NDA) is Arjuna's chariot and has many horses (allies). Every horse is important. Or else, there will be a different Mahabharata and the chariot wheel will get stuck," the party said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"On one hand, those in UPA are speaking in one voice. They may have one thing in their minds and another on their lips, but as of now, all are behind Manmohan the Puppet.

"However, in NDA, everyone is beating his own trumpet and breaking people's eardrums. This is not a good picture," it said.

"There is a lot of confusion ... there are several wannabes. There are squabbles within the NDA on the PM candidate issue. Rajnath Singh, LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj should comment on this and the confusion should be cleared by convening a meeting of the NDA at the earliest," Sena, BJP's oldest ally, said.

The 'Saamana' editorial defended Modi against criticism over the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat, saying that the post-Godhra riots were a "reaction" to the burning of the Sabarmati Express.

"Had even Keshubhai Patel or Shankarsinh Vaghela (both former chief ministers who parted ways with BJP) been in Modi's place, then also the reaction would have been the same," it said.

Hinting at a possible split in NDA over Modi being named as prime ministerial candidate, the editorial said, "declaring someone's candidature, may result in gain of 5-10 (read some) seats but some old allies will leave, costing 5-25 (read even more) seats."

"On the one hand, those in UPA are speaking in one voice. They may have one thing in their minds and another on their lips, but as of now, all are behind Manmohan the Puppet.

"However, in NDA, everyone is beating his own trumpet and breaking people's eardrums. This is not a good picture," it said.

"There is a lot of confusion ... there are several wannabes. There are squabbles within the NDA on the PM candidate issue. Rajnath Singh, LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj should comment on this and the confusion should be cleared by convening a meeting of the NDA at the earliest," Sena, BJP's oldest ally, said.

The 'Saamna' editorial came days after Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar made clear his strong opposition to projecting Modi as prime ministerial candidate.

JD(U) has said that BJP should declare its prime ministerial candidate having "secular credibility beyond doubt" for the next general elections.

Later, Sena MP and spokesman Sanjay Raut said he had requested JD(U) president and NDA convenor Sharad Yadav to call a meeting of the alliance to sort out the issue.

"I have requested Sharad Yadav to call a meeting of the NDA to discuss the issue. All allies, including Nitish Kumar, should be present and a final decision taken," he said.

Responding to the editorial, BJP president Rajnath Singh said he had not yet seen it. "They (Sena and JD(U)) are our old allies. We will discuss things when necessary," he told TV news channels.

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News Network
February 13,2020

New Delhi, Feb 13: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has congratulated AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal for his party's stupendous victory in the Delhi Assembly polls, saying the people of the national capital will continue to benefit from his leadership.

Responding to the Dalai Lama's statement, Kejriwal in a tweet on Wednesday said, "Am humbled by the kind words and blessings from His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Thank you very much @DalaiLama."

Referring to the Happiness Curriculum for government schools in Delhi, the Dalai Lama said he has a deep admiration for the efforts the AAP government has made towards "shaping better, happier human beings with improved values".

"These measures will have a positive impact on children's overall education, as well as helping the poor to fulfil their dreams of improving their lives," he said.

He also lauded the AAP government's initiative to incorporate aspects of inner mental development into the school curriculum.

"Through such initiatives, you are showing a path to the rest of India," the Dalai Lama added.

In a near-repeat performance of 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday retained power with a stunning victory, winning 62 of the 70 assembly seats and leaving the BJP with just eight seats.

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Agencies
January 16,2020

New Delhi, Jan 16: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Thursday said that he supported a negotiated peace deal between the US and Taliban in Afghanistan.

Gen. Rawat was speaking along with other world leaders at Raisina dialogue organised by India's influential think-tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

Arguing that terrorism was going to stay in the world as long as states were going to use it against other states, he said it was important to prevent states from using terrorism as a "proxy war".

"The only way to deal with it was what the US did post 9/11," he said, adding that the war against terror was necessary.

However, now a peace deal with Taliban is required, Gen. Rawat said.

"It must be a negotiated peace deal so that the Taliban stops using terrorism," he added. Hinting that the US should maintain its presence in Afghanistan, the CDS said that though Afghan security forces are now equipped to fight back terror groups in Afghanistan but they still need support.

The newly appointed CDS officially confirmed that India has shifted its stance on Taliban. India has traditionally been opposed to the Pakistan-backed Taliban in Afghanistan. Thousands of Afghans were given refuge in India when they fled the country due to oppression and terrorism of the Taliban regime. India is in alignment with the democratically elected government in Kabul that the Taliban remains supported by Pakistan.

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News Network
March 27,2020

New Delhi, Mar 27: Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba has asked states to urgently strengthen the surveillance of international travellers who entered the country before the lockdown as there appeared to be a "gap" between the actual monitoring for COVID-19 and the total arrivals.

In a letter to chief secretaries of all States and Union Territories, Gauba said such a gap in monitoring of international passengers for coronavirus "may seriously jeopardise the efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19", given that many amongst the persons who have tested positive so far in India have history of international travel.

"As you are aware, we initiated screening of international incoming passengers at the airports with effect from January 18, 2020. I have been informed that up to March 23, 2020, cumulatively, Bureau Of Immigration has shared details of more than 15 lakh incoming international passengers with the States/UTs for monitoring for COVID-19.

"However, there appears to be a gap between the number of international passengers who need to be monitored by the States/UTs and the actual number of passengers being monitored," Gauba said in his letter.

The government had started monitoring of all international passengers who have arrived in India in last two months in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Gauba said,"it is important that all international passengers are put under close surveillance to prevent the spread of the epidemic."

He said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has repeatedly emphasised the importance of monitoring, and requested the states and UTs to take immediate steps in this regard.

"I would, therefore, like to request you to ensure that concerted and sustained action is taken urgently to put such passengers under surveillance immediately as per MoHFW guidelines," he said.

The cabinet secretary also urged the chief secretaries to actively involve the district authorities in this effort.The screening of international incoming passengers at airports was done from January 18 in a phased manner.

The Central and state governments have unleashed unprecedented and extraordinary measures to contain the spread of the fast-spreading coronavirus, which has already infected more than 700 people in the country and claimed at least 17 lives.

A nationwide lockdown was also announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday for 21 days.

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