Sops in the offing? Modi prepares note ban narrative for New Year's eve

The next 50 days could define the rest of Prime Minister Modi's tenure

Breaking News : After 50 days of “pain” will come the “gain”, so said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 13 November in his public speeches in Goa and Belgaum.

The people have kept the faith in Modi’s promise beyond the expectations of even the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Bank officials, lawyers and businessmen getting caught with tranches of currency notes, and visuals of old currency notes being burnt or thrown in ponds has satisfied the public need to see those with black money suffer.

Visuals in the media of queues outside ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) in big cities like Delhi and Mumbai have also served the same purpose – “the rich” have suffered.

But now comes the test for the Modi government, primarily for the PM himself since he has taken ownership of the note ban decision.

From now to elections in five states, particularly Uttar Pradesh from mid-February onwards, the Modi government needs to keep the political narrative in its favour, particularly as the expected gains are unlikely to match the initial estimates.

The PM’s fist post demonetisation interview will be shown today at 8pm on the TV Today network. The PM is also expected to deliver an address to the nation either on Friday or on the New Year’s Eve. This will be followed by a huge public rally in Lucknow on 2 January. Read more.

Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson and ex-NASA scientist, Kanubhai dies at 87

Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Kanubhai Gandhi passed away on Monday at a private hospital here, where he was admitted about two weeks back following a heart attack. He was 87.

Kanubhai, the son of Mahatma's third son Ramdas Gandhi, along with his wife Shivalaxmi, had been living at an accommodation at the Radha Krishna temple run by Punjabi Samaj here for the last three months.

He was admitted to the hospital on October 22 after he suffered a heart attack. He was put on life support as he had also suffered a paralysis attack.

"Kanubhai died at 8.30 pm today at a Surat hospital," his close friend Dhimant Badhiya said.

"Doctors had said that he had also suffered a lung failure in the last few days," Kanubhai's caretaker and a member of Punjabi Samaj, Kailash Chhabra, told PTI.

Kanubhai, a former NASA scientist who was famously captured in a photograph pulling Mahatma Gandhi's walking stick as he led the Salt Satyagraha at Dandi in Gujarat, had come back to India in 2014 after living in the US for over four decades.

A graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Kanubhai also worked with the US Defense Department on the wing structure of fighter aircraft. He had decided to spend the rest of his life in India, along with his wife.

"After staying in the US for over four decades, Kanubhai wanted to spend his last days in his own country, which is why he came here, along with his wife, as he had no child. He stayed at different places in Delhi, Wardha and Nagpur, before coming to Surat three months back," Badhiya said.Read more

Be it Narendra Modi or journalists, why Arvind Kejriwal is always angry

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to twitter to hit out at veteran journalist Shekhar Gupta over the latter's tweet about the resurgence of Malaria and Chikungunya caused deaths in the capital.

Gupta had tweeted that Delhi was facing Malaria and Chikungunya caused deaths for the first time after five years, while the government in Delhi was more busy "conquering" Punjab, Goa and Gujarat — where Assembly polls are due.

Taking exception to Gupta's tweet, Kejriwal asked him to step out in the open if he wanted to indulge in politics. Further, Kejriwal alleged that Gupta had worked for the Congress before and now he was trying to promote the Modi government's interests.

Not stopping there, Kejriwal alleged that people like Gupta had brought a bad name to journalism. The Delhi chief minister ended his response by asking Gupta to focus on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who he said was out to "conquer" the world.

See Screenshot of the exchange between Kejriwal and Gupta

Banners on Pakistan roads urge Gen Sharif to impose martial law, form govt

Banners on Pakistan roads urge Gen Sharif to impose martial law, form govt

Mysterious banners springing up overnight on all major thoroughfares in 13 cities acrossPakistan on Monday urged Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif to impose martial lawand form a government of technocrats, strengthening the view that something was cooking up.

The banners that were put up by a little-known 'Move on Pakistan' party of Punjab in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Hyderabad among others unlike its earlier campaign requested the army chief to reconsider his retirement plan due in November the message is quite ominous this time around, reported the Dawn.

Interestingly, the banners sprang up in the 13 cities, even in cantonment areas, despite the presence of several checkpoints and extra security.

A banner hanging at a traffic intersection on the road between the Chief Minister's House and the Rangers headquarters in Karachi reads: "Janay ki baatain hui puraani, Khuda k liye ab ajao (Talks of leaving are now old; for God's sake now come)".

Although the official mouthpiece of the army the 'Inter-Services Public Relations' remained silent, analyst Amir Rana believed that the latest move strengthened the view that something was cooking up.

Ali Hashmi, the central chief organiser of the party, told Dawn that the goal of their campaign was to suggest to the army chief that after imposing martial law a government of technocrats should be made in Pakistan and Gen Raheel should himself supervise it.(more)

'Mischievous' AAP attempting to boost its chances through 'Udta Punjab': Subramaniam Swamy

'Mischievous' AAP attempting to boost its chances through 'Udta Punjab': Subramaniam Swamy

Questioning the release timing of Shahid Kapoor-starrer 'Udta Punjab', Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Thursday alleged that theAam Aadmi Party (AAP) was making mischievous attempts to boost its chances in next year's state assembly polls courtesy the drug abuse highlighted in the flick.

Swamy's remark came a day after Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC) chief Pahlaj Nihalani alleged that the movie's co-producer Anurag Kashyap has taken money from Arvind Kejriwal-led party to show Punjab in bad light.

Swamy told ANI the timing of this movie is wrong because it really makes out that the Punjab Government is responsible for drug abuse in the state.

"Nobody has doubts that drug is a big problem. Who says it started with Akalis? It started with the Congress. This appears to be a mischievous attempt to further the cause of the AAP. And with the AAP defending itself, that only confirms itself," Swamy said.

The BJP's Rajya Sabha MP further said there is nothing wrong if the movie is released after the Punjab elections are over.

Asserting that the 2017 Punjab elections would be fought on the grounds of the rampant drug abuse in the state, the AAP had yesterday accused Prime MinisterNarendra Modi of having the CBFC chief in his pocket and using him as a pawn to further his chances in the polls by playing politics over 'Udta Punjab'.

Read more

ViratKohli set a new record by scoring his fourth century

ViratKohli set a new record by scoring his fourth century

Man-of-the-match Virat Kohli set a new record by scoring his fourth century (113 in 50 balls with 8 sixes and 12 fours) in this IPL season and Chris Gayle returned to form by hitting 73 in 32 balls with 8 sixes and four boundaries.

Desperate efforts by Vijay to break the partnership or get either of them out early failed as Kolhi and Gayle were in full cry and batted with disdain.

While the first 50 came in 4.4 overs of the six-over power play, the first 100 of RCB's innings came in 8.5 overs.

Though Vijay used as many as five bowlers to contain the openers, there was no respite for Kings till Gayle got caught by David Miller of Arshad Patel ball in 11 over when RCB score was 147 on the board.

After in-form AB de Villiers was bowled for a duck in 12th over, keeper K.L. Rahul joined Kohli to take the score to 199 when the skipper was caught by Miller off Sandeep Sharma ball at 113 comprising 8 sixes and 12 fours in just 50 balls.Ream more full article about Virat Kohli.

46 days in India and counting...

Frequent foreign visits and increased engagement with the Indian Diaspora have defined Prime Minister Narendra Modi foreign policy initiatives in the first 20 months of his tenure. But Modi is unlikely to be as keen on travelling overseas in 2016.

The PM, given his busy domestic schedule, is yet to travel outside India in 2016. His last foreign visit was to Russia, Afghanistan and Pakistan (December 23-25, 2015). The PM, therefore, has spent an uninterrupted 46 days in India. This is the second longest unbroken stay of Modi in India since he took over as the PM on May 26, 2014.

Pathankot attack: Operation enters third day, more forces rushed to air base

The operation against militants holed up at Pathankot air base entered the third day today after explosions and firing continued intermittently overnight.

Security forces had yesterday killed one of the at least two terrorists on the second day of the attack in which seven security personnel lost their lives including a Lieutenant Colonel of the NSG. Four terrorists were eliminated on Saturday when they had struck at the air base.

PM chairs high-level meeting on Pathankot terror attack

The operation stretched through the night with sounds of gunfire and explosions continuing till around 10 a.m today after which they have ceased. Attack helicopters were still flying over the area.

More quick response teams have been rushed to the site.Read More.