Most politicians know all this. It is in their bones. But I am beginning to get the sense that the Gandhis have still not worked this out. It is partly because of Sonia Gandhi’s own career decisions. She was offered the Congress leadership (and therefore the prime ministership) in 1991 when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated. She turned it down. She could have been prime minister in 2004. But she turned it down again. Unlike most people in politics, she is not fixated on power.

Nor does she recognise how closely the respect that a party leader commands is linked to his or her ability to win elections. This may be because of her own experience. Soon after she joined politics, the Congress lost two Lok Sabha elections in a row. But the party rallied behind her, even refusing to join a revolt by Sharad Pawar and PA Sangma. When the Congress went down in a humiliating defeat in 2014, nobody asked her to step down and she was even able to nominate her son Rahul as her successor.

She continues to be respected. But no politician or party can remain immune to the Iron Laws of politics forever. And as the Ashok Gehlot fiasco demonstrates, the Congress is like every other party. As much as it reveres the Gandhis, their authority has been badly eroded by their inability to win elections any longer. People may still respect them. But they won’t always listen to them.

New Delhi: Irked by the Canadian government’s “lackadaisical approach” towards individuals and organisations engaged in promoting and carrying out anti-India activities and sectarian crimes, the Narendra Modi government Friday issued a lengthy travel advisory on Canada, considered to be a friendly country for India.

This comes within months of Prime Minister Modi meeting his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on the margins of the G7 Summit in Germany in June.

While this is not the first time India has issued an advisory on Canada, Friday’s cautionary note made some strong signals to the Canadian government for their “lackadaisical approach” towards India’s repeated requests in taming the Khalistani elements that have given rise to gangsterism, likely promoted by the “invisible” ISI hand, top-level sources told ThePrint.

An advisory for Indian citizens in Canada was issued earlier this year in February when there was a massive protest by the truckers. But that was issued by the Indian High Commission in Canada.

This time the advisory has been issued by the Ministry of External Affairs to give a “loud and clear” message to the Trudeau government which continues to “rely heavily on these elements for vote bank politics,” said sources who wished to not be named.

In its advisory, the MEA said, “There has been a sharp increase in incidents of hate crimes, sectarian violence and anti-India activities in Canada. The Ministry of External Affairs and our High Commission/Consulates General in Canada have taken up these incidents with the Canadian authorities and requested them to investigate the said crimes and take appropriate action. The perpetrators of these crimes have not been brought to justice so far in Canada.”

While the government has not directly discouraged Indian students who are planning to go to Canada for higher studies or those citizens seeking permanent citizenship there, it did say, “In view of the increasing incidences of crimes as described above, Indian nationals and students from India in Canada and those proceeding to Canada for travel/education are advised to exercise due caution and remain vigilant.”

It also asked all Indian nationals and students in Canada to register with the High Commission of India in Ottawa or with the Consulates General of India in Toronto and Vancouver.

Earlier this week, the Modi government gave a stern message to Canada after hundreds and thousands of people from the Sikh community gathered in Brampton, Canada, on 19 September to participate in a so-called referendum that seeks to create a different country for them cut out of India.

The Sikhs gathered there had raised anti-India slogans while chanting “Khalistan Zindabad”, holding the purported Khalistan flag. This was held under the aegis of ‘Sikhs for Justice’ (SFJ) that was banned in India in 2019.

Arindam Bagchi, Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, called it a “farcical exercise” and said that the matter has been taken up with the Canadian government.

“The government of Canada has reiterated that they respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, and that they will not recognise the so-called referendum, which is taking place in Canada,” said Bagchi.

“However, we find it deeply objectionable that politically motivated exercises by extremist elements are allowed to take place in a friendly country. You’re all aware of the history of violence in this regard. And the government of India will continue to press the government of Canada on this matter,” he added.

 Udhampur/Jammu,(PTI) A blast in a bus parked at a stand in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur city on Thursday morning, the second within a few hours, sent security agencies in a tizzy as they sounded a high alert, sources said.

The roof and the backside of the bus were blown away by the blast that occurred around 5.30 am on Thursday but no one was injured, they said.

The incidents occurred just days ahead of the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah starting October 4. He was supposed to embark on a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on September 30 and hold public meetings in Rajouri on October 1 and Baramulla on October 2. However, the visit was rescheduled.

On Wednesday night, a blast occurred in an empty bus parked near a petrol pump at Domail Chowk, injuring two people, sources said, adding the bus used to be parked at the spot daily.

The bus on which the second blast occurred had come from Basantgarh in Udhampur district and was on night halt at the bus stand. It was scheduled to leave for Basantgarh in the morning.

DIG of Udhampur-Reasi range Suleman Choudary said two to three buses have suffered damage in the blasts. “The nature of explosives and other things are under investigation. It needs a detailed probe,” he said.

The people injured have been questioned and terror angle cannot be ruled out, the police officer said. An alert has been sounded by the police and people have been asked to check their vehicles for any suspicious items.

Personnel of the police and other security forces have cordoned off the bus stand and all vehicles are being checked thoroughly before allowing them to resume services.

All vehicles which left the bus stand before the blast occurred in the morning will be stopped at checkpoints and thoroughly checked, officials said. PTI 

Kolkata,(PTI) The Durga Puja ritual of Pushpanjali on Maha Ashtami can now be conducted in Bengali with a scholar, linguist and a priest coming together to translate the verses from Sanskrit.

Sanskrit scholar Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri, linguist Pabitra Sarkar, and Kaliprasanna Bhattacharya, a priest who has conducted Durga Puja rituals for at least 60 years, came together for the initiative as part of a campaign to promote Bengali.

“The devotion lies in the heart and not in the language in which the shlokas are chanted. It is always better to offer the prayers in a language, which we know and understand, rather than saying it in Sanskrit with half of the meaning not understood by us,” Bhaduri told PTI.

The rituals on Maha Ashtami — the second day of the four-day festival, including Pushpanjali and Sandhi Puja, are considered to be the most significant ones and are conducted in Sanskrit, also called ‘Dev Bhasha’ or the divine language.

Even though Pushpanjali, or offering of flowers, is held on multiple days during the Durga Puja, the one on Maha Ashtami is most revered with thousands of people queuing up at pandals to take part in the ritual.

The Bengali shlokas have been compiled in a book, which has been distributed among the puja committees of Kolkata. The Sanskrit verses are also there in the book if someone wants to check the accuracy of the translation, said Srimanta Choudhury who is the head of the campaign, initiated by a group of Bengali techies living abroad.

The Bengali verses can be downloaded from chantbangla.org in PDF or in an audio format, chanted by noted elocutionist Satinath Mukherjee, he said.

Around 250 Durga Puja committees in West Bengal will be conducting the rituals in Bengali this year, he added.

Not only the community Pujas, but also the Pujas at several ‘Bonedi Bari’ or traditional households will be conducted with these verses. Some residential complexes will also be using the Bengali sholkas, Mukherjee said.

Among the notable community Pujas taking part in the initiative are SB Park Sarbajanin in Thakurpukur, Behala Club and Ajeyo Sanhati in Haridevpur.

“Bengalis across the globe have been asked to upload the video of them performing Pushpanjali in Bengali. We expect that our initiative will be well accepted by Durga Puja organisers,” Mukherjee said.

“To promote it, we have also produced a music video that starred well-known Durga Puja artists such as Santan Dinda and Sushanta Pal, among others,” he said.

The Durga Puja organised by the association of sex workers, Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, will also conduct the ritual in Bengali, said its liaison officer Mahasweta Mukherjee. PTI

New Delhi,(PTI) The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) plans to provide 100 per cent renewable energy in its area via discoms by 2025, Vice Chairman Satish Upadhayay said on Wednesday.

The issue was discussed at the civic body's council meeting.

"There was no policy on providing green energy so far. Discussions are on to chalk out a policy and we will also seek suggestions from the public on the same. The final plan will be drafted only after holding meetings and taking suggestions from all sides," Upadhayay said.

The policy for 100 per cent renewable energy will be known as the "NDMC Solar Policy-2022" and will be applicable for any solar energy generating system with a capacity of 1 KWp or more.

"This policy applies to all electricity consumers under all electricity tariff in the NDMC area and all entities that setup and operate solar power plants in the NDMC area. We will encourage implementation of grid connected solar plants. All grid connected solar plants shall comply with applicable CA (Grid Standards) Regulations, 2013 and other applicable rules, regulations, and guidelines as amended from time to time," he said.

He said the NDMC will promote the deployment of solar plants with net metering on all buildings of government organisations, hospitals, educational institutes, embassies, stadiums, bridges, public toilets, and bus stops.

An audit will be conducted on the existing rooftop solar panels in the NDMC area, he said.

NDMC member Kuljeet Chahal said an audit will also be conducted for upgrading NDMC schools and a report will be submitted by the time the next council meeting is held.

Chahal further said the council has decided to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the national stadiums in Delhi to provide multi-sports facilities to NDMC school students.

"We plan to upgrade all NDMC schools and an audit will be conducted for the same. Further, we want to provide the best multi-sports facilities to our students and hence, we have decided to sign an MoU with the national stadiums in Delhi," he said. PTI

Lucknow, (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said though election results in the recent past have not been favourable, it has been proved that only his party can defeat the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

He said that the Samajwadi Party worked for a big victory but “the people in power used every trick and misused official machinery and we failed to succeed”.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Samajwadis tried hard for a historic result. They tried to realise the dream of Ram Manohar Lohia and B R Ambedkar to “bring the ‘Bahujan’ forces on one platform, the Samajwadi Party chief said after inaugurating the state-level convention of the party.

“In 2022 (Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls), the Samajwadi Party formed an alliance in an attempt to take along with it all those struggling to remove the BJP from power. But we could not win.” “But I can say one thing that despite the experiments of 2019 and 2022, the manner in which our leaders and workers worked, the Samajwadis have come to know despite not getting success is that if there is anyone who can compete and defeat the BJP, it is the Samajwadi Party,” Yadav said.

The Samajwadi Party contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election with the BSP and the 2022 Assembly polls in alliance with smaller parties but lost.

At the party’s convention, Naresh Uttam Patel was declared elected as state president again.

Congratulating Naresh Uttam, Yadav said, “We will together face the challenges that come up.” “All of us will work together towards taking the socialist movement ahead. This is a big struggle. We will work together to remove the powers who are bent upon dividing the society,” he said.

Yadav alleged that the ruling BJP has failed on all fronts and said that once his party comes to power it will work towards the betterment of the people. PTI

Mumbai,(PTI) Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its plan to organise 'Marathi dandiya' in areas dominated by Maharashtrians in Mumbai, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena on Wednesday said its former ally is under an "illusion" if it thinks the community's unity can be undermined with such events.

The BJP, which is a part of the Eknath Shinde-led government, has announced plans to organise ‘Marathi dandiya’ in predominantly Marathi-speaking areas during the ongoing Navratri festival.

At such dance events, mostly Marathi songs (instead of Hindi or Gujarati) will be played for participants. The events are being seen as an attempt by the BJP to woo the Marathi votes -- which have been traditionally with the Shiv Sena -- ahead of the Mumbai civic body polls.

In an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena said events like Marathi dandiya are aimed at countering the party in its areas of influence in the metropolis.

“By organising Marathi dandiya in Lalbaug, Parel, Sewree, Byculla, Parel and Mazgaon, Kamlabai (the name Shiv Sena has been using for the BJP of late) has been trying to woo the Marathi voters. After Ganeshotsav, the BJP is using Navratri for its political purpose.

“But it is their illusion if they think they can break the unity of the community (with such events),” the editorial maintained.

However, such events will not dent the Shiv Sena's support among the Marathi manoos (Marathi-speaking people), the newspaper said.

“This is nothing but an attempt of the Dillishwar (the term Shiv Sena uses for Delhi) to bring down the saffron flag,” it said.

The BJP has been using events like Ganeshotsav (Ganesh festival) and 'Marathi katta' (a place where ideas are exchanged) to woo the Marathi voters ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.

In the 2017 BMC polls, the Shiv Sena won 84 seats, its lowest tally in the 227-member civic body in two decades, while the BJP considerably improved its tally and bagged 82 seats.

Hitting back, Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar said the Thackeray-led Sena was feeling jealous after the Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government lifted curbs on festivities and allowed people to celebrate festivals with full fervour.

Shelar said when in power, the Shiv Sena, which headed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, had shut temples for two-and-a-half years and stopped Ganesh, Navratri and Dahi Handi festivals (during the coronavirus pandemic).

Backing the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said on one hand, the BJP is organising Marathi dandiya and on the other the ruling party is quiet over the demand (by Jain community) to ban advertisements for meat and meat products in print and electronic media.

The Bombay High Court on Monday asked three Jain religious charitable trusts and a city resident practising Jainism why they were seeking to encroach on the rights of others by appealing for restrictions or ban on advertisements for meat and meat products in print and electronic media.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Madhav Jamdar noted the issue falls within the domain of the legislature and it cannot frame laws and rules imposing bans. PTI

New Delhi: More than 300 government awards for scientists from the ministries of science, space, health and family welfare, and earth sciences have been discontinued this month in a bid to make the number of awards very restrictive “to select [the] really deserving candidates”, ThePrint has learnt.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has also proposed instituting a “Nobel Prize-like” science award called ‘Vigyan Ratna’ in the future. This would be open to scientists of all disciplines, and awarded in consultation with the principal scientific advisor, according to the minutes of a meeting chaired by Home Secretary A.K. Bhalla on 16 September, which ThePrint has accessed.

The revelation comes after a delay in announcing the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize — India’s highest science award —  left the scientific community perplexed. The prize, awarded by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), is usually announced on 26 September every year.

While this prize will continue to be awarded, there’s no mention of when it will be announced. However, a Press Information Bureau release from Monday quotes Jitendra Singh, India’s science minister, as saying that the CSIR will “have a celebration of eight decades of its foundation soon with several commemorative activities and prizes to be announced”.

The 16 September meeting was attended by secretaries and officers of departments under the ministries of science and technology, earth sciences, and health and family welfare, the minutes show.

The largest chunk of “discontinued” prizes was from the Department of Science and Technology, with 207 of the department’s 211 awards being done away with, the minutes showed.

A new award of “very high stature” will replace all 38 awards of the Department of Atomic Energy.  Likewise, a national award of high stature for space science will be instituted in place of the three internal awards conferred by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). 

Six awards from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, three from the Ministry of Earth Sciences, 13 from the Department of Health and Family Welfare, and 34 from the Department of Health Research have also been done away with.

The minutes quote Bhalla as having said that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to make the number of awards and awardees very restrictive and the selection process transparent. He added that the home ministry had already issued suitable guidelines on conferring awards for the participating ministries or departments to follow. 

New Delhi [India],(ANI): Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday reviewed the performance of credit and other welfare schemes for Scheduled Castes (SCs) in public sector banks during a meeting on Tuesday.

The finance minister said that the objective of the meeting was to bring all stakeholders on a common platform to work together in fulfillment of the rights for the upliftment and betterment of the people from SCs.

Some highlights of the meeting covered included banks will have to fill the small number of remaining backlog vacancies in a time-bound manner, banks will have to enhance the coverage of SCs in all schemes and advise PSBs heads to also look into their needs for capacity building, entrepreneurship development as SCs make up 18% of the total workforce of banks, and banks will have to make proper digital records for jobs being outsourced, especially for posts like safai karamcharis from October 1, according to an official statement.

Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad, Department of Financial Services Secretary Sanjay Malhotra were present in the meeting, along with National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSCs) Chairman Vijay Sampla and NCSC members — Subhash Ramnath Pardhi and Anju Bala.

The meeting also elaborated upon forward and backward linkages through convergence of various schemes of different government departments for SCs while giving them financial assistance, and redressal of all pending grievances pertaining to SC community may also be taken up in the special drive by DFS from October 2.

The review meeting also covered improvements required to be carried out in all the schemes like Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes (CEGSSC) that may be taken up by DFS after discussion with agencies like Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) that are working with SCs at the grass-root level. (ANI)

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India],(ANI): The monetary policy committee of the Reserve Bank of India is all set for its bi-monthly review meeting starting today.

Like several other central banks, the main focus of the RBI during the three-day-long meet will again remain on containing high inflation.

The MPC is a six-member body that is mandated to determine the policy interest rates required to achieve the inflation target while keeping in mind the objective of economic growth. As of now, this committee meets at least six times in a financial year, i.e every two months.

In its previous review meeting in early August, the monetary policy committee had unanimously decided to raise the repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.40 per cent in order to contain the persistently high inflation. The hike took the repo rate above pre-pandemic levels of 5.15 per cent.

Raising interest typically suppresses demand in the economy, thereby helping inflation to decline.

The committee had in its previous meeting decided to remain focused on the “withdrawal of accommodation” stance to ensure that inflation remains within the target while supporting growth.

In line with the global trend of monetary policy tightening to cool off inflation, the RBI has so far hiked the key repo rates — the rate at which the central bank of a country lends money to commercial banks — by 140 basis points.

The MPC reiterated that retail inflation is projected to remain above the upper tolerance level of 6 per cent through the first three quarters of 2022-23.

Global investment and financial services firm Morgan Stanley recently said the Reserve Bank of India is likely to raise repo rates by another 50 basis points with an unchanged policy stance.

According to SBI Research, the RBI is expected to raise interest rates in the range of 35-50 basis points.

“We believe the RBI is likely to raise rates in September policy and it could be a close call between 35 and 50 basis points,” it had said.

Inflation in India:

India’s retail inflation rose to 7 per cent in August from 6.71 per cent the previous month due to a sharp rise in food prices, as per official data. Retail inflation exceeded the Reserve Bank of India’s tolerance band for the eighth consecutive month. With the headline inflation coming above 6 per cent for the eighth month in a row, the RBI is on a brink of failing to meet its inflation mandate.

The RBI is mandated to keep inflation in a range of 2-6 per cent. The RBI is deemed to have failed in its mandate if the average inflation remains outside the 2-6 per cent band for three consecutive quarters.

Further, India’s wholesale inflation declined during the month of August to 12.41 per cent from 13.93 per cent the previous month but continues to remain in double digits, official data showed. The wholesale inflation has been in the double-digit for 17 months in a row now. (ANI)