News Analysis India

Tag: Narendra Modi

  • Narendra Modi ‘earned and achieved’ prime ministership: Pranab Mukherjee in memoir

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The decisive mandate the BJP got in two consecutive general elections in 2014 and 2019 indicated voters” preference for political stability, according to former president Pranab Mukherjee, who said Narendra Modi “earned and achieved” the prime ministership.

    Mukherjee also said in his memoir that Narendra Modi became prime minister “through popular choice” unlike Manmohan Singh “who was offered the post by Sonia Gandhi”.

    Every general election has its “importance because the issues that are debated during the polls reflect the various views and perceptions of the electorate”, Mukherjee wrote in his memoir “The Presidential Years, 2012-2017” which he completed before his death last year.

    “… The 2014 verdict was historic for two reasons. First, after three decades, a contesting political party received a decisive mandate instead of a fractured one,” he wrote.

    ALSO READ | Even primary objectives of PM Modi’s demonetisation never met: Pranab Mukherjee in last book

    The second reason, he said, is that the BJP emerged with a simple majority on its own in the Lok Sabha for the first time and was thus able to form the government, though it still did so by co-opting its allies.

    “But the real winner was the electorate that came out in large numbers and voted decisively, thus indicating its preference for political stability, which it believed would result in development-oriented politics,” the former Congress stalwart and union minister wrote in the book, which was released on Tuesday.

    Mukherjee said he was also of the belief that people were dejected with coalitions and the behaviour of political parties changing sides for parochial gains. “Coalitions are often formed with the only common agenda of blocking a particular party or individual from coming to power.”

    Comparing Modi with Singh, Mukherjee said the route to prime ministership for the two prime ministers he worked with was very different. Mukherjee, who was the president from July 25, 2012 to July 25, 2017, had worked with both the prime ministers during his tenure.

    “Dr Singh was offered the post by Sonia Gandhi; she had been chosen as the prime ministerial candidate by the Congress Parliamentary Party and other constituents of the UPA, but she declined the offer…,” he wrote.

    ALSO READ | PM Narendra Modi must speak more often in Parliament: Pranab Mukherjee in last book

    “Modi, on the other hand, became PM through popular choice after leading the BJP to a historic victory in 2014. He is a politician to the core and had been named the BJP”s prime ministerial candidate as the party went into campaign mode. He was then Gujarat”s CM and had built an image that seemed to click with the masses. He has earned and achieved the prime ministership,” he added.

    Mukherjee wrote he had very cordial relations with Prime Minister Modi during his tenure.

    “However, I did not hesitate to give my advice on matters of policy during our meetings. There were several occasions when he echoed concerns that I had voiced. I also believe that he has managed to grasp the nuances of foreign policy quickly,” the book said.

    Mukherjee”s approach to maintaining cordial relations with Modi was rooted in the fact that “I believe in the parliamentary form of government and its principle”.

    On the Congress”s performance in the face of Modi”s surge in 2014, he wrote, “… There is no escaping the fact that the Congress had failed miserably to fulfil people”s expectations and aspirations. In fact, after the campaign, when all the formalities were complete, several important Congress leaders and ministers met me at Rashtrapati Bhavan for various reasons. Interestingly, none of them expected a clear majority for either the Congress or the UPA combine.”

    Talking about his advice for decisive mandate in upcoming elections in his Republic Day address in 2014, Mukherjee remarked tongue-in-cheek in his book, published by Rupa Publications, “Of course, people may say that the voters responded to my advice and gave a conclusive mandate in favour of PM Modi to form a government on his own.”

    Mukherjee also wrote that he wasn”t sure of the numbers and massive mandate of the BJP before 2014 elections but was impressed seeing the planning and hard work of Modi.

    “Only Piyush Goyal, the then national treasurer of the party and now a cabinet minister, was confident that the BJP would get no less than 265 seats, and that the number could go up to 280. I didn”t and still don”t know the reasons for his optimism. However, I took him seriously when he gave me Modi”s detailed electioneering schedule, which was not only gruelling but also painstaking,” he said.

    Mukherjee also appreciated Modi for the quick grasp of the nuances of foreign policy.

    “When Narendra Modi took over as PM, he had absolutely no experience in foreign affairs. As the CM of Gujarat, he had visited some countries, but those visits were limited to engaging for the good of his state, and had little to do with domestic or global foreign policies. Foreign policy was, therefore, a truly uncharted territory for him,” he wrote.

    “But he did what no PM had attempted before: invite the heads of government/state of SAARC nations to his oath-taking ceremony in 2014 – and this included Pakistan”s then PM, Nawaz Sharif. His out-of-the-box initiative took several foreign policy veterans by surprise.”

  • Even primary objectives of PM Modi’s demonetisation never met: Pranab Mukherjee in last book

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  The intent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation was good but its primary objectives were not met even after years of its implementation, according to former president Pranab Mukherjee. The PM did not give him the heads-up and he came to know about the note ban through TV like the rest of the country, revealed Mukherjee, who passed away on August 31, 2020. 

    The fourth volume of his autobiography The Presidential Years: 2012-2017 was released on Tuesday by publisher Rupa Publications. “It is difficult to assess the exact impact of demonetisation, close to four years after it was implemented. But perhaps one thing can be stated without fear of contradiction: the multiple objectives of the decision of demonetisation… to bring back black money, paralyse the operation of the black economy and facilitate a cashless society, etc, have not been met,” he wrote.

    ALSO READ | PM Narendra Modi must speak more often in Parliament: Pranab Mukherjee in last book

    Terming the decision was in line with Modi’s style of making dramatic announcements, Mukherjee said the criticism that followed was only natural. “Demonetisation could not have been done with prior consultation because the suddenness and surprise, necessary for such announcements, would have been lost after such a process, ” he wrote.

    Mukherjee also noted that in the early 1970s, he had proposed demonetisation after the successful implementation of the Voluntary Disclosure of Income and Wealth Ordinance, 1975 but the then PM Indira Gandhi turned it down. 

    “Indira Gandhi did not accept my suggestion, pointing out that a large part of the economy was not yet fully monetised and that a substantial part of it was in the informal sector. She argued it would be imprudent to shake the faith of people in currency notes. After all, currency notes issued by the Reserve Bank of India represent the commitment of a sovereign government,” he added in his memoirs.

  • PM Narendra Modi must speak more often in Parliament: Pranab Mukherjee in last book

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi must listen to the dissenting voices and speak more often in Parliament, using it as a forum to disseminate his views to convince the Opposition and inform the nation, felt former president Pranab Mukherjee.

    According to Mukherjee, the mere physical presence of the prime minister in Parliament makes a tremendous difference to the functioning of this institution.

    “Whether it was Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Manmohan Singh, each of these former PMs made their presence felt on the floor of the House.

    “PM Modi, now in his second term, must take inspiration from his predecessors and provide visible leadership, through his enhanced presence in Parliament to avoid situations that had precipitated the parliamentary crisis we witnessed in the first term,” Mukherjee wrote in his memoir “The Presidential Years, 2012-2017” which he completed before his death last year.

    The book, published by Rupa Publications, released on Tuesday.

    Modi, Mukherjee said, must “listen to the dissenting voices and speak more often in Parliament.

    He must use it as a forum to disseminate his views to convince the Opposition and inform the nation”.

    He said during the UPA years, he would resolve difficult issues by remaining in constant touch with the leader of the Opposition and senior leaders of both the UPA and the NDA.

    “My job was to run the House, even if it meant meeting and convincing members of the Opposition alliance. I would be present at all times in the House in order to defuse contentious issues, whenever they arose.”

    But he lamented that the NDA government, during its first term of 2014-19, failed in its primary responsibility to ensure the smooth and proper functioning of Parliament.

    “I attribute the acrimonious exchanges between the Treasury and Opposition benches to the arrogance and inept handling by the government. But the Opposition is not without blame either. It had also behaved irresponsibly,” he wrote.

    Mukherjee said he had consistently maintained that disruption hurts the Opposition more than the government, as a disruptive Opposition loses the moral authority to put the government on the mat.

    “It also gives the executive an undue advantage to curtail Parliament sessions on the pretext of the prevailing chaos.”

    According to the former president, the moral authority to govern vests with the prime minster.

    “The overall state of the nation is reflective of the functioning of the PM and his administration. While Dr Singh was preoccupied with saving the coalition, which took a toll on governance, Modi seemed to have employed a rather autocratic style of governance during his first term, as seen by the bitter relationship among the government, the legislature and the judiciary,” he wrote.

    “Only time will tell if there is a better understanding on such matters in the second term of this government. It is also important for the government to keep in mind the demands and aspirations of the section of the population that has not voted for it, because the government represents and belongs to all sections of the people, regardless of their voting preference,” he added.

  • World is our market: PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ pitch

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The world is in pursuit of affordable, durable and usable products, and a huge market, both domestically and globally, is waiting to be tapped, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, asserting that India wants to make products that are of good quality and are admired globally.

    In a post on LinkedIn, Modi shared his thoughts on his government’s project of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) and said it is as much about scale as standards.

    “Today, the world is our market. The people of India have the ability. As a nation the world trusts India as a nation with credibility,” he said.

    With our people’s ability and the nation’s credibility, Indian products of top quality will travel far and wide, he said, stating that this will also be a true tribute to the ethos of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, a “force multiplier for global prosperity”.

    The prime minister shared the highlights of his Monday address at the National Metrology Conclave where he had stressed the need for Indian products to have standards as well as scale, and quality as well as quantity.

    “India is a powerhouse of skill and talent. The success of our start-up industry shows the innovative zeal of our youth. New products and services are being created rapidly,” Modi said in his LinkedIn post.

    ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ rests on the twin principles of scale and standards, he said, adding that India wants to make more and at the same time it wants to make products that are of good quality.

    “India does not want to merely fill global markets with its products. We want Indian products to win the hearts of people around the world,” he said.

    “When we ‘Make in India’, we not only aim to fulfil global demand but also get global acceptance. I would urge you all to think about ‘Zero Effect, Zero Defect’ in any product or service you create,” he said, addressing manufacturers and entrepreneurs.

    LinkedIn is a social media platform, especially catering to career and business professionals.

    The prime minister said he could see that there is already a great degree of consciousness about this during his interactions with industry leaders, business representatives, youths of the start-up sector and professionals.

  • I-T dept questions Robert Vadra for second day in benami assets case

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Income Tax department questioned Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, for the second consecutive day on Tuesday in connection with its probe against him under the benami assets law, official sources said.

    A team from the Chandigarh investigation unit of the department, that is handling the probe, was seen going inside Vadra’s office in the Sukhdev Vihar area of the national capital around 3 PM.

    Vadra is married to Congress leader and Sonia Gandhi’s daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

    After he was questioned on the first day on Monday, the 52-year-old had said the aim of the tax department’s action was to “digress” from the “real issues” concerning the country like the farmers’ agitation.

    On Monday, he was questioned for about eight hours and his statement was recorded as part of the proceedings related to the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, sources had said.

    Tax department sources had said Vadra was asked to join the investigation at their office but as he cited the prevailing COVID-19 restrictions, I-T officials decided to visit his premises.

    Officials had said the questioning was linked to the purchase of some land parcels by a firm linked to Vadra in Rajasthan’s border town of Bikaner in which another central probe agency, the Enforcement Directorate, had filed a money laundering case in 2015.

    The ED has questioned Vadra in this case in the past and had attached assets worth Rs 4.62 crore of his firm Ms Sky Light Hospitality (P) Ltd (now LLP) in 2019.

      Sources said the ED shared case documents of this probe along with that of possession of some alleged undisclosed assets abroad with the tax department for action under the anti-benami law that is enforced in the country by the latter.

    “Everyone knows it is (political vendetta).

    Whenever Priyanka (his wife Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) moves out for helping farmer and other issues then whom will they (probe agencies) come to?” Vadra had said to reporters after the tax department team left.

    “They will come to Robert Vadra. I don’t want to go into political issues but they (government) are digressing from real issues like the farmers issue,” he had said.

    Vadra had said he had “nothing to hide and worry about” and that the truth will prevail.

    When reporters asked him if the latest questioning pertains to proceedings under the anti-benami law, he had said “it was general and nothing related to that (benami).

    ” The I-T department has also been probing Vadra on charges of alleged possession of some undisclosed assets in the UK.

    The ED too is investigating these charges, under the anti-money laundering law, against the businessman.

    The ED has accused Vadra of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property at 12, Bryanston Square worth 1.

    9 million GBP (British pounds), which is allegedly owned by him and this transaction involves the role of absconding defence consultant Sanjay Bhandari.

      Bhandari has never joined the I-T or ED probe in this case and is stated to be based abroad.

  • Farmers’ protest: BJP leaders from Punjab meet PM Modi

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: BJP leaders from Punjab on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here amid protests by farmers at Delhi’s borders against the Centre’s new agri laws for nearly six weeks.

    BJP leaders Surjit Kumar Jyani, who is also a former Punjab minister, and Harjit Singh Grewal met Prime Minister Modi at his residence.

    Jyani was chairing the BJP’s Kisan Coordination Committee for interacting with farmers in Punjab last year on the three farm bills which at that time had not been passed by Parliament.

    Grewal was also a member of the committee.

    Talking to PTI, Grewal said their meeting with Prime Minister Modi was about Punjab related issues, but did not specify further.

    The meeting between the BJP leaders and Modi came a day after another round of talks between the government and agitating farmers remained inconclusive.

  • Congress MLA asks PM Modi to take COVID vaccine shots first, stirs row in Bihar

    Express News Service
    PATNA: Congress Bhagalpur MLA Ajit Sharma stirred a fresh controversy on Tuesday morning after he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be the first to take the dose of Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved ‘Covishield’ and ‘Covaxin’ vaccine to bring confidence in people.

    Sharma said that PM Modi should follow what the heads of Russia, US and other states have done by taking the vaccine shots first in the country to instill confidence in people. He also added that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders should volunteer to take the vaccine doses as well.

    While congratulating the scientists for their medical achievement, Sharma said “though this is a matter of pride for Indians, there are doubts among people over efficacy of the vaccines.”

    ALSO READ | Bharat Biotech setting up four COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing facilities

    “Therefore, it would be better if our PM and his BJP leaders are the first to take the vaccine doses in a move to end the doubt existing among people,” he said while speaking to the media.

    Sharma said “instead of giving credit to BJP for the vaccines, the Congress party must be thanked because it was during their governance that the Serum Institute of India (SII) and the Bharat Biotech were established.”

    ALSO READ | Targeting Opposition, BJP says political row over indigenous vaccine helping ‘foreign forces’

    Leaders including state chief Dr Sanjay Jaiswal and Nikhil Anand lashed out at the Congress Party MLA calling his statement ‘unfortunate.’

    Dr Nikhil Anand said that Congress MLA’s statement asking PM Narendra Modi to take the first doze of vaccine shows how much the Congress doubts the country’s talent.

    “Sharma would have not doubted the vaccine, had it been made by Pakistan. This is how Congress leader Ajit Sharma has become Doubting Thomas,” said Nikhil Anand.

    JD(U) spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasa also said that no one should mislead people on vaccine or push it into controversy as it has been developed by Indian scientists who deserve Kudos from the entire country.

  • World’s biggest COVID-19 vaccination programme set to begin in India: PM Modi

    Lauding the scientists and technicians for the #39;Made in India #39; vaccines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country is proud of them.

  • People stand with protesting farmers, PM Narendra Modi’s misconception will be cleared: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said that the “misconception” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will get cleared as people of the country were with the farmers protesting in Delhi against the farm laws passed by the Centre.

    He said it is “height of insensitivity” of the Centre that even after 39 days of farmers protest, it is not paying any heed.

    The government believes that farmers will get tired and the issue will gradually meet an end.

    “Farmers are sensible that they are protesting peacefully. The feelings of people in six lakh villages are with the protesting farmers. Misconception of Modi ji and Shah ji will get cleared in the times to come,” Gehlot said here.

    The Congress organised a day-long protest on Sunday in support of farmers against the farm laws.

    Congress leader and former deputy CM Sachin Pilot also joined the protest organised by state Congress at Shaheed Smarak here.

    CM Gehlot said the Centre does not have the right to decide the fate of farmers.

    He said the “fascist” government at the Centre does not believe in democracy and wants to destroy the country.

    They are working to divide Hindu and Muslims and their intention is not right, Gehlot said.

    He said that this time the government has messed up with farmers, who are wise enough and no one is instigating them.

    The situation is serious so Congress wants to give a message that each party worker is with farmers and will join the protests with them if it is necessitated, he added.

    Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra said the Central government was not paying heed to farmers as it was working to give benefit to the big industrialists.

    He said the NDA government in its previous term had to withdraw a land acquisition bill owing to protests and in the same manner the government will have to take back the farm laws.

    Dotasra said the party will keep supporting farmers untill the new laws are not taken back.

    Congress leader Pilot said the Centre enacted the farm laws in an “autocratic manner”.

    The CM advocated that farmers should get more than the fair price for their produce.

    The Centre should withdraw the farm laws and if supporting farmers is politics, then Congress will continue to do it.

  • PM Narendra Modi speaks to BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly, wishes him speedy recovery

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday spoke to BCCI president and former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly who underwent angioplasty after suffering a “mild” heart attack, and enquired about his health.

    Official sources said Modi also spoke to the cricket administrator’s wife Dona Ganguly.

    Sourav Ganguly is admitted to a hospital in Kolkata.

    The prime minister wished him a speedy recovery.

    Ganguly is stable and his health parameters are normal, doctors said on Sunday.

    The cricket icon was diagnosed with three blocked coronary arteries on Saturday, following which a stent was inserted in one to remove the blockage.