Narendra Modi Threat Perception

Modi’s threat perception has multiplied

ReutersPrime Minister Narendra Modi

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s threat perception has multiplied many times after assuming office, but his security apparatus has possibly slackened as two serious breaches demonstrate. “Whether by inducting trusted officers in the Special Protection Group (SPG) or though other mechanisms, the PM’s protection needs to be enhanced,” the retired official said.

B.V. Wanchoo, predecessor of the outgoing SPG chief K. Durga Prasad, could carry weight in the previous Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), as he was close to the Congress leadership. “No officer in the SPG has the weight to make a point to the PMO today,” a government source said.

While the SPG is kept at arm’s length, Mr. Modi is pushing the boundaries of security protocol. In Bhutan, he stopped the cavalcade in the middle of the journey to interact with children, and in the biggest security scare of all, he ordered the bullet-proof glass enclosure removed for the Independence Day speech at Red Fort in Delhi.

“Blasts in Patna rally of Narendra Modi on October 27, 2013 and inputs about planning of terrorist organisation (sic) to harm Narendra Modi clearly indicate that he faces a high degree of threat to his life … Since his declaration as BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, the threat to Narendra Modi has further escalated,” said a secret report of the Advance Security Liaison (ASL) meeting that advised against Mr. Modi addressing a rally in Benia Bagh in Varanasi during the Lok Sabha election campaign.

The Bharatiya Janata Party targeted the Election Commission for denying permission for the rally. The party overlooked the fact that an Inspector-General and a Deputy Inspector-General of the Gujarat Police were present at the ASL meeting with the Uttar Pradesh Police, the Intelligence Bureau and the National Security Guard, the agency that was protecting Mr. Modi then.

Keywords: SPG, PMO, Modi, Durga Prasad

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Narendra Modi government's report card on completing 6 months at the Centre

Hits and misses: Modi government's report card on completing 6 months at the Centre

New Delhi: In its six months in power, the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre has taken a series of administrative measures including opening up Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Railways, deregulating fuel and announcing mega missions like 'Make in India'. But perhaps the most talked about achievement is on the foreign policy front.

Reviewing his term so far, his ministers claimed that they been successful in clearing the past logjams. "In power sector, several reforms have been carried out. The coal sector too is all set to see an increase in activity," Power Minister Piyush Goyal said.

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, too, said that his ministry has worked its best to remove complacency. "In my ministry, which was known as the road block ministry, we have done away with all the road blocks," he said.

Reviewing his term so far, his ministers claimed that they have done their best to clear the past logjams.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet colleagues listed out achievements of the past 6 months, the opposition expectedly said that the government is all talk and no action.

"We have given the government time but they have done completed any of the poll promises that they made," Congess MP Rajeev Shukla said.

Leaders also criticised Modi for back to back trips abroad. "PM has broken all records of foreign visits. On the ground, nothing has happened," Samajwadi Party's National General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Majeed Memon also said that the PM has been more outside India than in India.

However, Modi's Cabinet colleagues defended the series of high profile visits to Japan, Australia and the United States saying that this is not a simple achievement.

"This is not a simple achievement. Dealing with a hegemonistic nation like US or counties like Pakistan which create nuisance is a big task. Even President Barack Obama greets the PM in Gujarati," Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said.

Former ally in Maharastra, the Shiv Sena may have hit out against the PM in the state but took a more measured stance in Delhi. "We have a stable government and a PM who takes decisions on his own and implement them on his own," Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said.

While the PM's style of centralizing power has come in for both praise and criticism, investors and citizens believe the "Modi sarkar" is on the right path

"Challenge is to unveil economic architecture and restructure the government," Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar opined.

Though it is yet to early to determine how his tenure at the Centre will pan out to be, it is to be seen if Prime Minister Modi is able to steer the government in his unique style for the entire term.

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Phillip Hughes dead: Australian cricketer dies after bouncer at SCG Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes has died in hospital, two days after he was struck on the head by a cricket ball while playing in a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Australian team doctor Peter Brukner said in a statement released by Cricket Australia on Thursday afternoon that Hughes had died at St Vincent's Hospital. "We're devastated": Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke pauses before reading the Hughes' family statement.Photo: Jason Reed/Reuters "He never regained consciousness following his injury on Tuesday," he said."He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends. "As a cricket community we mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to Phillip's family and friends at this incredibly sad time. "Cricket Australia kindly asks that the privacy of the Hughes family, players and staff be respected." Cricketers past and present were inconsolable as they left the hospital. Shortly after the announcement was made, David Warner, his wife Candice and Matt Wade left arm in arm, visibly emotional. Tragedy: Phillip Hughes has died. Photo: Getty Images NSW paceman Sean Abbott, who delivered the ball that struck Hughes on Tuesday, was also at the hospital.  An emotional Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke read a statement at the hospital on behalf of Hughes' family.  "We're devastated by the loss of our much-loved son and brother Phillip," he said.

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Veena Malik, husband sentenced to 26 years in jail for blasphemy

Controversy queenVeena Malik has landed in the eye of yet another storm.

She, along with the owner of Pakistan's biggest media group, Geo TV, and her actor husband Asad Bashir Khan, has been sentenced to 26 years in prison by an anti-terrorism court for allegedly airing a blasphemous programme.

Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, owner of Geo and Jang group, was accused of allowing the airing of a blasphemous programme by Geo television in May, that played a religious song as a backdrop to Malik and Khan's mock marriage.

The morning show, broadcast live on Rahman's Geo TV, featured Malik dancing with her new husband while a group of Sufi musicians sang a devotional song about the wedding of the Prophet Muhammad's daughter.

Judge Shahbaz Khan also sentenced both Malik and Bashir along with TV host Shaista Wahidi for 26 years each.

The ATC also imposed a 1.3 million Pakistani rupees fine on the convicts and ordered that their properties should be sold to raise the fine, if they failed to pay it.

The judge said in his judgment that all four accused committed profanity. The court in its 40-page verdict also asked the police to arrest the convicts, an official said.

He said that the convict can appeal in the regional high court in Gilgit-Baltistan. 

The anti-terror court that issued the sentence is in the city of Gilgit, which is controlled by Pakistan but is also a part of the Kashmir region which India claims.

Subsequently, many believe that the order is unlikely to be implemented because said region is not considered a full-fledged province by Pakistan and verdicts by its courts do not apply to the rest of the country.

Meanwhile, reports claim that the four people named are all out of Pakistan at the moment.

Rahman resides in the UAE and the other three also went abroad after recieving threats by militant organisations.

It is not known when the arrests would be carried out.

Both Wahidi and the Geo group have tendered apology after the allegations were levelled but the extremists in the country refused to accept it.

According to recent reports, the blasphemy case was registered on May 26 in a police station in Gilgit by hardline sunni cleric Himayatullah Khan, who is the deputy chief of the anti-shia organisation Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) formerly known as Sipah-e-Sahaba.

It is interesting to note that the show created quite a furore on social media while many similar shows on Pakistani television have gone largely unnoticed in the past.

 

Image: Veena Malik with husband Asad Bashir Khan

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Live: Supreme Court Again seeking on the MAtch Fixing , india news, India, Latest News

लाइवः सुप्रीम कोर्ट में फिर शुरू हुई फिक्सिंग मामले की सुनवाई

Publish Date:Mon, 24 Nov 2014 10:54 AM (IST) | Updated Date:Mon, 24 Nov 2014 11:34 AM (IST)

लाइवः सुप्रीम कोर्ट में फिर शुरू हुई फिक्सिंग मामले की सुनवाई

नई दिल्ली। चर्चित आइपीएल स्पॉट फिक्सिंग मामले में मुद्गल समिति की जांच रिपोर्ट पर आज सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने एक बार फिर सुनवाई शुरू कर दी है। खबरों के मुताबिक आज कोर्ट आइपीएल टीम चेन्नई सुपरकिंग्स और आइसीसी अध्यक्ष एन.श्रीनिवासन के दामाद गुरुनाथ मयप्पन के भविष्य को लेकर अहम फैसला कर सकता है। वहीं, कुछ बड़े सवाल ये भी होंगे कि एन.श्रीनिवासन को बीसीसआइ अध्यक्ष पद पर दोबारा बैठने को लेकर कोर्ट क्या फैसला सुनाता और इसके अलावा क्या आज कोर्ट उन खिलाड़ियों के नाम का खुलासा करेगा जिनके नाम जांच समिति की रिपोर्ट में दर्ज हैं।

- मुद्गल ने कहा 'हमने अपना काम कर दिया':

आइपीएल फिक्सिंग मामले की जांच के लिए गठित की गई समिति के अध्यक्ष जस्टिस मुकुल मुद्गल ने कहा है कि उनकी जांच समिति ने अपना काम पूरा कर दिया है और अब बीसीसीआइ व श्रीनिवासन को देखना है कि उन्हें क्या करना है। वो चाहें तो इस जांच को चुनौती भी दे सकते हैं।

- दाखिल होंगे 'एफीडेविट':

गौरतलब है कि इससे पहले हुई सुनवाई में सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने चार नामों का खुलासा किया था। इसमें आइसीसी अध्यक्ष एन.श्रीनिवासन, चेन्नई टीम के प्रिंसिपल रहे श्रीनि के दामाद गुरुनाथ मयप्पन, राजस्थान रॉयल्स के सह-मालिक राज कुंद्रा और आइपीएल सीओओ सुंदर रमन के नाम शामिल थे। कोर्ट ने इन चारों को अपनी सफाई दर्ज करने का आदेश दिया था, श्रीनिवासन अपनी सफाई दर्ज करा चुके थे और बाकी तीन आज अपनी सफाई दर्ज करा रहे हैं। सुंदर रमन ने अपने ऊपर लगे आरोपों को निराधार बताते हुए अपना एफीडेविट दर्ज करा दिया है।

हालांकि बाद में सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने श्रीनिवासन को फिक्सिंग मामले में क्लीन चिट दे दी थी लेकिन ये जरूर कहा गया कि श्रीनिवासन ने एक दिग्गज खिलाड़ी की आपत्तिजनक गतिविधयों को देखकर भी नजरअंदाज कर दिया, जिस मामले में बीसीसीआइ अपनी सफाई भी पेश कर चुके है।

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'Happy Ending' review: Saif Ali Khan fits perfect in this romedy

Aparna Mudi,

The movie starts with mocking the clichés of Bollywood romance, with the young urban commitment-phobic guy, highly unlikely to fall in love! And yet 'Happy Ending' is what all romantic comedies turn out to be – feel good!

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'Happy Ending': Saif Ali Khan, Kareena joined by son Ibrahim for screening!

I am not in a hurry to work with Kareena: Saif Ali Khan

Saif Ali Khan plays Yudi Jaitley, a young writer who has struck a writers block after hitting the jackpot with his first book. He is also caught in a string of unsuccessful relationships with the characters of Kareena, Preity and Kalki, which is a nice enough way to bring in the star power.

Enter Aanchal Reddy, a best-selling romantic author who doesn't believe in the idea of perfect romance she herself writes about! The rest of the story is as predictable as romedies go!

Krishna DK and Raj Nidimoru were not wrong in choosing Saif as their protagonist. He is urban, cool and suave without overpowering a relatively newer heroine. He also has been the most successful in this genre in the past decade. Be it 'Hum Tum'. 'Salaam Namaste' or 'Cocktail', Saif is very likeable as the flirt (not so) young hero. Ileana too is chic and is quite convincing as the no-nonsense practical girl, who knows what modern romance entails.

Kalki Koechlin and Ranvir Shorey were cast in the very same roles that we have seen them in before. As talented as they are, the audience is bound to expect more from them.

But the best part of the movie is Govinda. He does not have a lot of screen space but the 90s superstar has retained his comic timing to the 'T'. The director duo make fun of the hackneyed scripts and stories of Bollywood through his character, and boy he carries it off with elan!

The dialogues that the leads have are witty and the first half of the movie induces a lot of laughter. Unfortunately, the freshness of the film is lost after the first half, as it fast spirals into the very plot that it had set out to run away from. It pretends to be different for a while, and both the leads seem to have emulated the practicality of love. But at the end it feels as if it is just a reprise of 'Love Aaj Kal'.

As Armaan (Govinda) pointed out in one scene, families come to watch cinema to be entertained, a mere Rs 300 can not contain the meaning of life. It is almost as if with these dialogues the filmmakers are defending themselves – which is a disappointment. It gets predictable, but it will keep you smiling through its length.

'Happy Ending' is Saif's comfort zone and he along with the rest of the cast has performed well. The modern take of romance is definitely refreshing and the script has great one-liners for all the characters. The music compliments the feel of the movie. Govinda will make you nostalgic with the dancing in 'Nacho Sare G Phaadke'. The other scene which really stands out is when he consults a doctor to build his pectoral muscles look younger!

It is definitely a good watch, especially if you go with your loved one. It has clean humour, without any glaring sexual innuendos and would be a good film to watch with your family as well!

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Ram Pal Arrested, God man rampal Got arrested

Evasive 'godman' produced before High Court, sent to judicial custody till 28th November

Jagran Post News Desk  Jagran Post orial   | Last Updated: 20 Nov 2014, 16:02

Chandigarh: A day after his arrest, evasive 'godman' Rampal was on Thursday produced before the Punjab and Haryana High Court in a contempt of court case and was sent to judicial custody.

Rampal arrested

The two-judge bench posted the matter to November 28 with a direction to Haryana Police chief to file an affidavit giving details of the operation carried out to arrest Rampal from his ashram in Barwala in Haryana's Hisar district along with damages, injuries to people, regarding arms and ammunition in the Ashram and loss of property.

Rampal had been evading his appearance in a contempt of court case before the HC, which issued a direction to police to produce him by Friday.

Forced to keep the date, police last night arrested him from his ashram after days of standoff with his supporters, who posed stiff resistance and even resorted to violence on Tuesday.

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PM Modi thanks Fiji for its role in success of India's mars mission

PTI [ Updated 19 Nov 2014, 15:24:30 ]

Suva: Utilising his visit to Fiji, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today acknowledged the role played by this tiny South Pacific Island nation in the success of India’s Mars mission in the very first attempt and offered to make it the hub for regional collaboration in space.  

Modi made it a point to express India’s gratitude in this regard at every event he addressed during his day-long visit to this country - a joint media interaction after talks with his Fijian counterpart, at the Fijian Parliament and at the Fiji national University.

“I want to convey a special word of gratitude from the people of India for hosting Indian scientists for tracking India’s mars mission earlier this year. Together we made history,” he said at the media interaction.  

Addressing the Fijian Parliament, Modi said, “we could work to make Fiji the hub for our regional collaboration in space, just as India has done with ASEAN.” Fiji is the data collection hub for the Mars mission.  

An 18-member team of top scientists and engineers from India’s International Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was in Fiji to pave the way for India’s mission to Red Planet.  

At just USD 74 million, India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also known as Mangalyaan, is the cheapest inter-planetary mission, costing a tenth of NASA’s Mars mission Maven that entered the Martian orbit on September 22.  The mission was monitored from Fiji and other parts of the South Pacific Ocean.

ISRO scientist and project leader Mirza Mohammed Zaheer had said the trajectory of the rocket would be over Fiji.  

India’s High Commissioner to Fiji Vinod Kumar had said with the purpose of tracking, ISRO scientists and other concerned agencies were in Fiji monitoring aboard the two Indian ships from two different points in the Pacific ocean.  

He had said the Indian Deep Space Network performed the navigation and tracking operations of the mission while NASA Deep Space Network provided support services during the non-visible period of the Indian Deep Space Network.  

“Fiji has been chosen for its ideal location, being a communication hub and our close and friendly relations,” he had said.

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German vs Sanskrit: Envoy Meets With RSS Ideologue, Teachers

All India | Reported by Sunetra Choudhury, 

NEW DELHI:  Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured German Chancellor Angela Merkel  that he would look into her concerns over India's Kendriya Vidyalayas or central schools dropping German as one of the three main languages, the country's envoy is meeting Sanskrit teachers to try and change their mind.

Dinanath Batra, a veteran of the BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, is also attending the meeting at a school in west Delhi. Mr Batra is known for his campaign to ban American author Wendi Doniger's book "The Hindus" earlier this year.

NDTV has learnt that German Ambassador Michael Steiner asked for a meeting with the Sanskrit teachers' body that includes Dinanath Batra.

The government's decision to replace German with Sanskrit as a third language in over 500 schools has upset Germany. Smriti Irani, the union Human Resource Development Minister, said the government took the decision in national interest. German, says the government, will now be a "hobby language."

Last week, on the sidelines of a G 20 summit, Chancellor Merkel raised it with PM Modi, who promised to look into the controversy. Sources, however, say the Education ministry has not reviewed its decision.

"The envoy sought a meeting to get our views. We cannot accept German as a third language," said SK Jha, the head of the Sanskrit teachers' body, which moved court against German as a third language in schools.

With just four months to a new academic year, over 70,000 students  have to switch from German to Sanskrit. The job of 700 German teachers is also at stake.

German was taught as a third language - which matters in evaluations - as part of a 2011 Memorandum of Understanding that the government says is illegal and violates the three-language formula in which schools teach Hindi, English and a modern Indian language.

The pact was signed between the Kendriya Vidyalayas and Goethe Institute-Max Mueller Bhawan and was allegedly not signed off by the education ministry.

According to the foreign ministry, PM Modi assured Chancellor Merkel that he himself is a votary of young Indian children learning other languages. "How it is best done within the confines of the Indian system, we will work it out," said spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.

Story First Published: November 19, 2014 15:21 IST

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