BJP wants PM to resign after Centre admits goof up in coal allocations

New Delhi: Stepping up pressure, BJP today demanded the Prime Minister's resignation after the Centre admitted before the Supreme Court that something went wrong with coal blocks allocations.

"The Attorney General has accepted that something major was wrong in the coal block allocations. He has confided in the Supreme Court that there were serious irregularities in the allotments.

Representational image. AFP

"The onus is now on the Prime Minister as he held the coal portfolio from 2006 to 2009 when the allocations were made. We reiterate that he should own up his responsibility and resign," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.

He also sought to question CBI's "silence" on action against two ministers of state who held the coal portfolio and officials of PMO who dealt with the coal blocks allocations.

"We want to know why CBI is silent on the two ministers of state who held the coal portfolio during that time as well as the officials in the PMO," he said.

The BJP leader hoped the Supreme Court would give directions to probe the money trail and the beneficiaries of the scam to ensure justice is done.

Alleging that coal blocks worth 50 lakh crore were given "virtually for free", he said it meant that there were many partners in the scam.

"The coal block is so big. Never has such a loot of the country taken place before," he said, alleging that questions were raised about the role of then Minister of State Dasari Narain Rao but he has not yet been probed.

Admitting that something went wrong with the coal block allocations, Attorney General Goolam E Vahanvati told a three-judge bench headed by Justice R M Lodha that "we took 0decision in good faith but something turned out to be wrong".

"In hindsight, we can say something has gone wrong and some correction is required to be done," he said, virtually accepting that mistakes were committed by the government in coal blocks allocation.

Vahanvati's response came after the bench observed that the exercise could have been done in a "far better manner".

PTI

Modi should have quit as Gujarat CM after PM nomination: Raj Thackeray

Nashik (Maharashtra): Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray Thursday criticised BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for continuously speaking about his own state, and asked him to adopt a broad, national outlook.

Thackeray also hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying nobody was aware who were its leaders in Maharashtra.

The MNS founder-president sought power for his own party to bring about change in his state.

Targetting Modi, Thackeray urged the Gujarat chief minister to discard narrow parochial interests and adopt a broad, national outlook.

Is Raj Thackeray going away from an alliance with the BJP? AFP

"Wherever he travels, Modi keeps harping on Gujarat and its qualities. A prime minister belongs to the whole country and not to any particular state. Modi must keep this in mind and treat all states as equals," Thackeray said.

"In fact, after he was nominated as the BJP's PM candidate, he should have immediately quit as Gujarat chief minister," Thackeray told media persons here at the start of a four-day pre-election preparatory tour.

Asked about the crowds attracted by Modi, Thackeray shot back that if that was the criterion for popularity, "even my meetings attract large gatherings".

On Modi's oft-repeated theme on Gujarat's development, Thackeray said Maharashtra was ahead of Gujarat on all fronts.

However, he admitted that in terms of administration, Gujarat was ahead of Maharashtra and the people of Maharashtra were fed up with the existing state of affairs.

On the Aam Aadmi Party, Thackeray said it was true that the country needs a change but the Arvind Kejriwal-led party has no base in Maharashtra, and nobody was aware who its leaders are in the state.

"There is a chant of AAP, AAP all over the country. However, I have been raising similar issues since the past six years. For bringing about a change, we need power. Vote us to power and I promise you a clean government," Thackeray urged people

He said he would fulfil his commitment if voted to power and there is no need for the AAP in Maharashtra.

The MNS is a potential challenger to the existing alliances of Congress-Nationalist Congress Party, the BJP-Shiv Sena-Republican Party of India (Athawale)-Swabhimani Paksha, and other smaller parties like Samajwadi Party besides regional outfits in the state.

IANS

3900 calls received on anti-corruption line, says Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said that the anti-corruption helpline received an overwhelming response and he also warned corrupt officers that they will be behind bars if they don't change.

"We have already received around 3900 phone calls. Corrupt officials should either reform or they will perish," Kejriwal warned.

Arvind Kejriwal. Reuters

"Now, with the anti-corruption helpline everyone in Delhi is a police person," said Kejriwal.

He also said that the four-digit helpline number will be operational by tomorrow and will be given to the public.

The Delhi CM also said that he and his ministers will directly interact with the public and listen to their grievances.

"Every Saturday my ministers and I will sit outside the Delhi Assembly from 9 am to 11 am and listen to public grievances," said Kejriwal.

He also said that each day of the week a minister will take public grievances related to their ministry. While some grievances will be taken up immediately, the ones that involve change of policy will take time, he said.

Meanwhile, he also said that Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely's request to solve the problem of power cuts in Delhi was also being looked into.

"We have asked for the data of scheduled and unscheduled power cuts across Delhi. We are looking into the issue," Kejriwal said.

Singh had shot off a letter to Kejriwal yesterday asking him to solve the problem of  power cuts.

What Aam Aadmi Party can learn from BJP

Noted lawyer and senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Prashant Bhushan has come in for severe criticism for his recent remarks on Kashmir. Bhushan had told Aaj Tak and Headlines Today that "People should be asked whether they want the Army to handle the internal security of Kashmir... If people... say they don't want the Army to be deployed for their security then the Army should be withdrawn from the hinterland."

The statement basically brought back the age old issue of having a plebiscite to decide what the people of Kashmir really want. Plebiscite is essentially a direct vote in which people are asked to either accept or reject a proposal.

Prashant Bhushan. PTI

It needs to be pointed out that this is not the first time that Bhushan has talked about having a plebiscite in Kashmir. On 26 September 2011, while addressing a press conference in Varanasi, Bhushan had said, "It is my personal opinion that no country or part of its territory can be governed without the wishes of the people with the help of army. This is not in the interest of the country and the people...I want that the situation be normalized, army be withdrawn, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act be also withdrawn and then try to persuade the people of Kashmir to stay with India. And yet, if the people want, then there could be a plebiscite, and if the people of the Valley want separation, they be allowed to separate." On 12 October 2011, Bhushan was attacked and beaten up because of this statement, by youth claiming to be from the Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena.

The situation has changed a lot since then. In 2011, Bhushan was a lawyer who had a remarkable role to play in exposing various scams, but now he is a senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party. The party after having made a stupendous debut in the Delhi state assembly elections now has national aspirations. And a senior leader of a political party seeking national presence cannot be seen to have such a view on Kashmir—a view which questions the idea of a united India.

As Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes in The Burden of Democracy -- "Groups may have deep seated grievances and suppressed complexes but the mere freedom to articulate them gives them a stake in the system like nothing else. And the imperatives of seeking sustainable majorities, most observers argue, moderates even the most radical movements, giving them a largely centrist cast."

Bhushan and the Aam Aadmi Party need to keep this in mind if they want to move from being a local political party in Delhi to being a national level political party. Bhushan's view on Kashmir might at best appeal to a section of the population in Kashmir and a few people among the intellectual class. Radicalism of the sort he espouses on Kashmir won't help the Aam Aadmi Party. This is not to say that Bhushan should not have the views on Kashmir that he has. Its just that politically neither he nor the Aam Aadmi Party can afford to have these views.

In fact, Bhushan and the Aam Aadmi Party can learn a thing or two from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here. In 1996, the BJP formed a government which lasted for a mere 13 days. It then realised that if it had to ever come around to governing the country, it would have to keep its certain 'core' issues on the back burner. A centrist position would be more beneficial politically was the realization that the party had.

As Ashutosh Varshney writes in Battles Half Won—India's Improbable Democracy -- "In 1998, the BJP managed to assemble a broad alliance of parties and come to power, but only after dropping key Hindu nationalist demands, such as the construction of a new temple on the site of the razed Ayodhya mosque; the adoption of a common civil code to supersede all the 'personal laws' of the religious minorities; the termination of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (India's only Muslim-majority state). India's pluralism has induced the BJP to scale back its anti-Muslim rhetoric; to build coalitions across caste, tribal, linguistic, and religious lines; and to seek alliances with regional parties in states where Hindu nationalist ideology makes no sense." In fact, the party has gone 'soft' on these issues since then and is seen talking more about economic and social progress.

Other than Bhushan, Kumar Vishwas, another senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, has also come in for a lot of criticism, for his politically incorrect views on issues as wide ranging as women to Muharram.

Vishwas is a Hindi poet who primarily writes poems about love and romance (his most famous poem is koi deewana kehta hai). Given this, he has a huge popularity among students and over the last decade has been seen regularly at college festivals around the country. The colleges tend to have more males students than female students, and in this environment, it is not surprising that Kumar has made some quips about women which are now being seen as politically incorrect, though at the point he said them, students had laughed at it.

While Kumar cannot erase things he has already said, but as a leader who hopes to take on Rahul Gandhi in the next Lok Sabha elections, things that he says in the public domain in the days to come need to be politically correct and hold a centrist view on most issues. And the same holds true for the other leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party as well.

As it expands rapidly in the days to come, the Aam Aadmi Party will make its set of mistakes. Other political parties are all waiting to latch on these mistakes and turn them into "issues" they can cash in on. Given this, it is important that the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party do not score any more self-goals.

(Vivek Kaul is a writer. He tweets @kaul_vivek)

UPA’s economic policies have imposed burden on people: Yechury

Kozhikode: Lashing out at the Congress-led UPA government, CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury on Thursday said its economic policies have imposed a burden on the people.

CPIM leader Sitaram Yechury

"The economic policies being followed by UPA Government have imposed burden on the people of the country and they continue to be imposed like the recent hike in cooking gas prices," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function in the city.

"There is no difference between the BJP and the Congress as far as the economic policies are concerned," he said.

To a query on Aam Aadmi Party's performance in the recent assembly elections in Delhi, he said "AAP's success in Delhi is the result of the ill-feeling of the people, who are searching for an alternative."

"We are working an alternative that is not merely a political alternative to come to power at the Centre, but an alternative that is capable of implementing alternative policies," he said.

Yechury said the country has enough resources to provide a better quality of life, education and food security to all the people. "But, all these resources are used for profit maximisation by foreign companies and Indian big corporates."

He said the Madhav Gadgil committee and Kasturirangan panel report on conservation of Western Ghats should be subjected to proper discussion by all the stakeholders.

Yechury said "the entire western ghats is an area which is of greater importance in terms of natural evolution of various species etc."

On the reported differences of opinion on the Gadgil committee report between Kerala CPI(M) Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and party veteran and Leader of Opposition V S Achuthanandan, he said the state committee of the party is capable of resolving whatever issues there are.

"The issue is we want this to be subjected to proper discussion by all the stakeholders," he said.

PTI

Modi shouldn’t talk only about Gujarat, says Raj Thackeray

Nashik (Maharashtra): Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray Thursday criticised BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for continuously speaking about his own state, and asked him to adopt a broad, national outlook.

Thackeray also hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying nobody was aware who were its leaders in Maharashtra.

The MNS founder-president sought power for his own party to bring about change in his state.

Targetting Modi, Thackeray urged the Gujarat chief minister to discard narrow parochial interests and adopt a broad, national outlook.

Is Raj Thackeray going away from an alliance with the BJP? AFP

"Wherever he travels, Modi keeps harping on Gujarat and its qualities. A prime minister belongs to the whole country and not to any particular state. Modi must keep this in mind and treat all states as equals," Thackeray said.

"In fact, after he was nominated as the BJP's PM candidate, he should have immediately quit as Gujarat chief minister," Thackeray told media persons here at the start of a four-day pre-election preparatory tour.

Asked about the crowds attracted by Modi, Thackeray shot back that if that was the criterion for popularity, "even my meetings attract large gatherings".

On Modi's oft-repeated theme on Gujarat's development, Thackeray said Maharashtra was ahead of Gujarat on all fronts.

However, he admitted that in terms of administration, Gujarat was ahead of Maharashtra and the people of Maharashtra were fed up with the existing state of affairs.

On the Aam Aadmi Party, Thackeray said it was true that the country needs a change but the Arvind Kejriwal-led party has no base in Maharashtra, and nobody was aware who its leaders are in the state.

"There is a chant of AAP, AAP all over the country. However, I have been raising similar issues since the past six years. For bringing about a change, we need power. Vote us to power and I promise you a clean government," Thackeray urged people

He said he would fulfil his commitment if voted to power and there is no need for the AAP in Maharashtra.

The MNS is a potential challenger to the existing alliances of Congress-Nationalist Congress Party, the BJP-Shiv Sena-Republican Party of India (Athawale)-Swabhimani Paksha, and other smaller parties like Samajwadi Party besides regional outfits in the state.

IANS

Mukul Sangma takes dig at Modi, says UPA will see better days ahead

New Delhi: After Narendra Modi's potshots at the Prime Minister at an NRI meet, Congress leader and Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma defended the UPA government, crediting its "visionary leadership" for building the foundation for better days ahead.

"Better days would come because strong foundation has been laid by the leadership," Sangma said in an apparent snub to Modi who in his speech before him had taken a jibe at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his "better times ahead" remark.

Mukul Sangma.

Modi suggested that better times would come after polls when his government would take over.

The last of the four CMs to speak at the gathering of NRIs at Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, Sangma referred to the "revolutionary legislations" like RTI, which he said was the reason behind "visible transparency", and RTE, crediting the Centre for ushering in these big reforms.

"MNREGA liberated agriculture workforce from suppression and oppression and pushed up wages, ensuring them work and money," he said, praising the job guarantee scheme for driving up people's purchasing power.

Four CMs spoke at the event and Kerala CM Oommen Chandy and Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda spoke before Modi.

It was only after making an elaborate reply to Modi's charge against UPA that Sangma returned to the topic of "investment opportunities" in his north-eastern state.

He presented all north eastern states as a largely "untapped and virgin" investment destination and said investors can tap markets in Bangladesh and Myanmar with their presence there.

"The competition in others states is very stiff. You come to Meghalaya, north east and you will be pleasantly surprised," he said.

He also highlighted the natural beauty of his state and its English-speaking population which would be a "human resource asset" for investors.

PTI

Election Commission aborts tie-up with Google over security concerns

New Delhi: The Election Commission has decided not to pursue its proposed tie-up with internet giant Google after concerns over national security were raised from several quarters, including major parties.

Reuters

US-based Google had earlier this week made a formal presentation to the Election Commission proposing a tie-up with it for voter facilitation services ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

The Commission, in its meeting here today which was attended by Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath and Election Commissioners H S Brahma and S N A Zaidi, deliberated on the issue and decided not to go ahead.

"After due consideration, the Commission has decided not to pursue it any further," said an EC official.

The EC said Google had proposed to provide electoral look up services for citizens to help in Commission's efforts for better electoral information services.

The Commission had earlier signed a non-disclosure agreement with Google but had not shared or handed over any data to the internet giant so far and was deliberating on the tie-up with it for using its search engines for voter facilitation.

Congress and BJP besides some cyberspace experts had voiced concerns over the proposed tie-up, saying stakeholders should have been consulted before a decision.

The Congress legal cell has written to the Chief Election Commissioner raising security concerns over the proposed tie-up and hoped it will not have any effect on the electoral process and national security.

BJP also expressed concerns and said the issue could have been discussed first at an all-party meeting by EC.

Questioning the EC's move, a group of cyber security experts had written to the panel amid concerns over sharing of vital data pertaining to Indians to a foreign company.

The concerns also come at a time when eyebrows have been raised over leaking of vital data of Indians to United States intelligence agencies as exposed by Edward Snowden.

PTI

Centre doing a lot on RTI, states not up to mark: Narayanasamy

New Delhi: The Centre today asked the states to do more in promoting RTI and making suo motu disclosures related to governance on public domain, saying they have not not been "up to the mark" in sharing information.

"The Centre is doing a lot to promote RTI Act. But what the state governments are doing is not up to the mark. They need to work more on it. They need to take an active role in promoting RTI and putting information in the public domain," said V Narayanasamy, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

Information related to Public Private Partnerships (PPP), transfer orders of officers and employees, objections or paras by the Comptroller and Auditor General and Public Accounts Committee, among others, need to be put in the public domain, he said.

The minister invited suggestions for the law. Image courtesy: Ibnlive

"We want a common man living in rural areas to be able to file an RTI application. He should be made aware of it. This is the purpose of our government. We want to project ourselves as an open government," Narayanasamy said.

The minister also sought suggestions from the people on promoting the Right to Information(RTI) Act and making it more user-friendly.

"We need the support of the people and civil society... We are open to suggestions which would make the Act more useful. We will issue guidelines or notifications immediately based on important suggestions," he said.

Narayanasamy was speaking at the inauguration of a day-long national workshop on RTI Act organised here by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), the nodal department for the implementation of the transparency law.

DoPT had last April issued directions for all central government ministries to comply with the compulsory obligation of suo motu disclosures mentioned under Section 4 of RTI Act, 2005.

Each ministry or public authority was asked to ensure that the guidelines for suo motu disclosures were fully operationalised within a period of six months from the date of the issuance of the directive, or April 15, 2013.

PTI

VK Singh fails to appear before J&K panel, summons issued

Jammu: Former Army Chief General VK Singh today failed to appear before a Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council panel over his controversial remarks against state leaders, after which fresh summons were issued to him for 22 January.

Singh failed to appear before the Privileges Committee to explain his position on his allegations that politicians in the state were paid by the Army, prompting the panel to issue a summons to him through the Haryana DGP.

However, an aide of Singh claimed that he had written to the Privileges Committee, which did not accept his reply and asked him to appear before it in person.

Former Indian Army chief General VK Singh. AFP

"The Committee, under the chairmanship of Jugal Kishore Sharma, has decided to issue summons to him (Singh) through the Haryana Director General of Police to appear before this Committee on 22nd of this month at 2:30 pm," member of the privilege committee, Devender Singh Rana told reporters after the conclusion of the meeting in Jammu.

Rana, who is a ruling National Conference MLC and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's confidante, said "failing this, necessary action under law which is available to us will be taken against him."

Col UB Singh, a friend of Gen Singh, however, told reporters at the Legislative Council, "Singh had sent a proper reply to the Privilege Committee. But they have not taken it into consideration and refused to accept it."

When Rana was asked about this, he said "There is no reply we have received as yet."

On 9 December, last year, Privileges Committee had asked Singh to appear in person before it on January 9 to explain his position on his controversial remarks.

The privilege motion against Gen Singh was moved by MLCs Ajay Sadhotra, Rana and Khalid Najeeb Suhrawardy in the last session of the Council, taking cognisance of his allegations during a TV interview in which he had claimed that Army was paying money to politicians in Jammu and Kashmir.

PTI

Raje convenes BJP meet to discuss Lok Sabha poll preparations

Jaipur: BJP Rajasthan President and Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has convened a one-day meeting of senior leaders on 13 January to discuss preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Vasundhara Raje. AFP

"Preparedness for the elections will be reviewed in the meeting which will be attended by the party's state level functionaries, national office bearers from the state, members of national executive, MP, MLAs, district presidents and other leaders," party's state vice president Onkar Singh said today.

PTI

Cong dismisses survey on Rahul Gandhi, calls it inaccurate

Ranchi: Congress today dismissed an opinion poll predicting party vice-president Rahul Gandhi as the third choice for prime ministerial prospect, terming it inaccurate.

"Survey reports always favour those who appoint them surveys predicted 19 seats for Congress, but we got 39. Similarly, results in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Assembly polls were unexpected contrary to surveys," AICC General Secretary BK Hariprasad told reporters here.

Rahul Gandhi. AFP

He was responding to a query on a newspaper publishing an opinion poll carried out in eight cities.

"Why should we share with you," he said when asked what was the findings in the internal assessment of the Congress regarding the 2014 General Elections.

Asked on sharing of fourteen seats among the ruling JMM/Congress/RJD alliance in Jharkhand, Prasad said a report was submitted to the Chairman AICC panel on pre-poll alliance partners.

"AK Antony has taken our report and we can't tell you till he gives the final touch," Prasad said.

PTI

Goa: Displaced mining industry may protest Narendra Modi’s visit

Panaji: Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi may be shown black flags on his arrival in Goa for a rally on 12 January.

Over 1,000 displaced workers from Goa's biggest mining company Sesa Goa would line up on roads leading to the rally venue with black flags. "The Goa government has let us down," a trade union leader Christopher Fonseca said.

"This government is keeping quiet over 1,000 workers being laid off. They are with the corporate. It is a matter of shame. Therefore, we have planned the black flags campaign," he said.

Modi is expected to address the rally in Merces, on the outskirts of Panaji.

Sesa Goa, in a statement, has confirmed the lay-off of 1,017 workers in its mining division and said the workers would be getting their full salary for 60 days.

"At present all workmen will be getting full salary until they are laid off after expiry of aforesaid period or receipt of necessary permissions and thereafter 50 percent salary will be paid," Sesa Goa said in a statement.

"Lay off is not retrenchment and all workers continue to be on the rolls of the company," it said.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said he would not renew the leases of companies which do not look after their workers, but blamed the central government for the impasse.

Sesa Goa, Parrikar said, cannot formally execute the dismissal notices without the central government's nod.

"I will speak to the union government not to grant them (companies) permission to lay off their employees until the apex court decision on Goa mining," the chief minister said.

IANS

2006 dalit rape case: UP govt seeks withdrawal of case against minister

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has recommended the withdrawal of a rape case against one of its ministers.

The home department has written to the Bijnor district magistrate that after a careful study of the case, it found the charges levelled against Stamp and Registration Minister Manoj Kumar Paras to be untrue.

AFP

It also directed the district administration to ensure that Paras gets a legal defence in the court.

In 2006, a Dalit woman alleged that the Samajwadi Party minister, a legislator from Nagina, and his accomplices raped her at his home when she went there in connection with a ration shop promised to her.

Police lodged the case against the minister and others Jan 15, 2007 after the woman approached the chief judicial magistrate court.

A Bijnor court ordered the attachment of the minister's property but he took a stay from the high court.

The woman's lawyer said Thursday that he would oppose the state's application for withdrawal of the case when it comes up for hearing Jan 17.

The minister is currently on a five-nation "study tour" with seven other state minister and 17 legislators.

IANS

Cong dimisses survey on Rahul Gandhi, calls it inaccurate

Ranchi: Congress today dismissed an opinion poll predicting party vice-president Rahul Gandhi as the third choice for prime ministerial prospect, terming it inaccurate.

"Survey reports always favour those who appoint them surveys predicted 19 seats for Congress, but we got 39. Similarly, results in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Assembly polls were unexpected contrary to surveys," AICC General Secretary BK Hariprasad told reporters here.

Rahul Gandhi. AFP

He was responding to a query on a newspaper publishing an opinion poll carried out in eight cities.

"Why should we share with you," he said when asked what was the findings in the internal assessment of the Congress regarding the 2014 General Elections.

Asked on sharing of fourteen seats among the ruling JMM/Congress/RJD alliance in Jharkhand, Prasad said a report was submitted to the Chairman AICC panel on pre-poll alliance partners.

"AK Antony has taken our report and we can't tell you till he gives the final touch," Prasad said.

PTI

Ranbaxy signs licensing pact with EPIRUS Switzerland

New Delhi: Ranbaxy Laboratories today inked a licensing pact with EPIRUS Switzerland GmbH for BOW015, a biosimilar version of Infliximab prescribed to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

EPIRUS Switzerland GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boston-based Epirus Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.

The product will be introduced in India and other Emerging Markets, the company said in a statement.

Reuters

At present, there is no biosimilar of Infliximab approved in India, it said.

Under the terms of the agreement, EPIRUS will develop and supply the product; and upon regulatory approval, Ranbaxy will market the same in India and other emerging markets.

Commenting on the partnership, Sanjeev I Dani, Executive Vice President & Head, Global Strategy, Ranbaxy, said, "We will utilise our strong front-end capabilities in making this product available in India and other parts of the world."

Amit Munshi, President and CEO of EPIRUS said: "We are very pleased to work with Ranbaxy to register and commercialise this important medicine. Ranbaxy has the right focus and infrastructure in these markets to effectively bring this product to the market."

PTI

BJP, Congress slams Samajwadi Party for Saifai festival

New Delhi: BJP and Congress today slammed the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh for holding celebrations at party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's native village of Saifai while the victims of the Muzaffarnagar riots reportedly suffer under adverse weather conditions at relief camps in the state.

"The media has highlighted how, when the relief camps are still in want of a lot of help and people struggle in the extreme cold, you find that the ruling party of UP... is holding celebrations for two-three days in the native village of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Representational image. Ibnlive

She demanded that SP speak up on the issue.

Congress, meanwhile, charged that SP was lacking in sensitivity.

"SP has got its own way of working and sensitivity, of course, is missing in this case. Had the UP government been vigilant, these riots would not have taken place. At this time, they are having these Bollywood shows at Saifai for a long time and probably they feel it is a great event for 0them," said Congress General Secretary, Digvijay Singh.

PTI

Goa building collapse: Death toll climbs to 25, builder still untraceable

Panaji: Manual rescue operations at the Canacona building mishap site continued for the third day on Thursday to scour for survivors in the wreckage even as the death toll climbed to 25 with another body recovered.

Three bodies were retrieved last night while one more body was pulled out this afternoon, Ashok Menon, in-charge of the rescue operation told PTI.

File photo of rescue operations in Canacona. PTI

Rescuers have managed to pull out 16 people alive so far.

More than 40 people were trapped under the debris when the under construction five-storey building caved in on Saturday afternoon.

The rescue work through drilling was withdrawn earlier this week after adjacent buildings began tilting precariously posing a threat of collapse, following which manual rescue operations were commenced on Tuesday.

The work to demolish these buildings will begin today.

Goa police have already arrested Deputy Town Planner Prakash Bandodkar for illegally sanctioning permit to the building while several others including builders, contractor and a municipal engineer are untraceable.

One of the accused municipal engineers Ashank Gaonkar was granted anticipatory bail by the court here today while another -- Ajay Desai -- is still absconding.

PTI

It’s a BJP Vs AAP contest now. Has Congress conceded defeat?

The most intriguing political development in the last couple of weeks is not the exponential rise of the AAP, its membership drives or the BJP leaders getting increasingly restive, but the sudden disappearance of the Congress from public debates.

The party has mysteriously gone under the radar and its defence is largely left to two ineffective spokespersons, who often sound like Army PROs, that too at a time when it should be firing on all cylinders. With barely a few months to the Lok Sabha elections, you would expect the party to field its best faces upfront. And if one really takes Rahul Gandhi's commitment to new blood at face value, this is the time to showcase it.

The party's top brass and its otherwise talkative and wisecracking PR machinery pulling back from the front-lines cannot be coincidental. There is certainly a strategy -- engage a proxy to take on the enemy till you ready your force and armoury. Lying low otherwise at this crucial time is as good as conceding defeat even before the battle has begun.

The proxy for the Congress is the AAP, a providential gift. All that the party needed was to pull out of the fray and let the amorphous AAP fill up its space and get the BJP rattled. With so many chinks in its armour, the Congress would have wanted relief from a relentlessly bad-mouthing Modi and people with similar instincts or skills. The party is at its weakest and is most likely to get hurt more if it engages in direct combat.

So, the battle is now between the BJP and the AAP.

Interestingly, the BJP also has forgotten the Congress and has reserved its repertoire of invective for the AAP. Over the last few days, the BJP spokespersons have taken out every single weapon in its armoury that it had used against the Congress to dent the AAP - from nationalism and Kashmir to corruption, populism and inefficiency. Its response to the attack on the AAP office on Wednesday also showed that it wouldn't spare the newbie from its trademark double-speak when it comes to attacks by Hindu splinter groups: "We condemn the attack, but we also condemn Prashant Bhushan" is a line that effectively justifies and encourages such attacks.

The BJP couldn't have been this edgy and AAP-centric had the Congress also been in the fray. The Congress has rightly sensed that taking on the debutant will further erode its public support because the latter has an image and agenda that have struck a chord with the people and at the moment using its time-tested dirty tricks to stop it will backfire. Frankly, the Congress is not sure of the ammunition that it could use against a swelling underground movement. Not able to size up the enemy is a crisis that it needs to tide over.

What better way than to appear non-combative when you are weak - so that you don't alienate people further - and do everything to make the BJP anxious. Every response of noted Congress leaders, except outliers such as Manish Tewari, to a victorious AAP shows that the party, by and large, has only good words for Kejriwal.

Mani Shankar Aiyar openly wished that AAP would stop Modi from becoming the prime minister while Digvijaya Singh wanted Modi to learn austerity and humility from Kejriwal. Singh even asked civil society leaders to learn from the AAP. Manmohan Singh on Wednesday also indirectly complimented AAP when he alluded to the new media strengthening democracy.

The best was from Jairam Ramesh, who reportedly said: "We cannot ignore Aam Aadmi Party... Because what they are agitating about-- corruption, austerity in politics, simplicity in politics-- these are legitimate values," adding, "don't make fun of them. Making fun of them would be proved wrong,"

In contrast, the BJP didn't have a single word of appreciation for AAP because it's certainly losing sleep. On Thursday, an eight-city survey by Times of India said that 31 per cent of its respondents believed that in the Lok Sabha polls the AAP will hurt BJP the most. About 33 per cent of them also believed that the AAP might win 26-50 seats while 26 per cent thought the number could touch 100. About 44 per cent of them also said that they would vote for an AAP candidate.

Till recently, Modi was revelling in his uncontested cross-country march to vanquish Rahul Gandhi, but suddenly he has to open a new front, with sufficient men and armament, to fight Kejriwal, whose strength is galloping by the day. A membership-swell of 15,000 a day is worrisome because they are real votes; the BJP is in trouble.

So, what exactly is the Congress's plan? Has it already conceded defeat and would want to somehow prevent the BJP from coming to power by voluntarily not opposing the AAP? Or is it attempting a "feigned retreat" that the Spartans used in the Battle of Thermopylae?"

If it hasn't conceded defeat, it can only be a "feigned defeat", aimed at the BJP and not the AAP. Its hope, in such a situation, will be to push the BJP into a weak spot and return from the retreat for the final attack. As defence experts know, it's a tricky tactic. The question is if the Congress will still have its artillery and men intact or if the AAP by then would have marched away with the trophy?

IBN7 managing editor Ashutosh leaves Network18 to join AAP

There was plenty of buzz on Twitter since last evening, that a senior journalist was set to join the Aam Aadmi Party as it heads into the Lok Sabha polls later this year. It is now confirmed that IBN7 managing editor Ashutosh has resigned from his post and could join the party.

The journalist hasn't confirmed joining the party yet. Image courtesy: CNN-IBN

While the senior journalist has confirmed his resignation, he has not yet confirmed that he will be joining the political party and a formal announcement is expected soon.

Network18 confirmed that Ashutosh was leaving IBN7 and would be replaced by Vinay Tewari, Managing editor, CNN-IBN.

"Ashutosh has played a key role in IBN7's emergence as one of the most credible brands in Hindi news. We thank him for his immense contribution and commitment to the Network. Vinay has led CNN-IBN admirably and in this expanded mandate, we're confident that he will not only take IBN7 to new heights editorially but also strengthen our general news network further," B Sai Kumar, Group CEO of Network 18, said in the statement.

In the statement, Ashutosh thanked all his colleagues for their support.

"Building IBN7 into what it is today has been one of the most satisfying experiences of my professional journey. I would like to thank all my colleagues for their support and look forward to newer challenges," he said.

Commenting on the development, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-In-Chief of IBN News Network said, "Ashu has been a driving force behind IBN7 and his passion and leadership has been instrumental in making it into a fearless and independent voice in Hindi journalism. We thank him for his stellar effort and wish him the very best."

"Vinay has been an integral part of the general news network from the very beginning and I'm confident that he will bring his unique perspective and rich news experience to bear at IBN7 and the network," he said.

Vinay Tewari, who is replacing Ashutosh, said,"IBN7 today stands for the best in hard-hitting and inclusive journalism and it's a privilege for me to lead it further. I look forward to working closely with the talented and passionate team to ensure we honor the trust of our viewers in IBN7 and ensure that both CNN-IBN and IBN7 benefit and capitalize from the general news network in equal measure."

Other former journalists in the Aam Aadmi Party include Manish Sisodia, who is presently Education Minister of Delhi and Shazia Ilmi. Many other former professionals like Meera Sanyal, Gopinath and V Balakrishnan are among those who have joined the party ahead of the national elections to be held later this year.

AAP confident of replicating Delhi result in UP 2014

A day after its office in Ghaziabad was ransacked by a group of Hindu nationalists, the Aam Aadmi Party claims its presence in UP has never been stronger, and have declared that they are ready to fight all the Lok Sabha seats.

"Our agenda here is very simple. We want to take up all the issues which have made the lives of the UP people a nightmare," says Sanjay Singh, who is in charge of the party's UP campaign. "Through our campaigns we want to show the people in UP all that is wrong with the current political scenario. We will campaign fiercely against the dynastic politics that has destroyed UP. It's shameful for Mulayam Singh's party to call themselves Samajwadi any more."

The results of the Delhi election have also given an enormous boost to AAP's efforts on the ground, claim party workers. "After we managed to get nine out of 12 reserved seats in Delhi, the support among the Dalit vote in UP has visibly strengthened," says one AAP worker from Phulpur in UP.

AFP

But the party is insistent that it will not resort to UP's usual style of caste politics. Party leader Yogendra Yadav told Firstpost that his recent remarks in support of reservation for Dalits were misreported. "Every social injustice has to be talked about with same rigour. AAP does not want to do politics the way it was practised in the 20th century. We have to be more creative than reservation and quota to address an issue like caste," he said.

Yadav's assertion is echoed by state party leaders like Singh, who says "There is no dearth of (other) issues in UP anyway. We have pointed out a few different issues for rural and urban areas separately. In the rural UP we have to talk about the agrarian issues. The farmers are paid way below the minimum support price. There is no political party that is talking about the plight of these people."

For a change, corruption may not be as big an AAP issue in rural UP. One of the AAP men in Lucknow notes, "Corruption does not figure in the villages. It will be a campaign issue in the urban centers,"

The party, however, still stands on an uncertain ground when it comes to Muslim votes. Even in Delhi, the majority Muslim votes remained with Congress. "When it comes to the Muslim votes, we still are not the first option. But the Delhi results has given confidence to the Muslim voters here as well. And the Muslim votes in UP are not with SP anymore," says Sanjay Singh. "How does one explains the 105 riots since the Akhilesh government took over."

The Aam Aadmi Party, however, was late to react to the Muzaffarnagar riots. So much so that senior leader Yogendra Yadav concedes that it might affect the parties fortunes in western UP.

And while the Muslim vote remains uncertain, the recent riots have pushed the Jat votes in the area firmly in BJP's direction. The newly put-up big BJP banners on the streets of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli are testimony to the ground gained by the BJP due to post-riot polarisation. "It was a politically motivated riot. And the best example of a successful riot. It cannot be undone now. The Hindu votes in western UP will go to BJP," said one AAP leader to Firstpost who wished not to be named.

Polarisation in the western UP has the party worried about prospects in the National Capital Region as well, since constituencies like Baghpat were deeply affected and influenced by the riots. AAP, however, claims that it will not focus on religion-driven politics, and some political observers think it may well be able to sidestep the thorny issue by focusing on the broader issue of violence.

"Both SP and BSP bred criminals here. And they cannot blame each other, but for the first time there is a political outfit that can make it an issue," says a political journalist from Gorakhpur, in eastern UP. "I cannot think of any other party than AAP that could campaign against people like Raja Bhayia and Mukhtar Ansari."

"In last 60 years all that UP has seen is Gunda Raj (governance of muscle power). After a long time there is an alternative other than the SP and BSP. So some people will definitely flock towards it," says Hari Vansh, an expert on UP politics and editor of a national daily.

Digvijaya slams RSS, compares it to Ravana

New Delhi: In comments that could stoke a fresh controversy, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has likened RSS to mythological demon king Ravana while slamming BJP and the Sangh over yesterday's attack on AAP office in Ghaziabad.

"Strongly condemn attack on AAP office by BJP/Sangh activists. BJP as usual is disassociating itself. Part of their strategy.

Digvijaya Singh. AFP

"Sangh has more than 150 organisations and all have their roots in Sangh. One hand strikes and other hand applies Balm! Multi Faced Party ! Doesn't it remind us of the Ramayan Character who had 10 Faces and one Body ?," Singh, a known detractor of RSS and BJP, has said in his tweets.

Singh's remarks on Twitter last night came after activists of a fringe right-wing group attacked and vandalised the Aam Aadmi Party headquarters in Kaushambi, protesting against the controversial remarks of its senior leader Prashant Bhushan on the presence of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

Armed with sticks and bricks, about 40 activists of Hindu Raksha Dal had stormed the AAP office near the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and broke the door panes and flower pots in its frontyard.

The attack drew charges and counter-charges with Kejriwal claiming that it was meant to kill him and Bhushan.

Bhushan, a noted lawyer, who had stoked a controversy suggesting a referendum on the presence of security in the Kashmir valley, had claimed that BJP was "frustrated" with the 0mounting popularity of AAP and had incited one of its sister organisations in the attack.

BJP hit back by saying that while it condemned the violence, Bhushan should also mind his tongue when speaking on sensitive issues like Jammu and Kashmir, which is an inalienable part of the country.

PTI

People pleasers: What the AAP can learn from Prashant Bhushan

In two years Prashant Bhushan has gone from defending a plebiscite on the fate of Kashmir to asking for a vote on the Army's deployment in the Valley. The reaction from a fringe right wing Hindutva group, a clearly calculated one, has been the same in either case, an attempt to physically browbeat him into further moderating or repudiating his views.

From what I know of Prashant Bhushan, that is not going to happen. He is not a man likely to give in to a bunch of hooligans whose political affiliations are not difficult to guess. Yet, he has moderated his views, and he has presumably done so for reasons that I find far more worrisome than anything the hoodlums can achieve. In my understanding the pressures of mass politics, his own active role in the AAP seem to have forced this moderation on Bhushan, a caution that is alien to the man.

Prashant Bhushan. Reuters.

Bhushan is an irreplaceable presence in our public life. His pragmatic immoderation is in great part responsible for the way some of the most important cases of the past five years – the 2G and the coal scam – have unfolded. His work as a lawyer is a sign of his pragmatism, he understands the law, and it is his immoderation that allows him the possibility of pushing it in unexpected directions. He combines this with some incredibly naïve views on the possibility of direct democracy in our country, believing that technology can actually allow us to address most of our problems through referendums. He seems not to have considered the majoritarian implications of such public populism. If he were to seriously consider his own proposals he would find that while a referendum in Kashmir may yield one viewpoint on the Army, a referendum in the rest of the country will yield quite another. The question of how we privilege one referendum over another only ends up taking us back to the heart of the Kashmir problem.

And while theoretically Bhushan may push for such proposals, I do not see him actually succumbing to their verdict. If a majority of this country were to opt for a temple at the disputed Ayodhya site I cannot see Bhushan subscribe to the proposal. But the problem is that while he is only a theoretician of populism, his conscience easily understanding the dangers it poses, his colleagues barring Yogendra Yadav are actually practitioners of his theoretical stance. So far they have shown far too great a willingness to mould their political positions according to what is deemed to be popular among the electorate.

This is an easy position, but it foregoes one of the primary aims of public life. Consider the question of the AFPSA in Kashmir, it would indeed be foolhardy for any government to revoke it with complete disdain for the view of the rest of the country, but surely any public figure who believes that under the current situation the use of the AFPSA in much of the Valley is an injustice must then try and mould public opinion in this direction. It is this ability to hold a point of view out of personal conviction and attempt to influence the public to see the rightness of such a view that seems to be so far missing in Kejriwal and many of the prominent leaders of the AAP. No leader can hope to remain one only by following the public mood.

So far Kejriwal and his team have shown an unwillingness to take on the mantle of leadership. They won an election and were not even clear whether they wanted to form a government. Kejriwal refused the CM's bungalow and then at first opted for a five-bedroom house, what again was he thinking, and is he next going to select his toothpaste based on a referendum?

Obviously such an approach will reach ludicrous limits. But where are the AAP leaders planning to stop? The decision to earmark seats in Delhi University for residents of the city is one such. Of all the cities in the country Delhi is the one that is not claimed by any community; that, for all its faults, has been open to outsiders from everywhere. The decision having been announced will attract its own constituency, will indeed meet the test of its own referendum designed to yield just such a result, but where was the deliberation that should have gone into it?

AAP proposes to put up candidates for the Lok Sabha. Clearly they must understand the primary job of an MP is to draft, debate and pass legislation. So far their approach is to deal with things on a case by case basis, relying on the comfortable cushion of public opinion to frame their response. I look forward to their manifesto, or manifestoes, to see if they have the stomach to buck this populist approach that actually reduces them to a cipher, or at best makes them conduits of public opinion on any issue. How will they deal with questions of minority rights or of reservations?

They have shown an ability to adapt to circumstances in the past, they should be able to do so again. But you cannot find a conscience overnight. As it is there are only a few among them who speak their mind, rather than give voice to referendums. Prashant Bhushan is one such, they would be well advised to shelter him from the requirements of mass politics. They will find no shortage of other people to become Lok Sabha MPs. Prashant Bhushan is a maverick, a man with whom I am far more likely to disagree than agree but for that reason he is essential to the AAP. They would damage themselves if they were to silence or moderate his views.

(Hartosh Singh Bal is a consulting editor at Firstpost.)

Narendra Modi takes jibe at PM with ‘better times ahead’ remark

New Delhi: Narendra Modi today took a jibe at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his "better times ahead" remark at an NRI meet while attacking UPA and said scandals, policy paralysis and divisive politics has hit people's perception and trust in the government and its leaders.

Addressing the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas plenary session, Modi exhorted NRIs to participate in the election process by voting and helping in the "revolution" taking place in the country.

Narendra Modi. Reuters image

"The Prime Minister said a good thing yesterday. He said good days are coming very soon and there is nothing to feel dejected. I agree with the Prime Minister. I don't want to say anything more. Maybe, you should wait for four to six months. Good days are surely coming," the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate said, indicating that his party would form the next government at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls.

Modi's jibe at Singh came a day after the Prime Minister sought to dispel apprehensions among the Indian diaspora on the state of the economy, saying that the country was heading towards "better times" and there was no reason to despair
about its present or worry about the future.

In his written speech distributed at the meet, Modi slammed the UPA government, saying, "The last decade in particular has witnessed unprecedented depths of petty politics, self interest and exploitation overwhelming the exalted principles of inclusive and sustainable nation building.

"A deteriorating economy; unrelenting stream of scandals and corruption exposes; poor delivery of basic services; policy paralysis, stagnating society and an overall atmosphere of divisive politics - has severely hit the people's perception of and trust in the government and its leaders."

To a question on corruption, he said the focus must change from dealing with the issue after surfacing of scams to that which helps to prevent corruption.

PTI

One year later: Yeddyurappa makes low key return to BJP

Bangalore: In a low key homecoming, former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa today formally rejoined the BJP today, more than a year after he deserted the party and floated his own outfit.

Yeddyurappa was welcomed by BJP Karnataka unit President Prahlad Joshi and other senior state leaders as he stepped into the party state headquarters along with his supporters.

He was given the party primary membership at a function in which no national leader was present.

"Let us forget the past....let us remove the mutual suspicion and work together as the children of a mother", said Yeddyurappa, who had announced the decision of his party Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) to merge with BJP a week ago.

Yeddyurappa had failed to make an impact in the state. PTI

He said "because of our certain wrong decisions" the Congress which had been pushed to the corner had returned to power in Karnataka and added, "we had committed an unpardonable crime (by enabling it)."

Yeddyurappa said the Congress was facing "bankruptcy" of leadership and the country was craving for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to become the Prime Minister.

He said the party should aim at winning more than 20 (of the 28 Lok Sabha) seats in Karnataka in the general election.

BJP had secured 18 Lok Sabha seats in the last election.

He said the party should go to the Lok Sabha polls telling the people, "pardon our mistakes. We will not repeat them."

"We have come together with an open mind," said Joshi, after welcoming Yeddyurappa in the presence of former Chief Ministers DV Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shettar and national General Secretary Ananth Kumar.

Ananth Kumar, who was perceived as a bete noire of Yeddyurappa and considered a stumbling block for his re-entry earlier said, "we will never separate. We will be together. We will fight together."

"We welcome KJP with an open mind and wholeheartedly," Kumar said. "The countdown for the end of the Congress-led government at the Centre and in Karnataka has started now with this unity".

BJP is hoping to revive its electoral fortunes with the "unconditional" return of Yeddyurappa, who had snapped his more than four-decades-old association with it in December 2012 nursing bitterness against the central leadership for removing him as Chief Minister.

Indicted by the Lokayukta on the illegal mining issue, a reluctant Yeddyurappa was asked to vacate his chair in July 2011, after which Sadananda Gowda succeeded him but made way to Shettar, both of whom were made to spend sleepless nights by him before he floated the KJP.

Relegated to third position, the BJP tasted a humiliating defeat in the 8 May Assembly polls which saw the collapse of its first ever government in the south with KJP playing the spoiler garnering six seats with 10 per cent
vote share.

Yeddyurappa, considered a strongman of Lingayats, the numerically largest community in the state, had however not made much political impact as an independent force, and faced an uncertain political future.

Both the parties had been making efforts for unity which fructified last week with BJP and KJP announcing the much expected merger after receiving the green signal from the central leadership.

PTI

AAP office attack: Part of BJP’s strategy, tweets Digvijaya Singh

Bhopal: Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh has alleged role of Sangh and BJP in the attack on Aam Aadmi Party office in Kaushambi while strongly condemning the vandalism.

"I strongly condemn the attack on AAP office," Singh wrote on micro-blogging website Twitter last night.

Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh. PTI

Activists of a fringe right-wing group had on Wednesday attacked and vandalised the AAP office at Kaushambi in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district protesting the controversial remarks of its senior leader Prashant Bhushan on the presence of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

"BJP as usual has dissociated itself from the attack and it was part of their strategy," he alleged.

Claiming that over 150 organisations have their roots in the Sangh, Singh tweeted, "If one hand strikes, the other applies balm."

"Doesn't it remind of the character in the Ramayana who had 10 faces and one body?" he asked.

Armed with sticks and bricks, about 40 activists of Hindu Raksha Dal had stormed the AAP office near the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and broke the door panes and flower pots in its front-yard.

Bhushan, who is under fire for his remarks on Kashmir, blamed the BJP and RSS-affiliated organisations for the attack on the party office, saying they were "extremely frustrated with the rise of AAP".

The BJP hit back by saying that while it condemned the violence, Bhushan should also mind his tongue when speaking on sensitive issues like Jammu and Kashmir, which is an inalienable part of the country.

 

Strongly condemn attack on AAP office by BJP/Sangh activists. BJP as usual is disassociating itself. Part of their strategy.

— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) January 8, 2014

Sangh has more than 150 organisations and all have their roots in Sangh. One hand strikes and other hand applies Balm ! Multi Faced Party !

— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) January 8, 2014

PTI

The rightwing conspiracy against Twitter’s Raheel Khursheed: A reality check

Members of the online right want Raheel Khursheed's head because Twitter India's new chief of News, Politics, and Government is an avowed Narendra Modi hater. Their outrage has in turn sparked yet another left/right social media war, with everyone calling each other the usual names (free speech fascists, anti-Hindu jihadis etc), burying all available facts in the ensuing fury.

Perhaps it is useful then to first establish at least two known and pertinent facts.

One, Khursheed does indeed loathe Narendra Modi. Sure, he has also been scathing on the subject of Rahul Gandhi. In one Quartz.com commentary, Khursheed calls Rahul's Jaipur speech "laughable," and describes his political career as oscillating "between the insipid and the uninspiring." Another open letter to the "Yuvaraj" openly mocks him as a do-nothing, entitled dynastic brat. But none of Khursheed's anti-Gandhi comments quite rise to the level of a tweet like this one: "He oversaw a Muslim massacre for fun. RT @ndtv Wrong to call Narendra Modi communal: Nitin Gadkari to NDTV."

Khursheed hasn't responded to the allegations and counter allegations so far. Image courtesy: Twitter

Anyone calling Modi a 'mass murderer' is way more than a mere critic. So let's not be accusing those enraged Modi supporters of being "over sensitive."

Two, the BJP leadership has not called for Khursheed's head. A Firstpost article quoted Arvind Gupta, the head of the information technology cell of the BJP in Kashmir, as saying: "Even if it is an internal matter of the company, I think this appointment will not be good for the neutral character of Twitter India. His tweets on a Gujarat festival are shameful."

Gupta's quote in Mint read as follows: "Twitter has been successful in becoming global by being a neutral as well as open-ended platform of communication. I am afraid that this appointment will hamper that image in India," said Arvind Gupta, the head of the information technology cell at the BJP.

Neither amount to a demand for Khursheed's resignation. Moreover, BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi clearly told Headlines Today, "Pehli baat yeh hai ki hum isse itna mahatva nahin dete."

Naqvi bluntly says that Twitter has the right to decide who it wants to employ, adding, "Us prerogative par hum kuch bole, woh baat teekh nahin hain." An immensely sensible position that no one, right or left, can argue with.

The Change.org petition requesting Twitter CEO Khursheed is not a party initiative but an effort put together by Modi fans. And that's alright too. Grassroots advocacy is not the preserve of any one side of the ideological spectrum. The rightwingers on Twitter also have every right to go after Khursheed for offending their sentiments. One assumes social media liberals would do no less if he had a documented past of racist or sexist tweets, including, say, some that described Sonia Gandhi as an "Italian waitress."

That said, it is silly for the petitioners to expect Twitter -- which is driven by frank and uncensored opinion -- to appoint an "unbiased" guy who carefully avoids offence as one of its top employees. Khursheed's tweets epitomise the anarchic spirit of the business of social media which values candour, not tact.

It is also true, however, that his views will likely make his current job -- which includes tracking and expanding "Twitter's relationships with journalists, editors and politicians" -- a wee bit tricky. But that too is as it should be. Our past social media activity often has unexpected consequences for our current professional lives.

It takes a fertile imagination to recast an online petition with a mere 2000 signatures and whole lot of Twitter abuse as a vast rightwing conspiracy to oust Khursheed. This is just another social media storm that will soon pass. No one knows this better than @raheelk himself who has stayed stoically mum except to correct one other little fact: "For the record, I am 30. Not 33. #TrueFact."

Modi’s BJP losing steam? Urban India wants AAP govt in 2014

Roughly six months back, when Arvind Kejriwal announced he would contest the Delhi polls from the very seat Sheila Dikshit filed her nomination from, a collective sigh of exasperation rang across the country. The unanimous conclsion was that this would be a gimmick that would cost the AAP dearly. Now, one successful debut election later, AAP has formed the government in Delhi, and is being touted as the party most metros would want to vote for in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The party's public image has most definitely been on a climb nationally since the Delhi elections. And the year's first Lok Sabha poll survey seems to be reflecting the party's turning fortunes by hinting that almost half the voters in the country's metropolises want to see AAP also form a government. In a poll conducted across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad by market research agency IPSOS for The Times of India, 44 percent of the respondents have said that they would like to see an AAP government at the Centre.

TOI states:

"The survey found that a third of the respondents thought AAP would win between 26 and 50 seats, another 26% felt it could win 51-100 seats, 11% said it would bag more than 100 and 5% even predicted a majority for the party. Put together, that means three-fourths of all those polled believe AAP will win more seats in 2014 than any party, barring what Congress and BJP won in 2009."

Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal. Agencies.

However, the same voters were not too sure about Kejriwal's ability to run the country and hence voted for BJP's Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of India. A whopping 58 percent of voters wanted Modi as the PM, while Arvind Kejriwal got 25 percent of the vote. Rahul Gandhi hardly registered on the radar, garnering just 14 percent votes.

However, the TOI editorial admits that the survey might have its set of limitations. Firstly, the sample size of respondents - about 2000 people - was small and was concentrated on the 18-45 age group, which is mostly in awe of AAP.

However, the response proves one thing. That while AAP is mostly on track with its Lok Sabha poll campaign. Given that voter sentiment in metros is roughly similar and hence can be addressed in the same idiom that Delhi was, the AAP already has a successful template ready to be followed in the other cities.

AAP has launched a strong social media campaign in Mumbai in the same vein, backed by popular youth figures like musician Vishal Dadlani and TV personality Raghu Ram. AAP spokespersons and grassroots leaders in Delhi are mostly young enthusiasts with activist streaks - they were the ones giving bytes to TV reporters and propelling the campaigns on Twitter and Facebook.

The party's top leadership - a motley blend of journalists, academicians, former bureaucrats - with their informed, almost university activist-like approach has traditionally found it easier to break the ice with the middle class, urban voting population. It will not be too difficult for them to repeat the same in other metros. However, an election can only be won by winning over the millions in rural India with whom the AAP leaders will not be able to immediately strike a chord with. The realities of their 'aam aadmi' is strikingly different from what AAP's version of 'aam aadmi' comes across as. For them, it isn't the bijli bill that matters, the unavailability of bijli is what they are faced with.

Accordingly, like we reported on Firstpost, the AAP is already on the way of launching a strong campaign targeted at the most deprived sections of ailing states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. On the other hand, they have decided to maintain the same public outreach strategies in metros that helped them win the polls in Delhi. Economic Times reports: "One radio ad, some on-ground campaigns and aggressive social media activity was all that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) did to build its brand during the Delhi assembly elections in 2013. And it plans to use the same strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha (LS) polls."

Soumik Mukherjee of Firstpost reported how the AAP is targeting the Bimaru states with its awareness campaigns. AAP seems to have zeroed in on the most economically and socially deprived section of voters in the said states. "In Bihar, we will be focusing on 14,000 villages where the population is less that 200. Hardly any development has taken place in theses villages. We will try take them along in our stride," says the AAP source.

But what this also shows is that the BJP might have got its finger in the wrong pies. The party is still hoping that their anti-Congress rants coupled with the star power of Narendra Modi will help them sail through the polls.

It is only after the success of AAP in Delhi, that they have reworked their youth connect strategy. Recently, they announced the recruitment of youth ambassadors in colleges to help reach out to the youth. Their social media campaign is almost always hijacked by uninvited fans who then populate the internet with filth, abuse and disable any dignified political debate.

The youth ambassador recruitment, evidently, will take its own course and will not happen overnight. Also, 5,000 ambassadors are expected to reach out to 20 lakh youth. With time running out of hands, the BJP needs an immediate overhaul of its youth outreach strategy. At least in the states AAP is planning to sink its teeth in.

LS polls 2014: Blinded by AAP’s rise, BJP may lose the plot

For a party that seemed to be finally getting its act together after 10 years, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is almost where it was in 2004 - angry, surly and unnecessarily touchy on issues. After 2004's unexpected defeat, the party lived in denial for nine years till Narendra Modi came along. Instead of building the national party and drumming up popular support, its leaders turned bitter and obstructionist in parliament. The party lacked a coherent policy at the national level, even though it always had strength at the state level.

Now, blindsided by the sudden rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the party is thrashing about in fury. It is in danger of losing the plot as it is beginning to feel that it may be cheated out of a sure win in the general elections - and may have to settle for a sub-180 seat strength in the next Lok Sabha. A sub-180 seat count makes it tougher for Modi to make it to PM.

BJP leaders at a meet. AFP.

The BJP is right to worry about the AAP, but it should be spending more time monitoring the national mood rather than worrying about what AAP is doing or saying. If AAP is rising and attracting new recruits, it is because the citizen is making new demands on political parties - and rejuvenation calls for addressing these issues. It is a simple truth in the corporate world that if your customers are changing, you have to change too. The rules are no different for political parties. They too need reinvention. Rahul Gandhi has realized it, though he is the wrong man for the job. Modi may be the right man for BJP, but one wonders if the party is willing to change as fast.

A Times of India poll today shows an overwhelming swing in the urban metropolitan mood towards AAP, with 44 percent saying they will back AAP in the Lok Sabha polls and 27 percent saying they would if the candidate is right. If the survey is anywhere representative of reality (unlikely, since the issues are still not framed for the Lok Sabha polls), AAP could end up anywhere near 20-40 seats. We don't know yet if the rural mood is also partially shifting now that AAP is rapidly establishing its urban viability, but that is another story.

The BJP's response to AAP's unexpected surge has ranged from denial to aggressive counter-attacks - as in the case of Prashant Bhushan's remarks on Kashmir. It may be unfair to link Wednesday's attack by a Hindu organisation on AAP's Ghaziabad office with the BJP, but public perceptions will still see the two as linked - something Prashant Bhushan has already alleged. The BJP will be blamed no matter what. The only plausible stand for the BJP to take in such a situation is to appear calm and unpanicked – something its spokespersons are not displaying right now.

The BJP needs to realise that Kashmir won't be the core issue in the next elections, and if it responds to every such provocation by outliers like Prashant Bhushan, it is in danger of making AAP a martyr. After that AAP will be setting the national agenda - if it hasn't done so already.

If the BJP wants to mould the agenda to its advantage, it has to respond to the electorate, not AAP. AAP is a product of the developing national mood, not its solution. It does not have a well-thought-out political or economic strategy as yet, but as it starts on a clean state, it will always be given the benefit of the doubt for this lack. Its strength is its start-up speed and ability to respond to flashmob democratic needs - something the bigger parties are unable to do.

The question is: what is the new national mood? And what has changed in the last two months where the AAP wave has been gathering speed, while the Modi bandwagon has hit a speedbreaker?

My answer is this: the earlier mood, which was merely one of anger with the Congress party's misgovernance, was about anti-incumbency and change. The AAP near-victory in Delhi has established its viability. The mood has now altered significantly. It is not just a throw-the-b******s-out anger, but includes new, growing strands of hope. The public expectations have shifted from mere change to change with hope.

AAP fits this bill naturally, given its spectacular debut in Delhi and the fresh faces it brings in. It is seen to be bringing in not just change but new hope too. It is not tarnished by association with old-style politics.

The BJP also shares part of the change agenda, but there is a gap in filling the hope agenda. If it wants to halt the AAP surge, it has to drive a new agenda of change right now to tell the people what it will bring. Without a positive agenda of new ideas, big ideas, it will be seen as merely a shade better than the Congress.

To revive its fortunes between now and April, the BJP has to take risks with a new agenda that will capture popular imagination. And yes, it has to abandon its sulks and anger over the sudden rise of AAP and the media's honeymoon with the new kid on the block. Attacking the media for its current obsession with AAP is pointless, for the media also comes from the same population that sees hope in AAP. But as always, this honeymoon will not last indefinitely with the media.

In a flashmob democracy where media, including social media, can amplify the public mood rather quickly, new parties and waves may be created rather quickly. Yogendra Yadav told The Indian Express the other day that if he had another year to prepare for the Lok Sabha polls, he would have been happier. He said: "…If I had my way with the Election Commission, I would ask them to postpone the 2014 polls by a year!"

He is likely to be wrong. It is in AAP's interest to grow like wildfire when the urban public is in love with it and does not know what it stands for. A year later, the warts will be visible on Arvind Kejriwal's face and the Sheila Dikshit fiasco will be forgotten. Also, the AAP will find it difficult to reconcile the interests of right and left that are currently driving it.

Corporate honchos like Hero Motocorp CEO Pawan Munjal, ex-Infosys CFO V Balakrishnan and ex-banker Meera Sanyal will not find it easy to live in the same tent as a socialist Prashant Bhushan, who wants to rope in CPM veteran VS Achuthanandan and anti-nuclear activists into AAP. These contradictions will all hang out a year later, which is why an early election helps AAP.

For the BJP, it is clear what it must do: monitor what the voter really wants, offer a clear governance and economic agenda of hope, and do this quickly - as in yesterday. It has to offer an alternative to AAP and the regional parties who are not its partners, not Congress.

The Congress agenda is clear; enable AAP to roll back the Modi wave and keep the BJP seats at 170 or below, stymie Modi's hopes, prop up a third front for two years and then offer itself as an alternative to AAP confusion. If AAP heads, or is part of a multi-party coalition comprising Left and regional parties, it will end up discrediting itself faster on the anti-corruption plank since all third front parties are no less corrupt than the Congress.

The BJP actually has more options before it than seems possible. First, if we accept the reality that the regional parties are as wary of AAP as BJP, they will have to choose what they think is the lesser evil. Some could choose the BJP, for it is hardly likely that AAP can partner the DMK or AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, or a Jagan Mohan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh, or the NCP-Congress in Maharashtra, or the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh without denting its own credentials. One should not be too surprised if a 180-plus BJP finds at least outside support from at least some of the regional parties.

However, whatever the poll outcome, one thing is clear: the BJP, like any other major party, has to focus on building it economic ideology and grassroots strengths. It is more than likely that the party is stronger than it seems in the south and east, and weaker than it seems in the north and the west. Both call for organizational growth. If it does not come to power in 2014, this is what the party must focus on after 2014 – and not fritter away the opposition space like Messrs LK Advani, Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley did after 2004.

Ultimately, the AAP and BJP will be enemies – and this is what the BJP has to prepare for politically. It has to provide the centre-left ballast against AAP/Congress centre-left leanings.