General Elections 2014- Transition of power & World Reaction

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 28 May 2014 22:44

VikasRaina wrote:What is with this non-sense of keeping friends close and Enemies closer. A enemy too close can stab you inconveniently. Better keep enemy at arms length, In fact make the length double the barrel of AK-47 so that yuou can shoot with zen calm.
One more non-sensical dialogue from western movie which everyone laps up.

And judging by his guest list and photo op, evidently Modi.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 28 May 2014 22:46

by VikasRaina
What is with this non-sense of keeping friends close and Enemies closer. A enemy too close can stab you inconveniently. Better keep enemy at arms length, In fact make the length double the barrel of AK-47 so that yuou can shoot with zen calm.

A vessal state has an annual tribute to pay otherwise if they are not contacted at least annually they get delusions of grandeur. A Raja has to come to Maharaja annually., or else Maharaja needs to do Ashmev Yagna.

Among all the SAARC states only nPakis have delusions of being Equal=Equal with India.

Bottom line is to reduce nPakistanis to the same level as our other friends in neighborhood and precisely by having many such meeting along with other SAARC states .

We discussed
1. Water sharing, power plants, Dams and Business with Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
2. Voice samples of terrorists, terrorism with nPakis and Maldives and abolishing of article 370 with closet pakis.
3. Power plants with Lanka along with Tamil Human rights issues.
4. Defense equipment for Afghanistan along with attack on Herat.

That's excellent going as well as strategic affairs are concerned!!

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 28 May 2014 22:56

edited

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 28 May 2014 22:57

prasannasimha wrote:Why is it that the BJP site does not allow one to make payments.The CC avenue site doesn't work.

please donate to vanabasi kalyan ashram or vivekananda kendra.
they need it much more than BJP.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 28 May 2014 23:45

Billionaire Scorecard: Indian Oil Tycoon Makes $3.2 Billion On Modi Election
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexande ... -election/

Each issue, Forbes tracks the billionaires who made and lost the most money since we last published. Here are the winners and losers from April 30 to May 20.Mukesh Ambani
+$3.2 billion
Net worth: $25.5 billion
No one makes more from the election of business-friendly Prime Minister Narendra Modi than oil tycoon Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 29 May 2014 02:27

SBajwa, a great man is one who makes small men feel great.Our PM did just that by his invitation, but also showcased the grandeur and greatness of India by the magnificent spectacle of the function at Rashtrapati Bhavan! He also brought together all SAARC leaders/countries with a view to kickstart key issues right from day 1.Another message to our own MEA mandarins. "I am the boss", not the babus.

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 29 May 2014 16:48

TIMES NOW ‏@timesnow 12m

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit India on June 8, to meet Narendra Modi

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 29 May 2014 17:24

ANI ‏@ANI_news 1h

Chinese Premier conveyed Govt's desire to establish robust partnership with India for further dev. of relations betwn the two nations : MEA

Ananth Krishnan ‏@ananthkrishnan 3h

PM Modi has had a telephonic conversation with Chinese PM Li Keqiang at 1:15 pm IST this afternoon, his first with a foreign leader as PM.

Ananth Krishnan ‏@ananthkrishnan 3h

PM Modi tells Chinese PM Li Keqiang China "always a priority" in India's foreign policy, invites President Xi to visit India this year.

Not so subtle messaging?

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 29 May 2014 17:41

pankajs wrote:
PM Modi tells Chinese PM Li Keqiang China "always a priority" in India's foreign policy, invites President Xi to visit India this year.
Not so subtle messaging?

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 30 May 2014 01:10

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/29/world ... india.html
Beginning of a New Era for India?
EMANUEL JO SAAP

( BDY WARNING AND DISCLAIMER )

NEW DELHI — On Monday, the swearing-in of the new Indian prime minister began like a mishap. The ceremonial head of state, President Pranab Mukherjee, who administered the oath, said, “I” and looked sideways as though he were about to say, “I really wanted to be prime minister.”For that was once considered his destiny, and it was almost within his grasp as a powerful leader of the Indian National Congress. But the party chose Manmohan Singh and eventually got rid of Mr. Mukherjee honorably by nominating him as president, which is a bit like the British monarch but without the estate. Mr. Mukherjee, of course, stopped after “I” and looked at Narendra Modi, who then read the oath and assumed office as the head of government. In an unsung coincidence, the man who administered the oath had contributed in an immeasurable way to the rise of Mr. Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. For Mr. Mukherjee was a disaster as finance minister from 2009 to 2012. The relationship between Indian business and the government deteriorated as he presided over a slowing economy, and the Congress party never recovered.As Mr. Modi and his ministers were sworn in, the news media covered the event with enthusiastic optimism, with television commentators showering compliments on the newborn government, which they said looked a lot like its single parent, Mr. Modi.Yet, the new cabinet is not a major departure from the old. Thirteen of Mr. Modi’s ministers are facing criminal charges in courts, including serious ones like attempted murder and kidnapping. And, although Mr. Modi has portrayed himself as a friend of youth, most of his ministers are over 60 and looked older as they climbed up a short flight of stairs to take the oath.What appeared to impress political observers most was the presence of leaders of neighboring nations who had accepted Mr. Modi’s unusual invitation to witness his installation. Pakistan’s prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was on hand, but minutes after Mr. Modi was sworn in, as though in tribute, Pakistan’s paramilitary forces opened fire on the Indian border.Political analysts hoped that the two leaders would get along. From Mr. Modi’s tweets after a banquet on Monday, it appeared that one thing the two men share is a love for their mothers.
Mr. Modi and his party had received only 31 percent of the vote, but within this fraction there was a rare political treaty between the elite and the poor. In recent times the two segments have often despised each other’s political choices, though in December they appeared to have found a consensus in backing Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party as chief minister of Delhi.But that accommodation was transformed in a matter of weeks as Mr. Kejriwal’s incurable appetite for street demonstrations even once he became chief minister ensured that the middle class and the poor joined in losing faith in him. The day Mr. Modi was sworn in as prime minister in Delhi, Mr. Kejriwal was in prison not far away, swatting mosquitoes of which there were many in his cell. He was jailed following a charge of defamation brought by the former president of Mr. Modi’s party, Nitin Gadkari, whom Mr. Kejriwal had accused of corruption.
The core of Mr. Modi’s cabinet includes Rajnath Singh, the new home affairs minister and a former physics lecturer who believes that ancient Hindu scriptures and a conversation with the poet Rabindranath Tagore helped Werner Heisenberg formulate quantum mechanics; Arun Jaitley, finance and defense minister and an articulate lawyer who was too suave to win a seat for his party when he contested the general elections; and Sushma Swaraj, external affairs minister and once a prime ministerial aspirant who has a tense relationship with Mr. Modi.
Across the nation, people watched on television the first light of the new government whose urgent mission is to infuse life into the economy. Among them, a 6-year-old girl, after being told that Mr. Modi was the new prime minister, asked, “Is he a nice man?”his election season, as the nation voted for a better material life, it was somehow the least relevant question

member_23692 · Post by **member_23692** » 30 May 2014 03:53

{Deleted. Please note that this thread is meant to discuss the conduct of the world's largest democratic election exercise. It is NOT a thread to discuss politics and government policy of the current incumbent. Since you chose to divert the discussion, your post has been deleted.}

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 30 May 2014 06:02

Oman Paper

http://www.omantribune.com/index.php?pa ... ding=India

Modi demands 100-day plan from ministers
NEW DELHI Taking steps to fulfil his avowed agenda of good governance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asked his ministers to come up with a plan of action for the first 100 days, lay thrust on efficiency and delivery in their work and give quick response to representations from states and public representatives.

Modi spelled out some guidelines for his ministers at a meeting of the union cabinet earlier in the day.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, who briefed reporters after the meeting, listed the guidelines but did not say if the government had finalised its top 10 priorities.

Naidu said Modi had told his cabinet colleagues that the main issue was good governance.

“The prime minister said that the main issue was governance. That is the need of the hour and there is need to focus on it. He said delivery and efficiency is important and there was also need to pay attention to its implementation,” he said.

Naidu said the prime minister heard the ministers and gave suggestions on some issues, as well as telling cabinet ministers to take their ministers of states into confidence and give them adequate work.

He said Modi was keen that the “spirit of federalism was followed” and had told the ministers that there should be immediate response to representations from states.

“State proposals should not be kept pending for long. There is need to take states along,” he said.

The issues raised by MPs and by the people should also be viewed in all seriousness and resolved soon,” Naidu added.

Modi, who served as Gujarat chief minister for over 12 years, had often complained about the indifference of the central government to some issues raised by his state.

The prime minister, who is expected to separately meet ministers and secretaries of various departments in the coming days, asked the ministers to prepare their priority agenda for their first 100 days and “decide on priorities”, Naidu said.

He said departments had been asked to prepare a list of issues that were pending from the UPA government and implement them.There is speculation that Modi may address the nation possibly after the parliament session June 4-11.

The Modi government also moved to prevent possibility of nepotism with the ministers asked to select their personal staff from the general pool.

Officials said the department of personnel and training has issued a circular making it clear that the union ministers will have to select their personal staff from the general pool which would end the system of handpicking officials, sometimes even relatives.They said some ministers in the past had appointed their relatives as their personal staff.

On the issue of giving work to Ministers of State, Naidu said Modi wants them to be taken along in proper spirit because “a new team” is to be built.

“The spirit of the message has been understood by all the ministers. But an MoS is an MoS. Try to understand. A Cabinet Minister is responsible. They have to segregate work. He cannot give total decision-making to an MoS. But certain work has to be given to the MoS so that they have satisfaction of having some role,” he said.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 30 May 2014 07:30

While the style of the new dispensation is a welcome breeze/tsunamo clearing and purifying the air in the corridors of power in the capital,the new IOR "Pax-Indica" firmly planted by Mr.Modi at his swearing in by inviting the leaders of the SAARC group to witness his "coronation",must be viewed with some misgiving in the salons of the West,who have been used to "tribute" from Indian leaders in recent times,especially from Surrender Singh.

The visit shortly from the Chinese PM is another signal as to the direction that the new dispensation is going to take.While Mr.Modi will be taking urgent measures to beef up Indian security vs China,he will also be trying to engage it further economically for mutual benefit,just as the Russians have done with their $400B mega gas deal.As one commentator has put it,no longer is there a uni-polar world,but a multi-polar one,where the BRICS nations will play an increasingly dominant role. O'Bomber's recent West Point speech where he announced the effective "retreat" of the US in its expeditionary foreign policy and warfare,at least for the time being,is being read and understood very well by nations around the globe,that the US can no longer be relied upon for regional security.The speed with which firang diplomats want to visit India and engage with the new dispensation is an acknowledgement that a new era has begun.

Rana · Post by **Rana** » 30 May 2014 20:46

Rajdeep Sardesai, Sagarika to quit as Reliance takes over Network 18

http://odishasuntimes.com/58389/rajdeep ... etwork-18/

We badly need a Fox News type channel in India to trump the leftie MSM. This is a start.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 30 May 2014 20:52

Rana wrote:Rajdeep Sardesai, Sagarika to quit as Reliance takes over Network 18

http://odishasuntimes.com/58389/rajdeep ... etwork-18/

We badly need a Fox News type channel in India to trump the leftie MSM. This is a start.

No. Fox news works by fear mongering and playing same old tunes even when it is jarring to 'non core fox' listeners and generally being lampooned as biased source and rightly so.

with most of electorate being young and going to be young for many years to come, there should be a channel that gives no nonsense news mixed with programs that gets the point across with humor and satire and political programs that gives more airtime to bjp/nda figures.

Rana · Post by **Rana** » 30 May 2014 21:09

Gus wrote:
Rana wrote:Rajdeep Sardesai, Sagarika to quit as Reliance takes over Network 18

http://odishasuntimes.com/58389/rajdeep ... etwork-18/

We badly need a Fox News type channel in India to trump the leftie MSM. This is a start.
No. Fox news works by fear mongering and playing same old tunes even when it is jarring to 'non core fox' listeners and generally being lampooned as biased source and rightly so.

That is why I said Fox News "type." We need a conservative channel to show a mirror to the leftie channels. We similarly need a WSJ type publication, both are incidentally Murdoch owned. If Mukesh Ambani could be our Rupert, all strength to him.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 31 May 2014 08:02

Hopefully People's War Daily has an opening for Roj-dip.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 31 May 2014 09:30

I would not want any one to suffer Roj-dip or his sidekick.

vic · Post by **vic** » 31 May 2014 09:51

Better to have the Christian TV owned by Indian Marwari rather than controlled by CIA.

vic · Post by **vic** » 31 May 2014 10:01

Now can somebody ask Birlas to take over Randi TV also and end the headache?

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 31 May 2014 10:14

the usually clued in tridib raman claims fareed zakaria is tipped to takeover network 18.
so fox news alright, it would act for US and against India.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 31 May 2014 10:38

Zakaria since 16 May has suddenly become pro Indian on CNN.

Arjun · Post by **Arjun** » 31 May 2014 11:28

vic wrote:Now can somebody ask Birlas to take over Randi TV also and end the headache?

You mean the same way they controlled Hindustan Times ?

But perhaps the dregs got restricted to KK Birla side of things.

nvishal · Post by **nvishal** » 31 May 2014 11:32

Once it became clear that modi would win the elections, many vocal anti-BJP supporters have changed colour.

Zakaria, pakistan etc have concluded that in this situation(modi finally becoming PM), it is better for them to engage with modi than to oppose him.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 31 May 2014 12:26

vic wrote:Now can somebody ask Birlas to take over Randi TV also and end the headache?

What makes you think that the current generation of Birla's will be any different than the current owners of the said channel.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 31 May 2014 13:28

Most of the Indian oligarchs have decades old relationship with the INC cabal and have benefited enormously from it - read crony capitalism. I don't expect them to suddenly turn patriots. So I don't have high hopes in Ambani taking over Network 18.

SanjayC · Post by **SanjayC** » 31 May 2014 14:01

Pratyush wrote:
vic wrote:Now can somebody ask Birlas to take over Randi TV also and end the headache?
What makes you think that the current generation of Birla's will be any different than the current owners of the said channel.

Birlas already own the Hindustan Times and we know what kind of Congress whore the paper is.

Manish_Sharma · Post by **Manish_Sharma** » 01 Jun 2014 05:06

^Ha haa! congis made shobhna bhartiya the editor of Hindustan times a Rajyasabha member, her junior vinod sharma of hindustan times is brazenly congi without any shame. Nope, too compromised these birla people.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 01 Jun 2014 05:14

Who did the Muslims vote in general election

Indian Muslims and Parliamentary Elections

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 01 Jun 2014 05:20

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/i ... 070375.ece

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 01 Jun 2014 06:04

From where Chidu has all this rubbish figures. Peoples Daily?

arijitkm · Post by **arijitkm** » 01 Jun 2014 20:04

British Indian MP Priti Patel criticises BBC over Narendra Modi coverage. The Economic Times

A British Indian MP has strongly criticised the BBC for a programme on India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi that she stated was not objective.

In a letter to BBC Director General Lord Tony Hall dated May 19, Priti Patel, British prime minister David Cameron's Indian diaspora champion, brought to notice the complaints she received about BBC Newsnight aired May 16, which covered the day the results of India's general elections were announced.

"Many in the British Indian community, particularly those of Gujarati origin, were offended by the reporting about prime minister-elect Narendra Modi," Patel, the MP from Britain's Witham constituency in Essex, stated.

She pointed out that the programme's presenter, Yalda Hakim, referred to Modi as a "controversial figure" from the beginning of the programme.

"Modi's political opponents have portrayed him as being 'controversial', so by using this reference, the BBC, who should be impartial, is giving acceptance to the political position of Modi's opponents rather than reporting objectively," Patel stated.

"The term 'controversial' could be used to describe a large number of politicians, which is why many people in Britain's Indian community believe its use purely in relation to Modi in the news item was unbalanced."

She also pointed out to to the fact that Hakim stated in the programme that Modi had "blood on his hands" and he was "India's most divisive politician".

"Modi secured the largest democratic mandate in world history in a peaceful and professional manner, with his party winning a majority of votes throughout India and able form a government. This was a point that was not conveyed by the presenter," Patel, a Conservative Party MP, wrote.

..........
..........

akashganga · Post by **akashganga** » 01 Jun 2014 21:08

ramana wrote:Zakaria since 16 May has suddenly become pro Indian on CNN.

I recall few years back Zakaria in his show spoke about BJP being anti muslim and anti christian briefly. That time he did not anticipate BJP coming to power. I have observed that CNN toes the lines of US foreign policy establishment when it comes to reporting foreign affairs. US foreign office is finding egg on its face seeing Modi becoming PM by a historic margin history after it denied Modi a visa to come to US.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 01 Jun 2014 22:50

Narayana Rao wrote:From where Chidu has all this rubbish figures. Peoples Daily?

The Chindu and the p-secular cohort want to deny Modi mandate to change and are publishing non-sequitor stats. The only stat that counts is 336 in Lok Sabha. All others are irrelevant.

If they persist then the people's mandate can be used to dismiss Omar and his gang of thieves.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 02 Jun 2014 08:04

Here is a little known story about the recent Indian elections.

Many years ago Rajnikant was travelling through Gujarat when he met a young man who was selling tea. Rajnikant bought a cup of tea from that young Gujarati tea seller.

..the rest is history.

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 02 Jun 2014 08:56

...Soon after that, the European Union and many other countries followed suit. The British government ended the boycott in 2012 and many countries followed the trend immediately...

Is it true, that poodlistan and EU followed the lead?

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 03 Jun 2014 07:15

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articl ... 22816.html
Ronald Reagan Is Alive in ( Jagat Guru) India

Narendra Modi won an overwhelming victory in the Indian election. He avoided or minimized contentious issues, like Hindu nationalism. The Republicans can learn a lot by following a similar strategy on religion. Modi’s campaign emphasized growth, a better future, and a program for achieving improved living standards for everyone. He charged the current government with “tax terrorism” because it repeatedly changed India's tax rates and tax law. That created uncertainty, an enemy of business investment and economic growth.The Indian election was a classic confrontation between the proponents of growth and the advocates of redistribution and the welfare state. Growth won across the board in all classes and regions. The young especially voted for growth. The same message brought Ronald Reagan to the presidency for two terms. Like Reagan, Modi urged voters to choose growth and opportunity instead of redistribution, higher tax rates, and envy.
This message worked for President Reagan. And it worked for Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. It offers opportunity to the many willing to work for a better life.Republicans should make this message their main themes in the 2014 and 2016 elections. We know that President Obama’s party, like the Indian Congress party, is committed to more redistribution, a larger welfare state, and more regulation of the internet, the environment, investment, consumption, business, and labor. That policy can be called “regulatory terrorism” because like tax terrorism it discourages investment and growth. President Obama, like the incumbent party in India, never tires of urging higher tax rates to finance more redistribution.The media in India and the west attacked Modi’s character by reviving a 12 year-old episode of Hindu-Muslim confrontation in which he was not directly involved. Instead of letting that become the central issue of the campaign, Modi stayed with his program of growth and opportunity. He opposed the counter-productive uncertainty and increased redistribution generated by the incumbent government. The main opposition, the Congress party, gathered fewer votes than in any previous election.Indian voters responded to Modi’s message. They rejected slow growth and increased redistribution. They voted for a better future. The Republican Party should likewise encourage Americans to vote for a better future. The party should adopt as its campaign slogan: “We will make your life and your children’s lives better. We offer opportunity not envy.” It should articulate a program to encourage investment, reduce regulation, lower tax rates, extend personal freedom, approve the pipeline, and improve education by expanding school choice. ( Reezon For OOObama to Avoid Modi Visit to USA)

. Much regulation of firms circumvents the promise of equal justice for all in the U.S. Constitution by replacing the rule of law—equal treatment under the law—with special rights and privileges for those who finance the governing party in elections.Just as Modi did not ignore the mistakes made by the Congress party, the Republicans should not ignore the Obama administration’s many blunders and its failure after more than five years to get a recovery that generates jobs and higher incomes. The unemployment rate has fallen mainly because workers have stopped looking for work. Investment remains sluggish. Instead of investing in our future, many firms buy back their stock. That’s a message that says their outlook is for slow growth and sluggish demand. No wonder. The administration’s program calls for more taxes on the highest incomes and more regulation. They offer envy not opportunity by appealing to women, environmental extremists, and other disaffected groups.The main message of the Indian campaign is that if voters are offered a clear choice, they will choose opportunity. They want a candidate who will fight for a positive program that promises to make life better for them and everyone who wants to work by returning to the kinds of policies that made us the wealthy country that we are. It’s the choice of opportunity instead of envy and redistribution. It’s the choice the Republicans should make as their centerpiece. They should declare that they are the party of opportunity and that they have a plan to make life better for everyone.The details of that plan are as old as the republic: Reduce tax rates, eliminate much regulation, shift regulation to a system that gives the regulated incentives to reduce external costs, and start on a long-term program to reduce the unsustainable funded and unfunded federal debt. That’s a lengthy list, but it is only the beginning. We must add to it improvements in the education system to increase competition by chartering more independent schools and reform in the immigration system to bring more educated, skilled workers into the economy.

We are swamped with evidence of pessimism about our future. For example, young workers, aged 18-34, are leaving the labor force and corporations are repurchasing shares instead of investing in new plants and services. That should be a wake up call telling us that many do not see a future that returns to the higher growth we had in past decades.The response should be that democratic capitalism is the only system the world has known that provides economic growth, opportunity, and freedom. That system produces new ideas, new products, and new opportunities better and more abundantly than any system mankind has found. Democratic capitalism is not perfect; it is a human system so it has human faults. But it does better at producing opportunity, growth, and freedom than any of the utopian offerings that planners and bureaucrats would put in its placeModi showed as the chief minister of the Indian state of Gujarat that the future need not be bleak. He offered the voters opportunity instead of envy and more redistribution. The voters responded enthusiastically. That’s the lesson the Republican Party should take from the Indian election and use to win an overwhelming victory at home. The message is: “Here’s how we will make your life and your children’s lives better.”

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 03 Jun 2014 07:19

^ that article shows US Media/intelligencia is as hollow as its sepoy network in India. It shows how little understanding they have about India.

Now I understand why our Maharshi's made the concepts of Dharma, Atman, Bharat as subtle as they are...

Anoraniyan Mahatomahiyan....

Shreeman · Post by **Shreeman** » 04 Jun 2014 16:30

A few random last thoughts:

* Mr Modi seems to prefer ethnic dresses: Not since Indira have the western world leaders dealt with fancy dress leaders coming from India. And Saris are common among women. The saffron dhoti kurta or even sherwani has a distinct hippy eh.. sorry , new world connotation. ABV was a distinct sherwani person too, but Bush was never considered sophisticated, and there was no baggage. ABV had no aversion to the formal "safari suit"/close enough type garments for real formal occasions. The body language in the first meetings with western world will be interesting. I see that Hollande has enough on his hands with Putin/Obama, so wonder when that will be.

* There is no PM's wife again: Ditto for ABV. While this does not matter at all in the japan/china scene, western media wants to promote their first ladies. Even if the oresident is married and his wife is the first lady. Modi will be traveling alone.

* He is a vegetarian: So sharing a meal or talking about it is sort of out. I presume wine is a no go too.

In short, he is about as much an outsider as I am. State visits, if any, are likely to be short on "social" functions. Nothing makes the western establishment uneasy as someone they cant share a meal, a drink or a laugh about. The laugh bit is mine, the US attemots at sending comedians to India added thgat.

* I wonder who travels with him on State visits, if trade delegations somehow overtake political baggage it could be interesting.

* What is the new grand bargain foir him with thge US/west? He has been east focussed. West hasno idea how to deal with him. Who is close to the west in the cabinet? Or is it the tenured advisers who will be the go-between? External affairs is certainly not in a position to be proactive.

* How long can you safely wait before some sort of detente? Who gives in first? Nisha Biswal is not likely to cut it. Neither UK nor US have statesmen who can act as conduits. Dont even mention Hillary or Kerry. Plus irritants are not likely to go away, and presidential campaign startrs past mid-term in november. Lame duck-ery will withhold anything from the west sans France.

Pretty sad state of affairs if you ask me.

Oh, and go Fennec for 197 LUH as the first big defense contract. Soon too.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 04 Jun 2014 16:56

Why should India care about the relations with the Khans. We need to mind our own business and deal with the Khans on a transactional basis.