Modi voices concern over Iraq with US

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Voicing concern over deteriorating situation in Iraq, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he looked forward to his Summit meeting with President Barack Obama to discuss how India and the US can build a partnership for peace, stability and prosperity in the world.
Modi conveyed this to visiting US Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel who called on him in New Delhi.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister was briefed on the announcements made by Obama on the steps the US plans to take to deal with the situation in Iraq. The Prime Minister expressed concern about the deteriorating situation in Iraq and its potential implications for the region, where India has vital stakes, a PMO statement said.

The US has authorised “targeted airstrikes” against Islamic militants to protect American military personnel and airdrops of meals and water to thousands of religious minorities trapped on a mountaintop in northwest Iraq.

On the bilateral front, the Prime Minister welcomed the sustained high-level engagement by the US with the new government here. Modi told Hagel that he looked forward to his visit to the US “not just as an occasion to think in terms of what we can do for each other, but also as an opportunity to see how the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy can build a partnership for peace, stability and prosperity in the world”, the statement said.

He is expected to travel to Washington towards next month end for his first Summit meeting with Obama.

The Prime Minister underlined the importance of defence relations in the overall strategic partnership between the two countries and indicated his desire to see further progress in defence relations, including in defence manufacturing in India, technology transfer, exercises and higher studies in the field of defence.

The situation in Afghanistan also came up for discussion during Hagel’s meeting with Modi. The Prime Minister noted that an early completion of the election process in Afghanistan, which enjoys the confidence of the people there, and smooth transition of power is essential for sustaining progress towards peace, stability, democracy and development in the strife-torn country.

They also discussed their shared interest in peace and stability in wider Asia Pacific region.

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Congress ideology to be replaced with that of BJP: Amit Shah

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Addressing the BJP National Council in New Delhi on Saturday, he underlined that the party would not be in government for long unless its reach is expanded and exhorted all the ministers in Narendra Modi government to work for implementation of the party manifesto.

Shah, who is credited with getting BJP-led alliance 73 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections, said, “For long Congress ‘vichar’ (ideology) has been pre-dominant in the country’s politics. Now it is time to ensure that our ‘vichar’ (ideology) has an imprint on nation’s politics”.

He said the government would have to run efficiently to play a long innings and along with it, the party has its role of reaching to more and more people and states to carry the message of good governance.

Shah, a close confidante of Modi, slammed the former UPA government, saying it had left the country in bad condition as it had failed on all fronts.

Referring to the recent Lok Sabha polls, the new BJP chief said in his maiden speech that the electoral verdict was “defeat of dynasty politics” and the “people rejected appeasement and votebank politics”.

“When history is written, the former UPA government will be known as a government of scams,” he said at the convention which endorsed the decision to make him party chief.

Shah lauded the efforts of party cadres in ensuring landslide victory in the recent Lok Sabha polls but said the “work of strengthening BJP in many places still remains”.

He underlined that, “we cannot rule for long if party’s reach does not expand.”

Referring to the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Haryana, Shah said the party workers should focus on ensuring victory for the party on its own in all the states.

He then talked about other states like UP, Bihar, Delhi and Uttarakhand which would be having assembly polls in near future.

“We have had governments in these states… We need absolute majority in all these states…. We need to focus our energies to ensure victory in all elections, be it in panchayats or assemblies. We need to develop the habit of winning in all elections,” the party chief told the assembly of leaders and cadres.

Talking about Jammu and Kashmir, Shah said the government in the very sensitive state had crossed “all limits of corruption” and people want a change.

Asking cadres from across the country to focus on the assembly election in the state that is due later this year, he said, “the state will see development only when BJP government is formed there.”

In an apparent reference to Nehru-Gandhi family and Abdullah family, Shah said, “The two families have ensured that money does not reach the poor. We have to highlight this.”

Turning to Haryana, he said one remembers “land scams” and “some faces” when the mention of the state comes.

“There is a need to change the government in the state. We should see that BJP alone gets the majority,” he said, adding any possibility of alliance would be seen later.

Shah said BJP should also work for getting absolute majority in Maharashtra where “the condition has become bad in the last 15 years” and the state has got the notoreity of being a state with maximum farmer suicides.

With regard to Jharkhand, the BJP chief appealed to the people there to give his party one chance with full majority so that the state can develop with the potential of immense resources which go unutilised because of fractured mandate repeatedly.

Turning to UP, he said the law and order situation in the state is a matter of serious concern because of “biased” attitude of the Akhilesh Yadav government.

He alleged that law and order in the state is decided on the basis of religion.

Noting that BJP has 73 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, Shah said the party has greater responsibility than the state government in ensuring peace in the state.

“We have to exercise restraint. But we have to spread awareness about the vote-bank and appeasement policy being followed by the state government.”

Talking about Bihar where the party was ruling in alliance with JD(U) before they split last year, the BJP chief slammed JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar for allying with Lalu Prasad-led RJD.

“Nitish came to power by saying he was fighting against ‘jungle raj’ of Lalu Prasad. Now he has gone and sat in the lap of same Lalu. There is no shame. In politics, principles matter more than anything… We need expose this immoral alliance,” he said.

In the next assembly elections, he said, BJP should work to get the majority on its own in all these states.

“We will give you support but effort is yours,” he said.