India

Suspected militants attacked an Assam Rifles vehicle escorting tourists, killing two personnel and injuring several others near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border on Sunday.

Militants lobbed several grenades targeting the vehicle at Jagun 12th Mile Barabasti on NH-53 bordering Assam's Tinsukia district in the run-up to Republic Day, a defence spokesman told PTI.

The security personnel retaliated and an encounter followed with sporadic firing still continuing.

The Assam Rifles vehicle and three vehicles of tourists returning from the Pangsau festival have been damaged in grenade explosions, the spokesman said.

The entire area has been cordoned off with combing operations stepped up in the area and tourists are stranded along the highway.

The Pangsau Festival is held along the Indo-Myanmar border in the area.

The Samajwadi Party and the Congress today confirmed they will contest the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls together.

The Samajwadi Party will field 298 candidates, and the Congress 105, the SP's Uttar Pradesh chief Naresh Uttam said at a joint press conference in Lucknow.

Congress UP unit president Raj Babbar said the alliance will set an example, and that the two parties will strive for the development of Uttar Pradesh and the upliftment of the poor, ANI reported.

The two parties cemented their alliance earlier today. The Congress managed to wrangle 105 seats for itself, even as it appeared that an alliance may not happen. The party wanted to contest as many as 121 seats.

But the two reached a compromise just before Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav released the SP's manifesto today.

At least 39 people were killed and several others injured after the Jagdalpur Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express train derailed near Kuneru station in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday night. Nine coaches and the engine of the train derailed at around 11 pm on Saturday.

Relief and rescue operations were put into force by administration immediately and the railways issued a list of helpline numbers. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu offered condolences to the families of those killed in the accident and said that the investigation to ascertain the cause was started.

The Railways on Sunday suspected a sabotage which led to the accident. The probe will look into possibility of tampering of track, reported news agency PTI.

However, Director General of Police KB Singh told the media that “there is no evidence regarding the involvement of Maoists. We will inquire into the matter and Railway Safety Commissioner will also probe the matter,” he said.

Unnamed railway officials said earlier they suspected sabotage.

At least 7 devotees have died and many more have been injured in a stampede at Kachuberia during Gangasagar fair in West Bengal. The death toll is likely to rise.

The incident occurred while the devotees were trying to board a launch at the Kachuberia ghats. The stampede occurred around 5pm at jetty number 5 of Kachuberia ghats.

Three of the 7 devotees who have died at Gangasagar are from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal's panchayat and rural development minister Subrata Mukherjee has said.

"The rush to get on the last launch caused the accident," the minister said, when asked about the stampede at Kachuberia during Gangasagar fair in West Bengal.

While the state government announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the stampede victims, Prime Minister of India sanctioned Rs 2 lakh for next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured.

On Saturday, at least 16 lakh pilgrims took the holy dip at Gangasagar on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and offered puja at the Kapil Muni temple.

Six years ago, seven pilgrims were killed and nine injured, four of them seriously, when a similar stampede broke out at the Gangasagar mela.

In 2010, around four lakh pilgrims had gathered to take a holy dip at the confluence of Ganga and the Bay of Bengal in Gangasagar islands on the occasion of 'Makar Sankranti' when the stampede took place.

Lakhs of pilgrims gather at Gangasagar every year on Makar Sankranti to take a holy dip in the Ganges before it merges with the Bay of Bengal.

The Election Commission (EC) on Friday reserved its order on the symbol war between Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav.
 
The hearing lasted for over four hours as the Court heard both sides of the arguments. The decision on which group will get the party symbol will be announced later.
 
The Akhilesh camp was represented by senior lawyer Kapil Sibal who argued that majority of MPs, MLAs and MLCs along with SP delegates are in support of Akhilesh.
 
Both the Akhilesh and Mulayam camp had approached EC last week staking claim over the party symbol - bicycle following a split in the party.

Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat said on Friday reacting to the viral video by BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav, that the soldier should have had come directly to him rather than publicising the matter.

“Through the media, I wish to reach out to the rank and file of the Army. Whatever complaint they should have, they can address it through the excellent grievance redressal mechanism we have. Anyone irrespective of rank and service can reach out to me directly. We want them to come directly to us rather than through social media”, Gen Bipin Rawat said.
Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat tells soldiers he’s ready to hear their complaints

He further said that whoever has any problem should come directly to him. He said that there are suggestion and grievance boxes in the Army headquarters, and these boxes should be used to let the administration know about any such complaints.

“This press conference is very relevant to us, as I would like to reach every jawan through you (media). We are one team and we work as one force to ensure India is secure and peaceful”, he added.

“If a soldier writes to us regarding his grievances, penning down his identity; will ensure that his identity is not made public…is the person is unsatisfied with the actions taken, he can chose other ways (to solve the problem).”

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, CEO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has been appointed as the Executive Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of Tata group. Chandrasekaran’s appointment is expected to stabilise things in the group that was rocked by the unceremonious removal of former chairman Cyrus Mistry in October last.

Here we take a look at five reasons that makes Chandrasekaran the best choice for the coveted post.

To hold the corporate giant together after a tumultuous last few months, Tata Sons needed to appoint someone who is an insider. Natarajan Chandrasekaran, or Chandra as he is popularly called, has been leading TCS, the most profitable company under Tata banner, since 2009. He was appointed a director on the board of Tata Sons on October 25, 2016. The same board had ousted Mistry.

N Chandrasekaran has a legacy of successes behind him. An MCA from the Regional Engineering College, Trichy in 1987, Chandra has received multiple awards by the business community. The most recent award was “Business Leader award” for Corporate Excellence at ET Awards 2016.

TCS is a perennial cash cow for Tata group, apart from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) led by Ralf Speth, who is a German. TCS revenue jumped three-fold from Rs 30,000 crore in 2010 to Rs 1.09 lakh crore in 2016. In the third quarter of 2016, TCS earned a net profit of Rs 6,778 crore, which was 2.9 per cent up quarter on quarter (Q-o-Q) basis and 10.9 per cent year on year (Y-o-Y) in the third quarter.

Chandra’s international exposure is incomparable in the Tata group. TCS caters to some of the largest international companies in the world including GE, JP Morgan, Wal Mart, Quantas, Cisco and Vodafone.

Chandrasekaran, 53, comes with a proud history of leading one of the biggest tech companies for several years. His presence at the top of Tata Sons may help provide a digital makeover to the entire group, which also happens to be a necessity in present times. Chandra’s experience in digital businesses would come handy, not just for the company but employees also.

Chandrasekaran is known to take risks and tough business decisions. Many times he has disrupted the established norms of business. For instance, he had broken TCS into 23 units for smooth service delivery and operations. This strategy was even adopted by Infosys later.

The biggest risk a company as big as Tata always faces is the loss of face value. The ensuing acrimony after Mistry’s removal has dented Tata’s image as a reliable brand and shaken investors’ confidence. With Chandrasekaran at the helm of affairs, all of this would expectedly change for the good in no time.

Former India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, saying that the country will suffer a loss of Rs 1.5 lakh crore from the note ban and the "worse" was yet to come.
 
"Demonetisation has hurt the country hard. Things have gone bad in the last two months, but worse is yet to come," said Manmohan Singh, addressing the Congress' Jan Vedna Sammelan.
 
"The beginning of the end has come," he added.
 
"Modi's propaganda that the national income of India in the last two years has gone up, has failed... The 7.6 per cent growth rate of country has come to 7 per cent in only a few months as a consequence of steep fall in the GDP of the country," the former Prime Minister, himself a well-known economist, said.
 
Speaking on the issue, Chidambaram questioned claims that a Cabinet meeting took place before Modi's November 8 announcement of demonetising Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes.
 
"According to the records we have been able to access so far, there is no record of a Cabinet meeting on November 8. We are yet to see a cabinet note of the meeting that took place, there has to be some record of the meeting taking place," Chidambaram said.
 
"Ministers were kept prisoners till the Prime Minister announced the demonetisation decision," he alleged.
 
Chidambaram claimed demonetisation was Modi's "unilateral" decision.
 
"Demonetisation was the decision of one person. ‘I am the Fuhrer. I am the leader. I must decide'," he said, mocking Modi and going on to add: "All will have to suffer because of the folly of one person."
 
Pointing out that post-demonetisation the country's growth rate forecast has come down from 7.6 per cent to 7 per cent; Chidambaram said for the loss of every one per cent in GDP growth, the country "will face a loss of Rs 1.5 lakh crore."
 
"I demand that the government pay compensation to the daily wage workers who lost their livelihoods," he said, adding that 45 crore people lost their livelihood for 70 days "due to one man's decision."
 
Chidambaram also dared Modi to put to test his claims of demonetisation putting an end to black money, corruption and fake currency.
 
He also slammed Modi for his push towards cashless economy.
 
"When the Prime Minister talks of a cashless society, he talks of something that never happened anywhere. He has no right to decide that. It's my choice to use cash or card."
 
"I am throwing another challenge to the Prime Minister. In the months of May and June, engineering, medical colleges will open and capitation fee will be taken. Can the Prime Minister assure that the parents need not worry? That no capitation fee will be asked or taken. Can he give that promise?" he asked.

Attacking the Modi government over its policies and decision, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the Centre is trying scare people but his party stands with them and they don’t need to fear.

Speaking at Congress convention at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi, Gandhi said his party’s symbol (hand) is omnipresent in every religion and it signifies that people of any religion should not fear the government as Congress is with them.

“I found Congress symbol in Shiv ji, Gurunanak, Buddha, Mahavir’s pictures. I asked Karan Singh ji what does it mean? He said ‘daro mat’ sachhayi ka saamna karo’,” said Gandhi adding, “Congress philosophy says ‘daro mat’, and the other philosophy says ‘daro aur darao'”.

“Policies introduced by the Congress have helped the people of this country to be fearless,” Gandhi said. “But what has (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji done? He has made farmers of the country fear and also said that I shall snatch your land if you don’t listen to me,” Gandhi said, referring to the land acquisition act.

“If there is any natural calamity then also the government won’t give any compensation to farmers. If any tribal man stands and says that it is my land, forest or home, he is shot dead,” Gandhi alleged.

“Whether it is Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, wherever they go they spread fear,” the Congress leader said, referring to the BJP-ruled states. “It is a clash between two philosophies. Congress says ‘daro mat’ (don’t fear), BJP says ‘daro aur darao’ (create fear and frighten),” Gandhi said, adding, “wherever we (Congress) go we spread the message of fearlessness”.

Taking a dig at the prime minister, Gandhi said, “Modi ji ne kya kiya? kaha ki mera naam Narendra Modi hai aur mai tumse tumhari (farmers) zameen chheen sakta hoon. I told them daro mat. Ye desh akalmand desh hai, angrezon ko bhagaya hai. Chaand tak mission bhej diya hai. (What did Modi do? He said My Name is Narendra Modi and I can snatch your land. This is a country of intelligent people. We have thrown Britishers out of the country. Sent mission on mood, we won’t be fooled by Modiji)”

Hitting out at Modi’s demonetisation policy, Gandhi said, “Crores of people were standing in lines, did you find any corrupt person there? The corrupt ones were at the bank’s backdoor.” He also recited an old song featuring Amitabh Bachchan to describe the demonetisation policy. “Ram naam japna, gareeb ka maal apna- ye philosophy hai suit-boot ki sarkar ki; isi se aapko ladna hai,” said Gandhi.

He also woed that his party will save the country from the hatred being spread by the RSS and the BJP government. “RSS aur BJP desh ko barbaad kar rahi hain, nafrat faila kar, DeMonetisation implement karke desh ko barbaad kar rahe hain. Hum aapko bachaynegy (RSS and BJP is destroying the social fabric of this country by spreading hatred, by implementing demonetisation. But Congress will rescue this country),” said Gandhi.

Congress Party’s Jan Vedna Sammelan was called to highlight the ‘misfortunes’ caused to the people of India due to the demonetisation move by Prime Minister Modi on November 8 last year.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and estranged father Mulayam Yadav could meet tomorrow morning in Lucknow to revisit attempts at burying their differences - or at least compute a workable solution that would prevent their Samajwadi Party from splitting ahead of the election that begins next month, said sources this evening.

"Akhilesh will be the Chief Minister after the election," said Mulayam Singh this evening, hours after he said "there is no rift with Akhilesh." Both statements suggest that the 77-year-old has grabbed a line to climb out of the hole he dug by earlier declaring that he alone would decide who would be the Chief Minister if the Samajwadi Party is re-elected.

Over the last few months, Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh have pulled the party in different directions, each guided by a relative that is distrusted by the other. Mulayam Singh has been flanked by brother Shivpal Yadav, and, more recently, Amar Singh. The Chief Minister has teamed with Ram Gopal Yadav, his father's cousin.

Tired of being relegated to a witness in his father's plan for the election, Akhilesh Yadav on January 1 put the squeeze on by having himself declared the Samajwadi President, the title held by his father. He also declared his own list of candidates to counter that of his father. Later, he reportedly conveyed that he would step down to make way for Mulayam Singh as president after the election, but not before then, because he did not want to risk Shivpal Yadav and Amar Singh making crucial decisions. There has been no indication yet that Mulayam Singh will grant his son's wish of stripping them of any prominence.

To display that the party backs him, Akhilesh Yadav has held a series of meetings attended by the vast majority of his party's legislators and top leaders. Their signatures, pledging allegiance to him, have been furnished to the Election Commission to back his claim to the party symbol, the cycle. Mulayam Singh has filed his own petition, alleging that as the founder, the cycle belongs with him. The easy recall of the symbol among voters makes it election gold.  

The Yadavs have danced around a compromise for weeks, only to circle back to their points of dispute. But for now, Mulayam Singh's remarks will allow his party to wonder anew if his son and he will find a way to ride the cycle in tandem.