Bureaucrat-turned-politician Alphons Kannanthanam began his political journey by becoming an independent MLA backed by the Communist Party of India-Marxist in Kerala in 2006 but joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2011. Kannanthanam, a 1979 batch IAS officer, quit his high-profile career and plunged into electoral politics by successfully contesting from Kanjirappally in Kottayam district. Though he was offered a second chance by the Left in the next assembly polls, Kannanthanam, […]

If the government is to be believed, demonetisation has not been a failure, despite the return of 99 per cent of the banned notes. They still claim it has been a success. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, speaking on the day the Reserve Bank of India or RBI released data showing only 1 per cent of the cash did not end up with the banks, said, “The real objects of demonetisation […]

Modi shocked India when Rs 500 (£6) and Rs 1,000 (£12) notes were withdrawn Panic set in across India with many people rushing to exchange their life-savings People were forced to declare, exchange or throw away their money Black money refers to funds earned on the black market, on which income and other taxes have not been paid. It was thought that black money would get burnt or caught in […]

To counter increasing evidence that demonetisation may have dented the Indian economy, the government has put out a series of statistics to show that the contentious move to scrap Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 banknotes last November has improved economic health, specifically by expanding India’s tax base. In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that 56 lakh people filed Personal Income Tax Returns after demonetisation, an increase […]

A huge number of donations to political parties came from unknown sources over the last four years — a practice the Election Commission has been trying to discourage. More than 3,000 donations in this period came without donors’ details like Permanent Account Number (PAN) or addresses, said the Delhi-based think tank, Association of Democratic Rights or ADR, in a report. Political parties are required to submit details of donors who […]

India is “behaving like a mature power” in tackling the Doklam standoff in the Sikkim sector and making China look like an adolescent throwing a “temper tantrum”, a top American defence expert has said. India and China have been locked in a  face of in Doklam for the last 50 days after Indian troops stopped the Chinese People’s Liberation Army from building a road in the area. Praising India’s conduct […]

Last week, Narendra Modi didn’t mince words to BJP MPs as he welcomed Amit Shah to Parliament for his first term in the Rajya Sabha. Lashing out at truant lawmakers who have embarrassed the government on at least three occasions during the just concluded Monsoon Session, he warned, “Amit Shahji ke (Parliament mein) aane se aap ke mauj-masti ke din samaapt ho gaye hain.’’ In other words, with Shah’s entry into Parliament, […]

Despite the tension between the two nations, along with the aggressive rhetoric from Beijing, increasing with every passing day over the military standoff in Sikkim sector, India’s security apparatus is certain that China will not risk a war or even a “small-scale military operation”.  Times of India, in its report, cited sources in the security establishment saying that a “face-saving” workable option is both for India and China to simultaneously […]

Following reports that Hafiz Saeed is looking to launch his own political party in Pakistan, India on Friday said that Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and the mastermind of Mumbai terrorist attack is trying to hide his blood stained hands behind ballot ink. Speaking about reports of Saeed deciding to launch his own political party in Pakistan by renaming his terror outfit JuD as Milli Muslim League Pakistan, Indian External Affairs Ministry […]

Former President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday shared a letter he had received from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his last day in office that touched his heart.  In the letter, PM Modi heaped praise on Mukherjee saying that he had always been “a father figure and a mentor” to him, and that his “wisdom, guidance and warmth” gave him confidence and strength. “Three years ago, I came to New Delhi […]