After attending the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Assured NRIs that India won’t let them down. We will create an India where every state is an equal contributor & participant in our progress.”
In an apparent snub to Mr Modi, Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma said, “Better days would come because strong foundation has been laid by the leadership.” He referred to the “revolutionary legislation” like the 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.
In his written speech distributed at the meet, Mr 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.”
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VK no-show, told to appear on Jan. 22
YUSUF JAMEEL
SRINAGAR, Jan. 9
The privilege committee of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council on Thursday issued fresh summon to former Army Chief V.K. Singh (Retd) seeking his presence before it on January 22 for his clarification to the assertion that ministers in the state are on payroll of the Army ever since 1947, made in course of a TV interview last year.
The fresh summons were issued as the former Army Chief failed to appear in person before the privilege committee earlier during the day as asked by it even though its members waited for him for more than an hour. “As Gen. Singh did not appear today in person before the privilege committee despite being called and given sufficient time for it, the committee decided to issue fresh summons to him,” chairman of the council Amrit Malhotra said. “The members took serious note of Gen. Singh’s absence,” added Davindra Singh Rana, one of the three ruling National Conference MLCs who had moved a privilege motion against the former Army Chief for his alleged pay-off remark.