Narendra modi foreign policy US event

Authors are coming out with not-so-well-known facts about his tryst with foreign policy before he was elected to the top post.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

If, after his 2014 win, there were a series of books on the political life and achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, authors are now coming out with not-so-well-known facts about his tryst with foreign policy before he was elected to the top post. In his new book Modiplomacy -Through a Shakespearean Prism, former diplomat T P Sreenivasan (who was then deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy, Washington DC) narrates an incident which show that Modi had played a key role in strengthening the draft US Congress resolution to push the Bill Clinton administration in demanding that Pakistan withdraw from Kargil. “As requested by Clinton Pakistan Prime Minister went to Washington on 4 July, America’s Independence Day, and agreed to withdraw and end the Kargil war,” the book says. According to the author, Modi, the organisation general secretary then, who was visiting the US, had sought reopening of the text of the draft private resolution to make it stronger.

Pressing Matters

Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday cancelled his visits to events of central agencies as the Haryana and Maharashtra election results began filtering in. Shah, who is also the BJP president, was the chief guest at the ITBP Raising Day parade. He was also supposed to address a conference of Anti-Terrorism Squads from across the country organised by the NIA. But the minister did not attend either of them. In his absence, MoS Home G Kishan Reddy presided over the ITBP event. There was no official word on why he cancelled his visits.

Boost Before Poll

The release of Karnataka Congress leader D K Shivakumar from jail has given a boost to the party in a state gearing up for a big electoral battle in December. Bypolls to 15 of the 17 vacant Assembly seats will be held on December 5, and the outcome is critical for the stability of the B S Yediyurappa government. There is speculation that Shivakumar, who has been virtually the go-to man for Central leaders in the state, could be given a big responsibility. Congress leaders did not rule out the possibility of him being appointed state Congress chief, but added that much will depend on his plans, too.

First Impression

Standing Committees have usually acted as critics of departments they are supposed to scrutinise. Railways is no different. However, officers attending the meeting of the new Standing Committee on Railways earlier this week got a different vibe. Headed by BJP MP Radha Mohan Singh, the meeting mostly talked about how well the transporter was functioning. While nothing can be made of the first meeting, officials are of the view that this committee may not be as “tough” as previous ones.