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Chennai, Tamil Nadu's ruling <keyword id="19897149" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dmk" source="keywords">DMK</keyword>, a key constituent of the INDIA bloc, in its manifesto released on Wednesday promised to repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 if the opposition alliance wins the <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> polls. Restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and holding polls there, scrapping the New Education Policy 2020, slashing fuel prices, annulling Article 361 of the Constitution that provides protection to governors from legal action and appointment of Governors following consultation with Chief Ministers, were among the key promises made by the DMK. The recommendations of the M S Swaminathan committee will be adopted to ensure that MSP for agricultural products "is set at total production cost plus 50 per cent," the DMK said. Also, it announced that if voted to power, the INDIA bloc will withdraw the Agnipath scheme and reintroduce "permanent recruitment service" in the Indian Armed forces. "From now on, population census, including caste-wise census and census concerning people below the poverty line, will be conducted by the Union government once every five years simultaneously." The DMK will firmly insist on the removal of Article 356, which allows the dismissal of duly elected state governments and imposition of President's rule. The Congress party's ally in Tamil Nadu said that "new constraints" on States' borrowing capacity, imposed by the union government beyond the limits in each state's FRBM-equivalent Act will be eliminated. "A recommendation to share cess revenues with states will be made. It will be proposed that the Finance Commission increase the horizontal devolution of tax revenue (to all States together) from 42 per cent to 50 per cent." The Union government's financial contributions to states will be based on the income tax and GST collected in those states. Thus, financial contributions will be assured based on the taxes collected within each state. The finance provided to states will be permanently determined based on the 1971 population. A 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and legislative assemblies will be implemented immediately. "DMK will insist that the Union government enact a law providing menstrual leave to women, emphasizing the journey towards gender equality." Petrol and diesel prices "will be set at Rs 75, Rs 65 (per litre)" and cooking gas cylinders shall be made available at Rs 500 (per cylinder). "The introduction of the Uniform Civil Code will be strictly prevented" to preserve India's secular nature as stated in the Constitution's preamble. "The 2019 CAA law will be repealed, and all minorities will be treated equally without any discrimination. The recommendations of the Sachar Committee for the improvement of the lives of Muslims and other minority communities will be implemented." Facilitation will be provided for <keyword id="21027983" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sri-lankan-tamil" source="keywords">Sri Lankan Tamil</keyword> refugees to get Indian citizenship. Assistance will be provided to those who wish to return to Sri Lanka. Also, the manifesto said efforts will be made to implement reservation for minorities at the all-India level, similar to Tamil Nadu. "The financial assistance previously provided to minority educational institutions has now been stopped. Action will be taken to resume this assistance." For "political" reasons, funding from foreign countries to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has currently been stopped. "The Foreign Exchange Regulation Act will be properly amended, and measures will be taken to ensure these financial aids continue to reach NGOs without any problems." The proposal of 'One Nation, One Election' will be abandoned, and for the allocation of Lok Sabha seats to states, the current practice, based on the 1971 census will continue. All "people-unfriendly" laws introduced by the BJP government over the last 10 years will be reviewed immediately by the INDIA alliance government. The "labour-hostile laws" introduced by the BJP government will be "reformed." Through the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF), the Union government will ensure a minimum pension of Rs 5,000 per month. The number of working days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act will be increased from 100 to 150 days. "A wage of Rs 400 will be provided across states/ union territories nationwide." Disbanding the current NITI Aayog, set up by the BJP regime and establishing again the Planning Commission to draft plans based on the requests of state governments is another assurance the DMK has made. "Measures will be taken to reclaim Kachchatheevu to ensure India's security and to protect the welfare of the fishermen." A mandatory "cooling-off period" of 2 years will be introduced for retired judges and secretaries before they could join private companies or political parties, the manifesto said. Waiving loans and interests for farmers in nationalised and scheduled banks, waiver of educational loans for students, monthly entitlement of Rs 1,000 for all women in every state and formation of <keyword id="21027984" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="state-development-council" source="keywords">State Development Council</keyword> by including Chief Ministers were among the promises made by the DMK. Exemption for Tamil Nadu from the NEET exam and complete removal of toll booths on national highways, forms part of poll promises of the Dravidian party. Further, the DMK said amendments will be made to relevant laws to ensure that state governments, elected by the people, appoint Vice-Chancellors to state-run universities, rather than Governors. Stopping government's divestment from public sector enterprises, implementing the Sethusamudram project, law to ban online gambling, setting up a <keyword id="19895345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="supreme-court" source="keywords">Supreme Court</keyword> branch in Chennai, providing statehood for <keyword id="19901639" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="puducherry" source="keywords">Puducherry</keyword>, equal funding for all state languages including Tamil, were among the host of other promises made by the DMK. Establishment of Tamil departments in varsities and stopping construction of <keyword id="19950851" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mekedatu" source="keywords">Mekedatu</keyword> dam were also promised by the DMK. "The <keyword id="19996334" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vishwakarma-scheme" source="keywords">Vishwakarma Scheme</keyword>, introduced by the BJP government to encourage caste-based occupations, will be restructured on the basis of social justice."

DMK vows to repeal CAA if INDIA bloc is voted to power

The <keyword id="20288056" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP-led-NDA" source="keywords">BJP-led NDA</keyword> on Tuesday surged ahead with leads in more than 200 <keyword id="21073505" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="parliamentary-seats" source="keywords">parliamentary seats</keyword> out of 350 for which trends were available, with opposition <keyword id="19895684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="INDIA-bloc" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="INDIA bloc" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="INDIA bloc">INDIA bloc</keyword> ahead in 120, according to television reports. India Today gave leads in 205 seats to the NDA, while the INDIA bloc was ahead in 129; ABP News gave 230 to the NDA and 120 to the opposition alliance; and NDTV showed NDA leading in 194 seats with INDIA bloc closing in on 135 seats. Counting of votes for the <keyword id="56978" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha-elections" source="Orion">Lok Sabha elections</keyword> has begun across states and Union Territories, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar told PTI. According to the Conduct of Election Rules, postal ballots were taken up for counting first and the process of counting of votes recorded in electronic voting machines (EVMs) began 30 minutes later. The process of counting votes cast through postal ballots and EVMs will continue simultaneously. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Infographic"><cdata><![CDATA[]]></cdata></div> While the Lok Sabha has 543 members, counting is being held for 542 seats after the BJP's Surat candidate Mukesh Dalal was elected unopposed. Counting of votes is also underway for the assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, where polling was held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. Elections to the assemblies of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim were also held alongside the Lok Sabha polls. The results of these elections were declared on June 2. Since 2019, VVPAT (voter verifiable paper audit trail) slips from five randomly selected polling stations per assembly constituency -- or segment in case of Lok Sabha seats -- are matched with the EVM count for greater transparency.

Lok Sabha elections results: INDIA bloc leads in 120 seats in early trends; BJP-led NDA crosses 200 mark

<keyword id="19901642" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="varanasi" source="keywords">Varanasi</keyword>, Prime Minister <keyword id="19895781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="keywords">Narendra Modi</keyword> on Friday launched a scathing attack on INDIA bloc, saying members of the opposition alliance believe in instigating people in the name of caste and making them fight. He also said the opposition leaders cannot "tolerate" Dalits and tribal people occupying high posts. He cited the presidential election which was contested by Droupadi Murmu. Varanasi is Modi's parliamentary constituency. The prime minister also remarked that <keyword id="20700065" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ravidas" source="keywords">Ravidas</keyword> ji has been calling him repeatedly to his birthplace of the ancient temple town. Speaking at a function here to commemorate the 647th birth anniversary of <keyword id="20672275" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sant-ravidas" source="keywords">Sant Ravidas</keyword>, Modi said, "In every era, the sermons of the saints show us the path and also alert us. In our country, whenever anybody indulges in discrimination in the name of caste, it damages humanity. "If someone instigates (others) in the name of caste, it also damages humanity. Hence, brothers and sisters, today every Dalit and backward of the country has to keep in mind that 'INDI gathbandhan', which believes in instigating and making people fight in the name of caste, opposes the schemes meant for the welfare of the Dalits and 'vanchit' (deprived)," he said. The prime minister further said the truth is that these people indulge in politics of vested interest of the family in the name of welfare of castes. "You must be remembering that when construction of toilets was started, they ridiculed it. They also mocked the Jan Dhan accounts and also opposed Digital India. "Not only this, these 'parivar vaadi' (dynastic) parties have another identity - they do not want any Dalit or tribal person outside their families to move ahead. They cannot tolerate Dalits and tribal persons occupying high posts," Modi said. "You must be knowing that when Droupadi Murmu, the first woman tribal president, was contesting elections, then who all opposed her and which parties came together to defeat her. "It was all the 'parivar vaadi' parties, who see the Dalits, tribal people and backwards as their vote bank during the elections. We have to remain alert from these people and from such a mindset. We have to follow the positive education of Ravidas ji, while avoiding the negative mentality of casteism," he said. Showering praises on Sant Ravidas, Modi said, "Ravidas ji belongs to all and everybody belongs to Ravidas ji. He cannot be confined within the boundaries of caste, religion, sect and ideology. "Ravidas ji has been calling me repeatedly to his birthplace. I got an opportunity to take forward his pledge. I get an opportunity to serve his lakhs of followers. Serving the followers at the birthplace of the Guru is nothing less than a privilege for me," he said. Born in Varanasi, Ravidas was a mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement in the 15th and 16th centuries. Venerated as a spiritual teacher in several regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, he was a poet, social reformer and spiritual figure. Modi also said India is moving rapidly on the path of development by adopting the messages of Sant Ravidas. "On the pious occasion of the birth anniversary of Sant Ravidas, I welcome you all to his birthplace. You have come from far-off places on this occasion, especially my brothers and sisters from Punjab... Varanasi seems to have become a mini-Punjab," he said. At the Sant Guru Ravidas Janmasthan temple at Seer Goverdhanpur near BHU, the prime minister inaugurated the newly installed statue of Sant Ravidas in adjoining Ravidas Park. He also inaugurated various development works around Sant Ravidas Janam Sthali worth about Rs 32 crore and laid the foundation stone for the Sant Ravidas Museum and beautification of the park worth about Rs 62 crore. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister <keyword id="19898780" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="yogi-adityanath" source="keywords">Yogi Adityanath</keyword> and Chairman of Sant Guru Ravidass Janam Sthan Temple Trust Sant Niranjan Dass among others were present on the occasion.

INDIA bloc members incite people in name of caste, says PM Modi

As the final five phases of polls draw closer, rift among <keyword id="20101713" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="INDIA-bloc-partners" source="keywords">INDIA bloc partners</keyword>, <keyword id="21533469" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress-Left-combine" source="keywords">Congress-Left combine</keyword> and the <keyword id="19942089" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="TMC" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="TMC" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="TMC">TMC</keyword>, which are fighting separately has intensified, triggering a fierce contest across half of the remaining 36 constituencies in West Bengal driven by local issues such as <keyword id="20074422" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sandeshkhali" source="keywords">Sandeshkhali</keyword> and the SSC scam. TMC's decision to contest independently in the state, rather than as part of the bloc, has led to a three-way contest, with the other contenders being the BJP and the Congress-Left alliance. Nevertheless, both TMC and Congress have asserted that they are part of the INDIA bloc at the national level and are authentic representatives of the opposition front in Bengal. Political analysts suggest that without a dominant national narrative like national security after the 2019 Pulwama attacks, local concerns such as corruption allegations, the cancellation of School Service Commission (SSC) jobs, incidents in Sandeshkhali and implementation of the <keyword id="19965573" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Citizenship-Amendment-Act" source="keywords">Citizenship Amendment Act</keyword> (CAA) are altering election dynamics. Maidul Islam, a political scientist at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, remarked, "Till a few months ago, it seemed the elections in Bengal will be a bipolar contest between the TMC and BJP. But with issues like corruption and Sandeshkhali gaining prominence, the Left-Congress alliance is fast gaining traction in several seats and turning the polls into a three-cornered contest in at least 18-20 LS segments." He said besides the two and three seats in Malda and Murshidabad districts, where TMC and Congress secured two each and the BJP one in 2019, there are 13 seats spread across South Bengal, where the TMC and the Left-Congress alliance are engaging in intense competition. "It's not that the Left-Congress will win many seats, but in segments where their vote share is above 10 per cent, there is a likelihood that they might influence the outcome, to the disadvantage of either the TMC or the BJP, if they manage to secure two per cent more votes," Islam added. According to sources in TMC and CPI(M), the electoral battleground extends beyond Malda and Murshidabad, encompassing Lok Sabha segments like Dum Dum, Srerampore, Arambagh, Hooghly, Howrah, Barrackpore, Bardhaman-Purba, Bardhaman-Durgapur, Bankura, Purulia, Tamluk, Kolkata North, and Jadavpur, all poised for a three-cornered fight. Notably, eight of these seats were won by TMC and the remaining by BJP in the 2019 parliamentary polls. "The shift in dynamics presents the Congress-Left alliance as a significant player, and its emergence complicates the electoral narrative, transcending the conventional TMC versus BJP dichotomy," political analyst Subhomoy Moitra said. While the Left Front is contesting 30 seats, the Congress has fielded candidates in 12 out of 42 seats. "We wanted an alliance with the Congress, but they were delaying the seat-sharing arrangements, so we decided to go alone. Now the Left-Congress alliance is helping the BJP by trying to eat into our votes," remarked TMC leader Santanu Sen. According to TMC leaders, the breakup of INDIA alliance in Bengal has both electoral advantages and disadvantages. "After the Left and Congress alliance fell apart in West Bengal in 2019, it had led to a four-cornered contest with BJP bagging the entire chunk of the anti-TMC votes in the state," they said. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP bagged 18 seats and its vote share rose from 17 to 40 per cent. Meanwhile, despite a 3 per cent rise in vote share, the TMC lost 12 seats, dropping from 34 to 22. The Left drew a blank with a vote share decline from 24 per cent to 6 per cent, and the Congress lost two seats, shrinking its vote share from 9.5 per cent to 5 per cent and bagging just two seats. "Local issues such as corruption and SSC scam are helping the Left-Congress in the state as there is anger among a section of people against the TMC and also against the BJP over the perception of a tacit understanding," a TMC leader said. Analysts observe that <keyword id="43868" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="mamata-banerjee" source="Orion">Mamata Banerjee</keyword>'s intensified criticism of Left and Congress, accusing them of aiding BJP, and the ensuing sharp responses from CPI(M) and Congress, alleging a secret pact between TMC and BJP, as indicative of the growing significance of Left-Congress alliance. Data from various local elections and by-polls conducted after 2021 assembly elections indicate a shift in anti-TMC votes as there has been a resurgence of Left-Congress combine. Incidentally, the BJP had witnessed a decline in its vote share as compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha and 38 per cent in 2021 assembly polls. In 2023, violence scarred panchayat polls which covered nearly 70 per cent of the state's electorate, the TMC had bagged 51 per cent of votes whereas the BJP had bagged 22 per cent. The Left-Congress-ISF alliance had, however, bagged 23 per cent votes. The ISF this time, however, has decided to contest alone in 17 seats. Congress leader Suvankar Sarkar emphasized, "People are disenchanted with the TMC and the BJP, as they are both sides of the same coin. People are coming out in large numbers to support the Left-Congress candidates." CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty expressed confidence in the Left-Congress alliance's potential to deliver surprising results in the elections, claiming initial success in breaking bipolar politics in Bengal. BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar downplayed the significance of the rift in opposition alliance and the three-cornered fight in various seats. "People know that BJP is only fighting TMC's misrule in Bengal. Those who want to vote against TMC, will vote for us only just like in the 2019 and 2021 polls," he said. Political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty suggested that TMC stands to gain the most from the three-cornered contest. In minority pockets, the Left-Congress alliance could dent TMC's vote base, potentially aiding BJP's prospects, he noted.

West Bengal Elections: Rift among INDIA bloc partners triggers three-cornered intense contests

The <keyword id="20000743" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RJD" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="RJD" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="RJD">RJD</keyword> on Tuesday afternoon claimed that Bihar Chief Minister <keyword id="19907431" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nitish-Kumar" source="keywords">Nitish Kumar</keyword> and Telugu Desam Party president <keyword id="19926151" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrababu-Naidu" source="keywords">Chandrababu Naidu</keyword> "shared a dislike for vendetta politics" which could lead them away from the BJP-led <keyword id="19938590" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NDA" source="keywords">NDA</keyword>. RJD national spokesperson Manoj <keyword id="20785661" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kumar-jha" source="keywords">Kumar Jha</keyword> also recalled the forecast of Kumar, who heads the JD(U), that "those who came to power will be ousted in 2024", and the efforts he made in laying the foundation of the <keyword id="19895684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="INDIA-bloc" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="INDIA bloc" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="INDIA bloc">INDIA bloc</keyword>. "We have been, formerly, in alliance with both Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu. We know they share a dislike for vendetta politics which the <keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="BJP" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="BJP">BJP</keyword> stands for. Narendra Modi seems to be on his way out. We are hopeful that the two leaders will play a crucial role in the change of guard at the Centre," Jha told reporters here. He also made it clear, "I am making no appeal to Nitish Kumar or Chandrababu Naidu. I am only expressing my hope, given the understanding I have of their temperament". Notably, the JD(U) has put up a better than expected performance in <keyword id="19895394" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha" source="keywords">Lok Sabha</keyword> polls, establishing a lead in 14 out of the 16 seats it had contested, surpassing the BJP which had fought 17 but was trailing in five of these. In Bihar, the INDIA bloc was leading in only eight out of the 40 Lok Sabha seats but Jha was confident that the numbers would look up for the coalition in the state, even as he complained about the tardy pace of counting. "We have written to the Election Commission drawing attention towards the extremely slow pace of counting. Only 3-4 lakh votes have been counted till afternoon in most seats in Bihar where, on an average, about 10 lakh people have exercised their franchise in each constituency," said Jha. "We are confident that as the counting progresses, in many seats where we are trailing by slender margins, the picture will change. But we urge the Election Commission to carry out the exercise as per the rule book and not act on any telephone calls they may be getting from Delhi," said the Rajya Sabha MP, who has been alleging that the poll panel has often acted under pressure from the ruling BJP at the Centre. "To all our cadres in the INDIA coalition, I would appeal not to let their guard down. Counting may continue till late in the evening. We must remain vigilant," said Jha. Among the INDIA constituents in Bihar, RJD had contested 23 seats, out of which it was trailing in all but four, while Congress, which got nine seats, was leading in two. The CPI(ML) Liberation, which had contested three seats, was leading in two.

Nitish, Naidu may dump NDA, help INDIA bloc form govt: RJD

INDIA bloc leaders gathered at <keyword id="19895812" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jantar-Mantar" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Jantar Mantar" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Jantar Mantar">Jantar Mantar</keyword> here on Tuesday to demand the release of Delhi Chief Minister <keyword id="19901384" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal" source="keywords">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword> amid his declining health and hit out at the BJP-led Centre for "suppressing" the voice of <keyword id="19895395" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="opposition" source="keywords">opposition</keyword>. They also blamed the Centre for obstructing the work of the Delhi government, therefore leading to the recent incident in Rajinder Nagar where three students died after getting trapped in a flooded basement of a coaching centre. Slogans of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "End dictatorship" were raised during the <keyword id="19895811" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="protest" source="keywords">protest</keyword> rally called by the <keyword id="19914482" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AAP" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="AAP" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="AAP">AAP</keyword>. CPI(ML) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya said three senior AAP leaders -- Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain were put in jail as "part of a conspiracy". He also accused the Centre of obstructing the work of the Delhi government, and held them responsible for the situation in the national capital, including the Rajinder Nagar coaching centre deaths. "The Modi government is responsible for the anarchy in Delhi. This anarchy took the lives of the three <keyword id="20217536" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="UPSC-aspirants" source="keywords">UPSC aspirants</keyword> in Rajinder Nagar. <keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="BJP" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="BJP">BJP</keyword> took the lives of three UPSC aspirants," Bhattacharya said during the rally. "They tried to end AAP, weaken Delhi government as part of a conspiracy. The elected chief minister is in jail. Umar Khalid and many activists are in jail in false charges in Delhi riots. Bhima Koregaon fake case, father Stan Swamy was in jail and he even died while in custody. There is a huge conspiracy against leaders, activists," he said. The BJP-led Centre is "trying to suppress the voice of those who oppose them", he said. "Six months ago when Arvind ji, Hemant ji were arrested, we knew it was a conspiracy because Lok Sabha elections were there," he said. "Hemant ji came out, there was an appeal to stop his bail but it was dismissed. Kejriwal ji was released for less than a month. Now though he has been given a bail there is a conspiracy to keep him in jail," he said. "It is a conspiracy to finish a democratically elected government and a political party," Bhattacharya said, urging the people to give their reply to the BJP in upcoming assembly polls in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand by defeating the BJP. "The recent mandate has proved that people won't tolerate tyranny. We will ensure justice,"he added. Communist Party of India general secretary D Raja also demanded the immediate release of the Delhi chief minister, and expressed concerns about his health. "After BJP's coming to power, democracy is no longer 'for' the people, democracy is 'far' from people, democracy is not 'of' the people, it is 'off' the people, and it is not 'by' the people, it is 'buy' the people," Raja said. "Kejriwal is one of the victims of the central agencies used by the Modi government. Can we allow this? How much longer can we tolerate this situation in the country. Kejriwal is not well and his health has deteriorated," he said. AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai said Kejriwal's sugar levels are going down in custody. "He was granted bail by trial court and Supreme Court but a conspiracy was hatched to keep him in jail. Why does BJP want to put opposition leaders in jail? Who is responsible for the deaths of the three UPSC aspirants?" Rai said. "When LG is being asked about the incident, he is quiet. The BJP, which is demanding Kejriwal's resignation, snatched away the powers of the Delhi government. They want rights but run away when they are held accountable," he charged. has been accusing the BJP of "conspiring to kill" Kejriwal in jail and cited his medical report to show that his sugar levels have fallen 34 times between June 3 and July 7. Nationalist <keyword id="19895371" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Congress" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Congress">Congress</keyword> Party - Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) chief Sharad Pawar and Deputy Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi are also present in the INDIA bloc rally. Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari referred to Kejriwal's wife Sunita as a "symbol of resistance" as he began his address. "We have come to give complete moral support to AAP and Kejriwal on behalf of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the struggle against illegal arrest of Arvind Kejriwal. The arrest of Kejriwal in an illegal and unconstitutional manner indicate nothing but the bad intentions of the BJP," he alleged. Tiwari said it was "height" of inhumanity to keep Kejriwal in jail despite his medical reports showing dip in his blood sugar to a dangerous level. The Congress and AAP had fought the recent Lok Sabha elections in Delhi in alliance. AAP had fielded candidates on four seats and Congress on three seats. However, the alliance drew a blank. Gogoi warned the BJP and its leaders saying they cannot scare the opposition whether it is AAP, Congress or any other party. "Their illusion lies shattered with this rally. If fair Lok Sabha elections had been held in 2024, the BJP would have been in opposition and we would have been in power. The BJP-led government is not going to complete its five-year term," he stressed. Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam and has been granted bail by the Supreme Court. However, he is currently lodged in Tihar in a connected CBI case.

INDIA bloc leaders gather at Jantar Mantar, demand release of Delhi CM Kejriwal

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Over 40 countries are interested in joining Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa in the BRICS bloc, Reuters reported.</li><li>The bloc is seen as an alternative to Western-led blocs dominating the world order.</li></ul>The BRICS international summit in South Africa this week is drawing interest from countries that are sick and tired of the Western-led blocs.More than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa in the BRICS bloc as an alternative to Western-led international groupings, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/brics-expansion-hopefuls-seek-rebalance-world-order-2023-08-21/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=oGhPNXs8iLWtPRuxWt63s2D3N.IcdRfH4GJ6gvbO_b8-1692667079-0-gaNycGzNDRA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters reported on Tuesday,</a> citing South African officials.South Africa is hosting the 15th summit of the BRICS bloc in Johannesburg from Tuesday to Thursday. The group is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/21/world/asia/brics-summit-members.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">considering adding members</a> to its alliance at the meeting.Of those who have expressed interest, nearly two dozen have formally asked to join the group that represents a quarter of the world's GDP, per Reuters.South Africa hasn't published a list of new candidates to the bloc, but some of the interested countries include heavily sanctioned <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-applies-join-brics-group-emerging-countries-2022-06-27/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iran</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/brazil-summit-brics-idAFS0N37802A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Venezuela</a>, Southeast Asia's largest economy of <a href="https://en.tempo.co/read/1761954/trade-ministry-says-indonesia-shows-interests-in-joining-brics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indonesia</a>, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/what-is-brics-who-are-its-members-2023-08-21/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.</a>"The objective necessity for a grouping like BRICS has never been larger," Rob Davies, South Africa's former trade minister, told Reuters. "The multilateral bodies are not places where we can go and have an equitable, inclusive outcome."It's not just about diversity and creating a more multipolar world."Authoritarian countries such as Saudi Arabia and Venezuela are particularly drawn to BRICS as cooperation does not require caveats of protecting human rights and civil liberties," wrote Evan Freidin, an international relations analyst, on the <a href="https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/the-appeal-of-brics-what-draws-in-global-south-countries/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Institute of International Affairs think tank</a> website last Tuesday.Still, the BRICS group does face challenges, including <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv75db2z" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the long-standing rivalry between China and India,</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-gdp-economy-second-quarter-growth-retail-industrial-production-unemployment-2023-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China's economic slowdown,</a> and Russia's war in Ukraine.As it is, Russian President Vladimir Putin <a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-brics-summit-south-africa-icc-arrest-3c67877a198f25ceee9adad9f1dbe495" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is not attending the BRICS summit in person</a> because South Africa — a member of the International Criminal Court that has a warrant out for Putin — would be compelled to arrest him if he shows up. The BRICs bloc also doesn't have a de facto leader so far, which makes it less cohesive than Western-led blocs like the G7, Freidin added. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/goldmans-jim-oneill-reflects-10-years-after-coining-the-bric-acronym-2011-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Former Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill</a> coined the term BRIC in 2001. The bloc was formed in <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-russia-idUSTRE4AP5H220081126" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2009 with its first summit</a>, and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-55000920110218" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Africa joined in 2011</a>, making the grouping BRICS. The group founded the Shanghai-headquartered New Development Bank in 2015. It has approved $32.8 billion worth of financing for 96 development projects in member countries so far, <a href="https://www.ndb.int/projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to the bank's website</a>.Other than an expansion of the group, the topic of de-dollarization will also be on the summit agenda as the countries discuss <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-14/brics-isn-t-competing-with-any-bloc-south-africa-s-sooklal-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ramping up local currency trade.</a>South Africa's department of international relations and cooperation did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Over 40 countries sick and tired of the Western-led world order are clamoring to join a group where China and Russia are members

Patna (Bihar) [India], March 22 (ANI): Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav on Friday condemned the recent arrest of Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind <keyword id="19895701" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kejriwal" source="keywords">Kejriwal</keyword> and stated the INDIA alliance is not the one who gets scared, adding that the INDIA alliance are the ones who fight and win. He also accused the BJP of using government investigation agencies and other constitutional institutions to their advantage in the upcoming elections. He added that the people of INDIA Alliance, stand firmly with the Delhi government. "The way Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested today clearly shows that the BJP is completely scared and wants to fight elections with the help of government investigation agencies and other constitutional institutions. We, the people of the INDIA Alliance, stand firmly with the Delhi government. We are not the ones who get scared, we are the ones who fight and win," he said in a post on X. A team from the Enforcement Directorate arrived at Kejriwal's residence on Thursday to interrogate him regarding the liquor policy case. During a search operation conducted at his residence, Kejriwal was arrested amidst dramatic circumstances, as the AAP convener failed to obtain interim protection from arrest in the liquor policy case from the Delhi High Court. The Enforcement Directorate took him to the agency's headquarters later. A medical team also arrived at the ED office. AAP workers and leaders rallied behind Kejriwal following his arrest while leaders of the INDIA bloc also extended their support for the AAP leader. BJP leaders extended their support to the ED's actions against the Delhi Chief Minister, emphasizing "truth had to prevail". Pointing to the arrests of two opposition chief ministers and the freezing of a bank account of the Congress party, Delhi Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi on Thursday asked the BJP to stop doing politics behind the Enforcement Directorate. She accused the BJP of attempting to win elections through undemocratic means and urged them to engage in fair political competition rather than using the ED as a tool or weapon for their political agenda. "Today, the BJP is murdering democracy. They have arrested two opposition chief ministers (One chief minister <keyword id="20271174" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="jharkhand-cm" source="keywords">Jharkhand CM</keyword> <keyword id="19968806" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hemant-soren" source="keywords">Hemant Soren</keyword> was put in jail and now another Kejriwal) and frozen a party's bank account. Is this how the BJP wants to win the election? I want to tell the BJP that if you want to fight, then come forward and fight in the political arena, in the election field. Stop doing politics hiding behind the ED, stop using the ED as your weapon," she said. (ANI)

INDIA bloc doesn't get scared, it fights and wins: Tej Pratap after Kejriwal's arrest

<ul class="summary-list"><li>De-dollarization was a closely watched topic amid the BRICS summit last week.</li><li>But BRICS nations appear divided on the issue, as statements from the bloc's leaders indicated.</li></ul>A group of major emerging economies wrapped up a summit in South Africa last Thursday by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/brics-poised-invite-new-members-join-bloc-sources-2023-08-24/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">welcoming six new members</a> — but without a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dedollarization-usd-greenback-gold-yuan-euro-bitcoin-brics-alternate-2023-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new dollar-challenging</a> currency.The summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa or BRICS nations added Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates to its fold. It is the bloc's first expansion in 13 years as it seeks to be an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/brics-summit-countries-interested-brazil-russia-india-china-south-africa-2023-8">alternative to Western-led groupings.</a>While there was talk about the bloc's possible <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/de-dollarization-dominance-yuan-china-brics-alternative-currency-sanction-russia-2023-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">creation of a common currency</a> to rival the US dollar, that didn't happen – in fact, chatter from the BRICS nations on the issue was divided, pointing to different opinions that may delay any such development.As this dollar alternative was being discussed, data from <a href="https://www.swift.com/swift-resource/252087/download" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SWIFT</a> showed the greenback was used for a <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/dedollarization-suffers-blow-swift-usd-share-global-payments-hits-record-2023-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">record 46%</a> of foreign exchange payments via the communications system in July.Here's what the leaders of five BRICS members said about de-dollarization:<h2>Brazil's President called for a common BRICS currency</h2>"The creation of a currency for trade and investment transactions between BRICS members increases our payment options and reduces our vulnerabilities," Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said at the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/what-is-brics-currency-could-one-be-adopted-2023-08-23/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">summit's opening plenary session on Wednesday.</a>The Brazilian leader has been one of the most vocal proponents of alternative trade settlement currencies."Why can't we do trade based on our own currencies?" he said in an April state visit to China, per <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/669260a5-82a5-4e7a-9bbf-4f41c54a6143" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">The Financial Times</a>. "Who was it that decided that the dollar was the currency after the disappearance of the gold standard?"<h2>Putin renewed his call to increase the use of local currencies for trade</h2>"We are working to fine-tune effective mechanisms for mutual settlements and monetary and financial control," said <a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/72085" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russian President Vladimir Putin</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dedollarization-brics-summit-russia-putin-dollar-local-currency-trade-sanctions-2023-8">on Tuesday.</a> He added that de-dedollarization within the BRICS bloc is "irreversible" and gaining pace.Putin has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dedollarization-russia-putin-trade-local-national-currencies-yuan-ruble-sco-2023-7">pushing for more trade in local currencies</a> following sweeping sanctions against Russia that have expelled the country from the US dollar-dominated global financial system.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dedollarization-russia-putin-trade-local-national-currencies-yuan-ruble-sco-2023-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He said</a> at a previous international meeting in July that it was important to establish an "independent financial system" based on local currency trade.<h2>India's oil minister said it's difficult to overturn longstanding payment arrangements</h2>"I wish the Indian rupee should be the lead currency in the world. But I'm also a realist," <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/25/de-dollarization-a-long-way-off-india-oil-minister-hardeep-singh-puri.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/25/de-dollarization-a-long-way-off-india-oil-minister-hardeep-singh-puri.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hardeep Singh Puri</a><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/25/de-dollarization-a-long-way-off-india-oil-minister-hardeep-singh-puri.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">, India's oil and gas minister, told CNBC</a> on the sidelines of the Business 20 meeting in New Delhi on Friday.Long-standing payment arrangements are difficult to overturn even if there are arrangements for trade in non-dollar currencies, he added.But "does that mean that an alternate global currency has come?" Puri asked CNBC. "We heard about decoupling. But these international arrangements, trading arrangements, payment arrangements, these have been in place for a long time."<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/dedollarization-india-pushes-rupee-trade-china-yuan-currencies-russia-sanctions-2023-7">India has also been pushing</a> the de-dollarization narrative by touting the use of the rupee for trade.<h2>China's President Xi promoted reform of the world's financial systems</h2>China did not comment on the idea of a BRICS common currency, but President Xi Jinping promoted "the reform of the international financial and monetary system" in a <a href="https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx_662805/202308/t20230823_11130928.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speech at the summit</a>.<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/dedollarization-china-yuan-renminbi-globalization-dollar-currency-brics-sanctions-xi-2023-7#:~:text=China%20wants%20the%20yuan%20to,%22in%20an%20orderly%20manner.%22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China has indicated</a> it wants the Chinese yuan to play an outsized global role but hasn't called for it to replace the dollar.<h2>South Africa's finance minister dismissed the notion of a BRICS currency</h2>"No one has tabled the issue of a BRICS currency, not even in informal meetings," <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-24/brics-currency-was-never-on-table-south-african-finance-chief-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enoch Godongwana told Bloomberg</a> on the sidelines of the bloc's annual summit in Johannesburg on Thursday."Setting up a common currency presupposes setting up a central bank, and that presupposes losing independence on monetary policies, and I don't think any country is ready for that," he added to the media outlet.Instead, South Africa appears to veer toward increasing the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-14/brics-isn-t-competing-with-any-bloc-south-africa-s-sooklal-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bloc's trade in local currencies</a>.Back in April, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-22/brics-to-focus-on-reducing-dollar-reliance-south-african-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Africa's</a> deputy president Paul Mashatile had said the BRICS bloc was looking to reduce its reliance on the US dollar.<h2>The economist who coined the term BRICS slammed the idea altogether</h2>Jim O'Neill, a former Goldman Sachs economist who first gave the BRICS bloc its name, has <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/dedollarization-us-dollar-outlook-currencies-forex-market-brics-common-currency-2023-8">slapped down the idea of a common BRICS currency.</a>"It's just ridiculous," <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/d8347bd0-cc4f-4c3b-9225-0ccd272330a6" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">he told the Financial Times</a> in an August interview. "They're going to create a BRICS central bank? How would you do that? It's embarrassing almost."O'Neill pointed to the political gulf between rivals <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv75db2z" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China and India</a> as a key stumbling block to de-dollarization."It's a good job for the west that China and India never agree on anything, because if they did, the dominance of the dollar would be a lot more vulnerable," O'Neill told the FT.

The BRICS summit ended with no new currency and all 5 members issuing differing and contradictory commentary on de-dollarization

New Delhi [India], June 4 (ANI): With counting progressing in <keyword id="19912155" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha-polls" source="keywords">Lok Sabha polls</keyword>, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led <keyword id="20344628" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Democratic-Alliance" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="National Democratic Alliance" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="National Democratic Alliance">National Democratic Alliance</keyword> is leading on more than 100 seats as per the latest trends according to TV channels. Around 642 million people voted in Lok Sabha elections held over seven phases in a mammoth six-week period. The counting of votes began starting with postal ballot papers amid tight security. The counting for State Legislative Assemblies of 175 Assembly constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and 147 Assembly constituencies in Odisha and results of bypolls in 25 Assembly constituencies also began. The Lok Sabha elections for 543 seats of the lower house were held across seven phases. The <keyword id="19931558" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharatiya-Janata-Party" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Bharatiya Janata Party" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Bharatiya Janata Party">Bharatiya Janata Party</keyword> is eyeing a third straight term in power, while the Opposition under the umbrella of the <keyword id="19895684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="INDIA-bloc" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="INDIA bloc" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="INDIA bloc">INDIA bloc</keyword> is seeking to wrest power from the ruling party.Most exit polls predicted a straight term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with quite few of them projecting a two-thirds majority for the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (<keyword id="41281" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NDA" source="Orion">NDA</keyword>). The Congress party and its allies dismissed the exit polls as "orchestrated" and a work of "fantasy", asserting that the opposition INDIA bloc will form the next government at the Centre. Strict security has been put in place for the smooth conduct of counting of votes for over 8,000 candidates in this general election. With counting began for the Lok Sabha elections, which have seen the largest voter participation, the electoral fate of several leaders across the political spectrum will be decided. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are among the senior BJP leaders in the fray. Key opposition leaders, including former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, NCP's Supriya Sule, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, are also contesting the poll. Two polls predicted the BJP would also improve its numbers from the 303 seats it won in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. In the 2019 elections, NDA wrested 353 seats, of which the BJP won 303 alone. The Opposition's UPA got only 93 seats of which the Congress got 52. Even before the counting of the votes, the Bharatiya Janata Party won one seat of Surat Lok Sabha. Earlier on April 22, Mukesh Dalal won the election "unopposed". Congress nominee Nilesh Kumbhani's nomination was rejected. His candidacy was rejected because of alleged discrepancies in the signatures of the proposers.

Lok Sabha election results: BJP-led NDA leading in 100 plus seats in early trends

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russian President Vladimir Putin is eyeing a bigger global role for the BRICS bloc.</li><li>Putin recently raised the possibility of a BRICS parliament, which would formalize the group.</li></ul>Russian President Vladimir Putin has set his sights on a bigger role for a group of emerging nations as he seeks to topple the West-led world order.The group is known as BRICS for original members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, which collectively form the bloc's acronym. New members include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates.BRICS was formed in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-russia-idUSTRE4AP5H220081126">2009 with its first summit.</a> The group founded the Shanghai-headquartered New Development Bank in 2015 and was largely an informal grouping until recently. It's now positioning itself as a counterweight to the G7 and the West amid increasing geopolitical tensions globally.Putin recently weighed in on the structure of the group."BRICS does not have its own official parliamentary organization at this stage, but I believe that this idea will definitely be materialized somewhere down the road," Putin said last Thursday at the BRICS Parliamentary Forum in St Petersburg, according to an official transcript from the <a target="_blank" class="" href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/74528">Kremlin.</a>Putin did not elaborate on how this structure would work, but his comments illustrate how Russia is using its position as BRICS chair this year to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/brics-wealth-report/russia-brics-and-future-global-order">bolster the group. </a>A parliamentary structure would formalize the group even further.His comments come amid increasing interest in the bloc from the Global South.Just last month, the Southeast Asian nations of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thailand-eyes-brics-membership-october-summit-begins-oecd-application-2024-06-20/">Thailand</a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/malaysia-preparing-join-brics-economic-group-media-report-says-2024-06-18/">Malaysia</a> said they were interested in joining the bloc. Thailand has submitted a formal request for membership, while Malaysia's prime minister said it was preparing to start its application process.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/xi-putin-seek-brics-expansion-challenge-us-power-and-dollar-2023-8">A larger and more structured BRICS bloc</a> could have more bargaining power and create an alternative to the West-led global order.As Rich Lesser, the global chair of the Boston Consulting Group, wrote in a May note, the expanded BRICS bloc — which includes major oil producers Saudi Arabia and UAE — now controls over 40% of the world's oil production, "making it an important international actor."It could also help Russia's sanctions-hit economy.Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said BRICS countries are developing a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dedollarization-russia-actively-working-brics-local-currencies-platform-us-dollar-2024-6">payments platform</a> that will allow them to bypass the US dollar.Not everybody is convinced about whether BRICS could be an effective counterweight to the West. After all, the BRICS countries' interests <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dedollarization-china-india-brics-common-currency-jim-oneill-economy-dollar-2023-9">do not always align</a> within the group.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/modi-putin-russia-india-relationship-not-worried-us-biden-mad-2024-7">India,</a> for one, is balancing interests among the US, China, and Russia. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Russia recently, even though New Delhi is in a strategic partnership with the US. This is in part because Modi needs Russia as a buffer against China — a BRICS member with whom India has a border dispute.But the BRICS group should not be counted out, wrote as Ian Bremmer, the president of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.gzeromedia.com/by-ian-bremmer/elections-in-europe-bidens-choice-who-im-voting-for-and-more-your-questions-answered">Eurasia Group,</a> in a report earlier this month."BRICS is a low-stakes forum for these countries to meet and talk about common grievances that the US and the West should pay at least slightly more attention to," he wrote.

Putin wants to strengthen a big challenger to Western dominance 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The BRICS group of emerging nations is exploring the idea of a common currency.</li><li>But China and India — the two biggest economies in the bloc — often can't get along.</li></ul>Whether it's the Chinese yuan or gold or even bitcoin, a discussion about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dedollarization-usd-greenback-gold-yuan-euro-bitcoin-brics-alternate-2023-5#the-dollar-isnt-going-away-but-other-assets-classes-are-slowly-chipping-away-at-its-dominance-1">alternatives to the US dollar</a> as the world's reserve currency has been raging for over a year.Fanned by fears that <a href="https://www.statestreet.com/sg/en/asset-manager/insights/weaponization-of-us-dollar" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Washington is weaponizing</a> the US-dollar-denominated global financial system against Russia over the Ukraine war, the debate has gotten so intense that there was even talk during a bloc summit in August about <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/de-dollarization-dominance-yuan-china-brics-alternative-currency-sanction-russia-2023-4?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">creating a dollar-challenging common BRICS currency</a>.The bloc is helmed by the major emerging nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.And one expert — the former White House economist Joseph Sullivan — even said a BRICS single currency could erode the dominance of <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/de-dollarization-dominance-yuan-china-brics-alternative-currency-sanction-russia-2023-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the dollar</a>.Creating a common currency isn't easy, however, and would require the diverse <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-brics-currency-is-unlikely-to-dislodge-dollar-any-time-soon-but-it-signifies-growing-challenge-to-established-economic-order-206565" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BRICS countries to align</a> on several issues, including setting up a central bank and phasing out their currencies.For example, <a href="https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/euro/history-and-purpose_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the euro</a> took decades of preparation within Europe, and the currency's use globally is still a far second to the US dollar's. In August, the greenback accounted for 48% of global payments via the SWIFT messaging system — way ahead of the euro's share at 23%.There's also one other problem. India and China — the two biggest economies in the bloc — can't quite get along.Even Jim O'Neill, the former Goldman Sachs chief economist who came up with the BRIC acronym in 2001 (South Africa joined the bloc in 2010 to round up BRICS) has been fielding interview questions about the proposed idea of a BRICS single currency on repeat mode recently."You can't even get India and China in the same room, so the idea that they would commit to a shared currency and abandon their own domestic monetary policy, it's just kind of crazy," O'Neill told Insider.Other analysts also described relations between China and India as tense.<h2>China-India's terse relations are said to be a 'pain point' in the BRICS bloc</h2>While Beijing and New Delhi appear actively engaged with each other, the two counties' ties have been strained. In short, they appear to be <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/world-can-learn-from-frenemies-india-china-akbaruddin/articleshow/63414400.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frenemies</a>.China and India's relationship <a href="https://www.mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelation/China_October_2017.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">goes back centuries</a>, but the two have been embroiled in a territorial dispute along their shared Himalayan border in contemporary history — and even fought a war in 1962.While recent decades have been more amicable, the neighbors have appeared to be getting deeper into frenemy territory since 2020 amid the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-border-dispute-conflict-soldiers-killed-himalayas-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">border dispute</a> and rising nationalism in both <a href="https://www.economist.com/special-report/2021/01/21/how-nationalism-is-shaping-chinas-young" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a> and <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/india/2022-04-13/unstoppable-rise-hindu-nationalism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India</a>.The two sides appeared to make up in August at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, when China's leader, Xi Jinping, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to de-escalate tensions at the disputed border.Barely a month later, the relationship was again in question when Xi did not attend the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china-says-premier-li-will-attend-g20-summit-2023-09-04/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">G20 Summit</a> in New Delhi — the first time since 2008 when he didn't attend the conference. Beijing didn't explain Xi's absence, and Premier Li Qiang led the Chinese delegation instead.Liu Pengyu, China's Washington, DC, spokesperson, told Insider that Xi most recently spoke with Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit — at the request of the Indian leader."President Xi stressed that improving China-India relations serves the common interests of the two countries and peoples, and is also conducive to peace, stability, and development of the world and the region," said Liu, who added that the situation at the border was stable.Politics aside, it doesn't help that the two countries have become strategic competitors on the economic front, too. China, the world's second-largest economy, is worth $19.4 trillion, per the International Monetary Fund. India is the world's fifth-largest economy, with a gross domestic product of $3.7 trillion. There's little indication India's GDP will overtake China's in the <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/pages/how-india-could-rise-to-the-worlds-second-biggest-economy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">next five decades</a>, but there's still no denying the world's top two emerging markets are fierce rivals.By UN estimates, India overtook China earlier this year as the world's most populous country. As a large country with a young population — the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/09/key-facts-as-india-surpasses-china-as-the-worlds-most-populous-country/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">median age is 28</a> — it's an enticing draw for companies looking to diversify their risks beyond China, which has been the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-india-supply-chain-covid-sanctions-manufacturers-relocating-tariffs-options-2022-12" rel="">factory of the world</a> for 40 years.Among the five BRICS members, the "biggest pain point" is India-China friction, Abishur Prakash, the founder of the advisory firm The Geopolitical Business, told Insider. He added it's "highly unlikely either country will rely on a currency dominated by the other party."And given that China and India are the biggest players in BRICS, it's crucial they must at least come to some common ground for a common currency to happen, O'Neill said.For what it's worth, the August <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/dedollarization-china-india-russia-leaders-brics-summit-yuan-rupee-2023-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BRICS summit</a> ended with no new currency and all five members issuing differing and contradictory commentary on de-dollarization. It also appears that it's just <a href="https://think.ing.com/opinions/brics-the-new-name-in-reserve-currencies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russia</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/spain-brazil-lula-idUSL1N36T1WW" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brazil</a> that have really pushed for a BRICS common currency. China hasn't commented on the idea, while India and South Africa said it wasn't on the agenda at the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/what-is-brics-currency-could-one-be-adopted-2023-08-23/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest summit</a>.<h2>A BRICS currency — if it comes to pass — could have a narrow use</h2>For Amitendu Palit, the research lead for trade and economics at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, there are bigger issues standing in the way of a common BRICS currency — like diverse regulatory environments and how all its members' currencies can't be easily traded on foreign-exchange markets.As for political differences, Palit thinks countries are ultimately rational. Both China and India are conscious that they are competitors, and while "nobody is going to really grant concessions to each other, that does not mean that they stop working with each other," Palit told Insider."The important thing," Palit continued, "is that both countries have stayed engaged with each other."O'Neill, the skeptical father of the BRICS political bloc, still sees great potential for the group — if its members can only work together. But even if a BRICS currency comes to pass, its use could be limited.Prakash said a BRICS currency would be used in "very narrow and vertical settings, or for BRICS projects."India's External Affairs Ministry did not respond to multiple requests for comment sent by Insider.

You Searched For "INDIA bloc" and got 13 results

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