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<ul><li><keyword id="33278" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rahul-Bajaj">Rahul Bajaj</keyword> said Indian businesses are worried about repercussions if they criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. </li><li>Former Prime Minister <keyword id="6359397" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="manmohan-singh">Manmohan Singh</keyword> also said there’s a climate of fear and mistrust among various economic participants including industrialists, bankers and policymakers. </li><li>Vodafone Chief Executive Nick Read landed himself with two lawsuits after he hinted at possible collapse in India operation. </li></ul>Industrialist and Bajaj Group chairperson Rahul Bajaj is making waves for his remarks on the Modi government. The 81-year old said Indian businesses are worried about repercussions if they criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. “None of our industrial friends will speak about it, but I’ll say that openly, You’re (Narendra Modi led government) doing a good job, but despite that, we’re not confident you’ll appreciate if we openly criticise you,” said Bajaj. Bajaj alleged that government is creating an environment of fear where people are not allowed to question it The comment comes at a time when the health of India’s economic growth is worse than expected. Its GDP for the second quarter fell to 4.5%. Moreso, unemployment is rising, and the banking sector is in crisis mode. Bajaj earlier too said that times are difficult time for auto sector without neither demand nor investment. In November 2019, his <keyword id="6359783" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="bajaj-auto">Bajaj Auto</keyword> saw a 12% decline in sales,<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=bajaj+auto+november+2019+sales&amp;rlz=1C1GCEU_enIN864IN864&amp;oq=Bajaj+Auto+november&amp;aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l4.4855j0j7&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8"> according to ET Auto. </a> Bajaj is among the handful of people who spoke against the government publicly. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/45-gdp-growth-rate-unacceptable-worrisome-manmohan-singh/article30117648.ece">too said there’s a climate of fear and mistrust among various economic participants</a> — industrialists, bankers and policymakers. Here are a few others who dared to bell the cat Vodafone Chief Executive Nick Read landed himself with two lawsuits 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Vodafone chief executive Nick Read landed himself with two lawsuits. In November 2019, Vodafone CEO hinted to reporters in London about a possible collapse of its Indian operation if the government does not give relief to the massive deferred spectrum dues amounting<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/vodafone-idea-posts-a-historic-50000-crore-loss-over-agr-dues/articleshow/72064458.cms"> to ₹44,150 crore. </a>As soon as the press conference was over, two lawsuits were filed against him, <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3038987/tax-terrorism-indias-slowing-economy-takes-deadly-turn-modis">reported South China Morning Post</a>. Union Telecom and Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is known to have “expressed disapproval and displeasure over the tone and tenor” of the comments to <keyword id="6354955" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kumar-Mangalam-Birla">Kumar Mangalam Birla</keyword>, Vodafone’s JV partner. A day later, Read<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/telecom-news/government-unhappy-over-vodafones-biz-uncertainty-remarks-ceo-says-media-distorted-statement/articleshow/72045518.cms?from=mdr"> apologised</a> to the Indian government and blamed the media coverage for distorting his remarks. He further asserted that Vodafone will “<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/telecom-news/government-unhappy-over-vodafones-biz-uncertainty-remarks-ceo-says-media-distorted-statement/articleshow/72045518.cms?from=mdr">remain invested” in India.</a> Kumar Mangalam Birla criticised the UPA government 
 
 
 
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 Not just the Modi government, even the UPA was merciless when it came to dealing with dissenters. In 2012, Kumar Mangalam Birla the billionaire promoter of the $48.3 billion Aditya Birla Group, famously gave <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/policy-paralysis-has-shaken-investors-confidence-birla-112081800054_1.html">currency to the phrase </a>'policy paralysis' which went on to describe the second five-year term of the Manmohan Singh government. What he didn't know was that soon after the sleuths at CBI would chase him after a surprise raid at a Hindalco office found Rs 5 crore unaccounted cash in its premises. This money got linked to the infamous coal allocation scam. While the firm lost its coal mine <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/naazneenkarmali/2013/10/15/billionaire-kumar-birla-dragged-into-indias-coalgate-scandal/#5d145b0e180a">Talbira II in Odisha</a>, Birla himself has since been acquitted in the case of the cash in one of his offices. HDFC chairman <keyword id="6448020" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Deepak-Parekh">Deepak Parekh</keyword> said there's no ease of doing business in India 
 
 
 
 
 
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 A year after Modi’s landslide win in 2014,<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/pm-had-9-lucky-months-impatience-creeping-in-now-deepak-parekh/story-GYM46n0eEOFUmEA44EXwMJ.html"> Parekh said Prime Minister had a lucky period in these nine months. </a> “The world commodity prices are at all-time low which help India the most. I don’t see ease of doing business changing so far,” <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/pm-had-9-lucky-months-impatience-creeping-in-now-deepak-parekh/story-GYM46n0eEOFUmEA44EXwMJ.html">he had said</a>. But he had to eat his words, and <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/opinion/perspective/narendra-modi-govt-nine-months-deepak-parekh/story/220994.html">do a complete U-turn within five months</a>. What transpired behind the scenes is anybody's guess. India has lost confidence of the world: Ratan Tata 
 
 
 
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 In 2016, Ratan Tata the chairman emeritus of the <keyword id="6355725" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="tata-group">Tata Group</keyword> said <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/india-has-lost-confidence-of-the-world-ratan-tata/article5068063.ece">India has lost the confidence of the world </a>and the government has been slow to recognise it. He said the government has “swayed” under the influence of vested interests in the private sector and policies have been “changed, delayed and manipulated”. Tata, who demitted office as Tata group chairman last December, said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has held India’s “esteem high but in recent times we have lost it”. Ironically, this was the same year when BJP MP Subramanian Swamy <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/ratan-tata-most-corrupt-chairman-in-history-of-tata-group-says-subramanian-swamy/story/239254.html">filed a complaint against Tata, lobbyist Niira Radia, former Telecom Minister A. Raja and senior Unitech officials for</a> allegedly laundering money to Unitech companies to obtain 2G spectrum licence. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, an iconic entrepreneur in the pharmaceuticals space, was asked to shut up by a government official 
	
 
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 After the unfortunate <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Narendra-Modi-has-a-new-problem-big-corporates-and-moneybags-are-angry/articleshow/70450878.cms">death</a> of VG Siddhartha of Cafe Coffee Day, his billionaire friends from Bengaluru chimed in his support blaming aggressive tax officials for the demise of the coffee baron. However, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, an iconic entrepreneur in the pharmaceuticals space, was asked to shut up by a government official. Shaw revealed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Narendra-Modi-has-a-new-problem-big-corporates-and-moneybags-are-angry/articleshow/70450878.cms">to the Telegraph. </a> See also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Narendra-Modi-has-a-new-problem-big-corporates-and-moneybags-are-angry/articleshow/70450878.cms">Narendra Modi has a new problem – big corporates and moneybags are angry</a>

From Deepak Parekh to Vodafone CEO Nick Read —  5 times corporates criticised Indian government and ran into trouble

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that the Indian public sector banks had the "worst phase" under the combination of former Prime Minister <keyword id="6359397" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="manmohan-singh">Manmohan Singh</keyword> and RBI Governor <keyword id="6358908" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="raghuram-rajan">Raghuram Rajan</keyword>. Delivering a lecture at the prestigious Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs here on Tuesday, Sitharaman said that giving all the public sector banks a lifeline is today her primary duty. "I'm taking a minute to respond I do respect Raghuram Rajan as a great scholar who chose to be in the central bank in <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> at a time when the Indian economy was all buoyant, Sitharaman said during the lecture organised by the Deepak and Neera Raj Centre on Indian Economic Policies of the Columbia University. Asked about Rajan's comments during a recent lecture at Brown University in which he had apparently mentioned that in its first term, the <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> government had not done better on the economy because the government was extremely centralised and the leadership does not appear to have a consistent articulated vision on how to achieve economic growth, the minister said instead there were major issues with bank loans during Rajan's tenure as the central bank head. "It was in Rajan's time as Governor of the Reserve Bank that loans were given just based on phone calls from crony leaders and public sector banks in India till today are depending on the government's equity infusion to get out of that mire," she said. "Dr Singh was the Prime Minister and I'm sure Dr Rajan will agree that Dr Singh would have had a consistent articulated vision' for India, she said amid laughter from the audience. "With due respect, I'm not making fun of anybody but I certainly want to put this forward for a comment which has come like this. I have no reason to doubt that Rajan feels for every word of what he is saying. And I'm here today, giving him his due respect, but also placing the fact before you that Indian public sector banks did not have a worst phase than when the combination of Singh and Rajan, as Prime Minister and the Governor of Reserve Bank, had. At that time, none of us knew about it, she said. Sitharaman said while she is grateful that Rajan did an asset quality review, but people should know what makes the banks ailing today. "I am grateful that Rajan did an asset quality review but I'm sorry, can all of us put together also think of asking what ails our banks today. Where has it been inherited from, she said. The event was also attended by former <keyword id="2665691" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Niti-Aayog">NITI Aayog</keyword> Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya, professor and eminent economist <keyword id="45634" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jagdish-Bhagwati">Jagdish Bhagwati</keyword> and India's Consul General in New York, Sandeep Chakravorty. Sitharaman said: "While economists can take a view of what prevails today or prevailed years ago, but I will also want answers for the time when Rajan was in the Governor's post speaking about the Indian banks, for which today to give a lifeline is the primary duty of the Finance Minister of India. And the lifeline-kind of an emergency has not come overnight . Responding to the question, Sitharaman further pointed out that if there is a feeling that there's been a centralised leadership now, "I'd like to say that very democratised leadership led to a whole lot of corruption. Very democratised leadership. The Prime Minister, after all is the first among equals in any cabinet". "You need to have a country as diverse as India with an effective leadership. A rather too democratic leadership, which probably will have the approval of quite a lot of liberals, I'm afraid, left behind such a nasty stink of corruption, which we are cleaning up even today," she said.

Sitharaman now blames Manmohan Singh and Raghuram Rajan for India's banking crisis

After being the favourite target of his government’s misdoings and scams that rocked the Parliament during his term, former prime minister <keyword id="6359397" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Manmohan-Singh">Manmohan Singh</keyword> has been a man who is out of sight, but not out of minds of people yet. Not at least that of the investigating agencies. 
 
There have been those rarest of rare occasions when Manmohan Singh spoken about in the media especially after his retirement from active politics and his life, presumed to be going peacefully, at a low profile residence given to him in Delhi. 
 The latest news on the former prime minister, who led a hectic life as the leading man of UPA through the entire decade before the <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> and its allies were trounced by Narendra Modi-led BJP in the 2014 general elections, was that he was ‘visited’ by officials from CBI in connection with the coal block allocation scam that cost him both his as well as his government’s reputation. Owing to the sheer size of corruption that is alleged to have taken place, Coalgate will linger on people’s minds for a long time to come. 
 
Last time former prime minister Manmohan Singh grabbed headlines was when he was accorded the highest national order by the government of Japan, which acknowledged his contribution towards strengthening ties between both the countries. 
 
Another ‘little known’ fact that didn’t really make a huge noise was his decision to adopt Pachim Bekeli Gaon Panchayat under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. Pachim Bekeli Gaon Panchayat is located in Kamrup district of Assam, from where Manmohan Singh represents the Rajya Sabha. 
 
How is the workaholic politician and economist spending his retirement days? Going by his composure which remained undeterred by the most testing times his government went through while wading through difficult times, Manmohan Singh still presents a picture that involves work primarily. Only, now he gets to stretch his time as much as possible, since it is completely under ‘his’ control. 
 Earlier, as a PM, he met visitors barely for 10 minutes at his official residence. But, at a home that was given to him as a matter of entitlement for all former PMs, Manmohan Singh spends time attending meetings, and meeting people from various walks of life at his residence #3, Motilal Nehru road in New Delhi. This house was earlier occupied by former Kerala governor and Congress loyalist <keyword id="5267" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sheila-Dikshit">Sheila Dikshit</keyword>. Having moved into this humble abode, when compared to the sprawling residence he occupied as the Prime Minister, Singh spends most of his time reading. 
 
In fact, books were among the first few things that were packed and moved after he announced his retirement and decided on staying in this house. There’s nothing very ornate or flashy about the house that has now become home for the retired politician, who still commands a large amount of respect from people within and outside the party. 
 
He still enjoys a large amount of formidable security at this house, which is spread across two-and-half acres of land and gives him protected area to go for his favourite activity, apart from reading – long walks. 
 
Industrialists, economists and visitors – all get some share of his time much more than what they got earlier. Now, the meetings with people stretch up to half an hour, than those touch-and-go meetings that happened in a matter of few minutes when he was a busy man. 
 
Having been less of a politician and more of an economist, Manmohan Singh is still a force to reckon with for all the liberal measures he took during his tenure. He was re-elected as Rajya Sabha member last year, for additional six year tenure. 
 
Image: indiatimes

Manmohan Singh: Lost In Time?

(Eds: With K'taka leaders' reax) New Delhi, Mar 8 () Former Union law minister and Congress veteran <keyword id="71054" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hansraj-Bhardwaj">Hansraj Bhardwaj</keyword> died after a cardiac arrest at a hospital here on Sunday evening. He was 83. Bhardwaj breathed his last around 6.30 pm at Max Hospital, Saket, where he was admitted since Wednesday due to kidney-related ailments, his family told . The cremation will take place at <keyword id="8885939" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="nighambodh">Nighambodh</keyword> Ghat on Monday at 4 pm, his son Arun Bhardwaj said. He is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters. Bhardwaj celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary on February 29. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury condoled Bhardwaj's death. "Anguished by the passing away of former minister Shri Hans Raj Bhardwaj," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted quoting Modi. "My thoughts are with his family and well-wishers in this hour of grief. Om Shanti," the tweet said. Prasad recalled his association with Bhardwaj in Parliament. "Deeply condole the sad demise of Shri Hansraj Bhardwaj who for long years served as the Law Minister of India. We were together in the Parliament. May his soul Rest In Peace," Prasad posted on Twitter. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury remembered the leader as an "encyclopedia" on the Indian judicial system. "Sad news about Shri Hans Raj Bhardwaj ji's demise. Worked with him as an MP when he was a minister &amp; shared the urge to safeguard our constitutional values. He was an encyclopedia on the Indian judicial system. Will miss him," Yechury said in a tweet. Born in Garhi Sampla village in Rohtak district of Haryana, Bhardwaj was a Rajya Sabha member for five terms from April 1982 to June 2009. He was the law minister for 14 years and served under the prime ministership of Rajiv Gandhi, Narasimha Rao and <keyword id="6359397" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="manmohan-singh">Manmohan Singh</keyword>. During his stint as the governor of Karnataka between 2009 and 2014, he sternly dealt with the mining mafia active in the state. It was during Bhardwaj's tenure as law minister that Bofors-accused <keyword id="54989" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ottavio-Quattrocchi">Ottavio Quattrocchi</keyword> was given a clean chit by then UPA government in 2009. Sources said he fell out with Congress party leadership after he became the governor and criticised it. Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and opposition leader in the assembly Siddaramaiah also mourned the demise of Bhardwaj. "In his death we lost a good legal expert and administrator. May his soul rest in peace and may God give strength to his family to bear the loss," Yediyurappa said in a condolence message. A tussle between Bhardwaj and Yediyurappa over mining and land scams drew everyone's attention during his second stint as chief minister. Gowda said Bhardwaj will always be remembered for his exceptional service to the nation, while Siddaramaiah recalled him as as a tough man against immoral practices during power struggle. "His contribution to Karnataka during his tenure shall always be remembered. He was tough against immoral practices of power struggle. My deepest condolences to his family members &amp; well-wishers," Siddaramaiah tweeted. Bhardwaj held a Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) degree and did his schooling from GBC High School, Rohtak, and college in BM College, Shimla. He also studied at Agra University and <keyword id="49466" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Panjab-University">Panjab University</keyword>.

Congress veteran and former law minister Hansraj Bharadwaj passes away at 83

<keyword id="6359833" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Goods-and-Services-Tax">Goods and Services Tax</keyword> (GST) is the biggest tax reform introduced in India since independence, and is certainly a game changer. However, the process undertaken by the government to implement GST was no less than a game changer itself. 
 
Several aspects had to be taken care of, and the most important part of the whole process was to stay focused on the bigger picture, not bowing down to the political and administrative negotiations that came with it. 
 
It was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/topic/Narendra-Modi">PM Narendra Modi </a>who was the leader of the process, along with finance minister <keyword id="42575" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Arun-Jaitley">Arun Jaitley</keyword>, who served as the bridge between him and the stakeholders. 
 
How often does it happen that the key members of the leading party of world’s biggest democracy meet up with the opposition leaders and that too a month after losing elections in a key state. However, it was the commitment that BJP had for GST that made him, along with Jaitley and parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu had a meeting with former PM Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, a month after BJP lost Bihar elections. 
 
The PM, sources say, said that India needed GST and then the FM took over, explaining to the opposition why their positions, like capping tax rate at 18% in the GST statute, had to be reconsidered. He added that while a poor GST was not an option, their other demands will be duly considered. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/removal-of-cesses-for-gst-would-cost-government-rs-65000-crore/articleshow/57793686.cms">Removal of cesses for GST would cost government Rs 65,000 crore</a> 
 Ever since then, the <keyword id="117924" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="GST-Rollout">GST rollout</keyword> became a big puzzle with several tangled knots, which could be and was solved keeping in mind one thing, that GST was too big a reform to fail. The idea was to unite the country in a fundamental way, and before a deadline but only after clearing every doubt that anyone had. 
 
As per officials that <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/how-modi-government-managed-to-solve-the-gst-puzzle/articleshow/57980627.cms">ET </a>contacted, Modi referred to GST as more than a tax reform at Cabinet meetings, exemplifying India's "unity in diversity," asking his team to prioritise GST. The FM, very smartly negotiated the terms so that political rivalries didn’t hinder the implementation process. 
 
In total, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/gst-council-clears-almost-allrules-except-for-remaining-four/articleshow/57959857.cms">GST council </a>had 12 meetings; however, from the second meeting itself, there were signs of political bitterness raising its head, which is why the government decided to seek consensus and encourage everyone to offer solutions. 
 
While taking care of the taxation, the government had to get into intense detailing with the tax administration, which is when it demonstrated that it had no intention of cornering states. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/markets/economy/gst-to-keep-an-eye-on-your-perks-outside-ctc/articleshow/57889157.cms">GST to keep an eye on your perks outside CTC</a> 
 
In the whole process, the leading party is said to have never shied away from reaching out to rivals, just so the GST could be passed without fail. It involved reaching out to CPM's Sitaram Yechury, SP's Ram Gopal Yadav, TMC's Derek O'Brien, BJD's Dilip Turkey, NCP's Praful Patel, and several other point-persons from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/politics/delay-in-implementing-gst-during-nda-government-led-to-rs-12-lakh-crore-loss-says-congress-party/articleshow/57892537.cms">Congress party</a>. 
 
The PM had a message for his team working on GST, which was to work at top speed without compromising with the quality. The team included hundreds of officials spread in small groups, solving difficult questions of both producing and consuming states and working for a period of more than eight months, including holidays and weekends. 
 
"It took us several months and many informal discussions to reach a consensus on how the final draft should look like," said a top official. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/no-gst-for-education-and-healthcare-this-year/articleshow/57972964.cms">No GST for education and health care this year</a> 
 
The work of these teams should be credited for the fact that the GST framework is ready three months before the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/markets/economy/eyeing-july-1-rollout-arun-jaitley-introduces-four-bills-on-gst-in-parliament/articleshow/57851897.cms">July 1 deadline</a>. 
 
(Image source GST Taxation)

Here’s how difficult the GST process was for the Modi government

Former <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Planning+Commission+">Planning Commission</a> member <keyword id="120162" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Arun-Maira">Arun Maira</keyword> has come up with some startling revelations about former <a href="file:///C:/Users/gunja.d/Documents/Septemeber%202015/PM%20Manmohan%20Singh">PM Manmohan Singh</a> which could further spoil his image. He has said that Singh had inducted him as a change management expert but never backed any changes. He also alleged that former <keyword id="51819" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Deputy-Chairman">Deputy Chairman</keyword> of <keyword id="46913" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Planning-commission">Planning Commission</keyword> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Montek+Singh+Ahluwalia+">Montek Singh Ahluwalia</a> was a reluctant reformer. 
 
Maira is going to make these revelations public via his upcoming book to be released next Wednesday. Maira admitted that he felt let down at the end of his tenure at the Planning Commission as the leadership asked him to find solutions, accepted his ideas, but never implemented them. 
 He further said PM <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> scrapped the Planning Commission during his first seven months in office. He replaced it with Niti Aayog focused on co-operative federalism — exactly the reforms that Singh had in mind but couldn't implement during his ten years in office. 
 
The former PM admitted this to Maira after a parliamentary panel meeting this January after the Aayog was set up, when he thanked the latter for making him 'look good.' 
 
Maira had told MPs in the parliamentary standing committee on finance and planning that the Niti Aayog's charter of working closely with states and being an essay in persuasion was the same vision first enunciated by the UPA PM. 
 
"The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Congress+Vice-President+Rahul+Gandhi">Congress</a> keeps jumping up every time the <keyword id="6360789" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Modi-Government">Modi government</keyword> announces something, saying it was their idea. Well, then why didn't it do anything about those ideas," Maira told ET. 
 
"We were told that the PM would meet us once every month. That never happened. He relied only on Ahluwalia and chaired Commission meetings just once or twice a year," Maira said, adding that they had identified the new paradigm for the Commission, set up by Nehru in 1950, in our first eight months in the job. 
 
But both Ahluwalia and Singh never applied those ideas. Since they were the people with authority on resources of the government, commission, unless they were going to put themselves behind the system, it couldn't happen. Later, they said change things on the side, but leave the core as it is, Maira said. 
 
In his book An Upstart in Government: Journeys of Change and Learning, former <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Tata+group+">Tata Group</a> manager and <keyword id="136162" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Boston-Consulting-Group">Boston Consulting Group</keyword> chief Maira traces his story from a single phone call requesting him to join the government as a change agent in the middle of a 2009 holiday in Prague, till his last meeting with the Commission in April 2014. 
 
Singh repeated the same existential questions about the Commission's relevance that he had raised five years earlier. Maira was surprised as the commission's members had identified afresh what needed to be done by their successors. 
 
"The government was besieged by criticism in its last year and was very defensive, with ministers floating 'zero loss' theories about scams. I don't know if Ahluwalia sent forward our view to the PM as a Niti Aayog-type charter is what we had in mind," Maira said, hinting that the UPA was keen not to admit that its style of running the Commission wasn't optimal. 
 "Every time I hear Modi speak, it strikes me that he gets all the things the <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> leadership refused to accept. Whether it's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Make+In+India+">Make In India</a> instead of a manufacturing policy focused purely on investment enclaves that required massive land tracts, or the focus on job creation," Maira said. 
 
Maira pointed to a major anomaly in the Commission's working - its members have minister of state ranks but none of its staff report directly to the members. 
 
"We had drivers, door-openers, paper-carriers, but no professional staff. Advisors working on our subjects would be transferred or go on leave without us having a clue," he said. 
 
Ahluwalia pursued a move to allow two professionals for each member of the Commission, including himself, but was unable to do it. Finally, Ahluwalia is learnt to have told Maira that he couldn't expedite such government processes, so Maira must seek help from outside the government. 
 
This compelled Maira to talk to Tata Sons' director R Gopalakrishnan and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Mahindra+%26+Mahindra+">Mahindra</a> group chief <keyword id="46425" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Anand-Mahindra">Anand Mahindra</keyword> to lend some managers to the think tank. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Manmohan Singh’s trusted aide Arun Maira is now calling the Ex PM and Montek Singh ‘reluctant reformers’

Few hours after former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tore into present PM Narendra Modi-led Indian Government, Singh met his successor at his residence at 7RCR. 
 
Although many people had different versions of the meeting, the Prime Minister's Office stated that Dr Singh's visit to 7 Race Course Road was just a courtesy call. 
 
However, Dr Singh's office said in a statement, "At the invitation of PM Modi, former PM Dr Manmohan Singh met the Prime Minister today... they discussed the economic situation in the country and foreign policy issues." 
 
Later on, Congress party leader Anand Sharma told a news agency that the meeting took place at the behest of Modi, who invited Singh to discuss the state of the economy and foreign policy issues. 
 
When Modi took charge as PM last year on May 26, he had visited Singh. 
 
Meanwhile, the meeting came after Singh slammed Modi government over an array of issues, including economic growth and welfare. 
 
"Institutions of Democracy are under threat. The entire edifice of the welfare state is now being dismantled in the guise of promoting faster economic growth. The past is continually being rewritten to promote a highly biased and communal view. Dissent is being suppressed,” Singh had said. 
 
President of Bharatiya Janata Party Amit Shah countered Singh’s attacks, saying that he cannot run away from its responsibility by merely saying that he had not enriched. 
 
“The debate is not over simply because you do not yourself engage in corruption. A Prime Minister is expected to provide corruption free governance," Shah said. 
 
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Very happy to meet Dr. Manmohan Singh ji &amp; welcome him back to 7RCR. We had a great meeting. <a href="http://t.co/GlpfqKByoS">pic.twitter.com/GlpfqKByoS</a>
	— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/603552229140766720">May 27, 2015</a></blockquote>
(Image: PIB)

Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi meet like long-lost friends, just a day after levelling nasty charges against each other

An Italian court has found out that the UPA government concealed some critical issues in the <keyword id="1560103" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="VVIP-chopper-scandal">VVIP chopper scandal</keyword>, hiding several documents with investigators. The court has also found out that the main accused, the then Italian Prime Minister <keyword id="826514" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mario-Monti">Mario Monti</keyword>, had tried to reach out to his Indian counterpart <keyword id="6359397" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Manmohan-Singh">Manmohan Singh</keyword>. 
 In the 225-page order, which was accessed by ET, the <keyword id="3336940" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Court-of-Appeals-of-Milan">Court of Appeals of Milan</keyword> has given in depth details of its grounds for conviction. About the UPA government hiding important details, it observed: "This showing (of) a substantial disregard to arrive at a full explanation of facts (was) effectively demonstrated by the procedural behaviour of the Indian Ministry of Defence." 
 
The Italian court, which is equivalent to the High Courts of India, further speculated if all this was connected to a handwritten note that was recovered in March 2013 from former Finmeccanica head Giuseppe Orsi's prison cell. 
 
The note said, "Call Monti or amb. Teracciano in my name to ask him to call the PM Singh." Monti was the then Italian PM and Teracciano was his diplomatic advisor. 
 
The court then said that while it's not in a "position to determine what was the message that Orsi, during his detention, intended to send to the head of Government of India but the same can be guessed if we think about the outcome of requests for judicial assistance sent to Indian authorities." 
 
A footnote said that in April 2013, Italy had requested full documents related to the case from Indian government, but only three documents were provided and that too by as late as March 2014. The judgement, which also questioned the involvement of British middleman Christian Michel, makes extensive referrals to CAG’s report about the matter. 
 
In its ruling in the case, the Italian court had stated that the 2010 deal to purchase 12 VVIP helicopters by India from AgustaWestland involved corruption at international levels, which is why it had ordered a four-and-a-half-years jail term to the former head of the company, Giuseppe Orsi. 
 
It was in 2013 that the UPA government had cancelled the deal, saying that the integrity pact was violated. After that, most of the money paid to the Italian company has been recovered, while three VVIP choppers that were delivered to India are lying dormant. 
 
<a href="http://files.foreignaffairs.com/legacy/images/Singh2.jpg">Image source</a>

UPA government hid vital facts about VVIP helicopter scam, an Italian court reveals

After its worst ever defeat in the 2014 <keyword id="6355187" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha">Lok Sabha</keyword> elections, the Congress has coined a new strategy to reach out to masses of India. It has expanded its media outreach, and surprisingly, this time, the number of spokesperson appointed by the party (52) has surpassed the total number of MPs (44). 
 Congress chief <keyword id="689" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sonia-Gandhi">Sonia Gandhi</keyword> has approved the list of senior spokespersons, spokespersons, secretary media department, media coordinators and media panellists of <keyword id="6362140" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="All-India-Congress-Committee">All India Congress Committee</keyword> (AICC). 
 The party has appointed 4 senior spokespersons, which includes: <keyword id="50339" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ajay-Maken">Ajay Maken</keyword>, Shakeel Ahmed, CP Joshi, Satyavrat Chaturvedi, 17 new spokespersons and 31 media panellists along with two media coordinators. 
 It appears that in the new team of spokespersons has been formed to save the party from landing in controversies every now and then. According to a news report, it will also give the Congress more teeth to strengthen its campaign against the <keyword id="6360789" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Modi-Government">Modi government</keyword>'s controversial Land Bill. It is believed that this bill is an amended version of a law enacted when the party was in power, the news report added. 
 On March 11, former <keyword id="6594769" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prime-Minister-Manmohan-Singh">prime minister Manmohan Singh</keyword> was summoned as an accused by a Special Court in a case pertaining to allocation of Talabira-II coal block in Odisha in 2005. Singh has been asked to appear before the court on April 8. 
(Image: TOI)

Know why the Congress Party thinks it’s important to have 52 members addressing media queries

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government yet again pinned hopes on passage of <keyword id="387846" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="GST-Bill">GST bill</keyword> in Rajya Sabha. 
 Parliamentary Affairs Minister <keyword id="74369" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Venkaiah-Naidu">Venkaiah Naidu</keyword> said the government would leave no stone unturned to get the GST bill passed in the budget session, which would begin after February 20. 
 
"We need to pass GST bill. If we pass GST, it will revolutionise taxation system and according to experts, it will increase our revenue by 1.5 to 2 per cent. It is a very vital reform that is needed in the taxation structure," said Naidu. 
 
The minister is in touch with different parties, especially the Congress to break the deadlock and get the GST bill passed. 
 In this regard, Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> also met his predecessor <keyword id="6359397" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Manmohan-Singh">Manmohan Singh</keyword> and Congress president <keyword id="689" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sonia-Gandhi">Sonia Gandhi</keyword> and understood their concerns. 
 
"There is tremendous public opinion building up across the country in favour of GST.I hope other parties will realise the importance of GST and support," said Naidu. 
 
"I appeal to all parties, including major opposition party Congress, please see reason and support this bill so that we can bring forward, country and states can prosper," he said. 
 
Clarifying on media reports about him having called an "all-party meeting" regarding the schedule for the budget session, he said it was an informal meeting with leaders of some political parties in states where polls are slated soon. 
 
"Taking the views of those parties who have large presence in those states is important. So I informally called them to take their views in order to finalise the schedule of the budget session," he added.

Modi
government yet again pins hope on GST bill passage in budget session

<ul><li>On 7 October, <keyword id="6355121" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajnath-Singh">Rajnath Singh</keyword>, said that left-wing extremism would be wiped out within two to three years. </li><li>In 2015, the current BJP-led administration launched the ‘National Policy and Action Plan’, which focused on deploying more counter-insurgency personnel and development funds in districts affected by Naxalism. </li><li>As per estimates from the Ministry of Home Affairs in April 2018, the number of affected districts had fallen from 126 in 2017 to 90, while the number of worst-affected districts had declined from 36 to 30. </li></ul>Roughly a decade ago, India’s then-Prime Minister, <keyword id="6359397" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="manmohan-singh">Manmohan Singh</keyword>, referred to “Naxalism” - a term meant to encapsulate far-left radical Communist movements, especially in the eastern part of the country - as India’s <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Manmohan-naxalism-the-greatest-internal-threat/article16886121.ece">gravest threat to internal security</a>. Singh pointed out that the movement was strongest in underdeveloped parts of the country, and that military and police action to combat the threat would have to be complemented by a spate of development schemes. On 7 October, while speaking at a <keyword id="76600" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Central-Reserve-Police-Force">Central Reserve Police Force</keyword> (CRPF) event in Lucknow, India’s home minister, Rajnath Singh, said that left-wing extremism would be wiped out within two to three years. He explained that left-wing insurgency movements were on the decline owing in part to the efforts of the Indian paramilitary forces. In 2015, the current BJP-led administration launched the ‘National Policy and Action Plan’, which was aimed at curtailing the operations of left wing radicals. The programme involved a greater military presence and higher funding for police forces in districts most affected by Naxal attacks. It also include a targeted investment in schools, hospitals, roads and telecommunications networks in these regions. . In the years since the plan was implemented, the number of districts affected by Naxalism has declined considerably. As per <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=178704">estimates</a> from the Ministry of Home Affairs in April 2018, the number of affected districts had fallen from 126 in 2017 to 90, while the number of worst-affected districts had declined from 36 to 30. Last week, Singh said that the movement had been further reduced to <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/aW1zo9iwHOKwxEuLg6qE0J/Urban-naxals-wont-be-tolerated-says-Rajnath-Singh.html">around 50</a> districts as the government’s two-pronged strategy - emphasising military action and development- was bearing fruit. . The worst-affected districts are in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, <keyword id="43945" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chhattisgarh">Chhattisgarh</keyword> and Odisha. The government in Chhattisgarh, in particular, will be on high-alert ahead of elections to the state legislature in November. Election rallies are found to be a popular target for left-wing extremists.The Union home ministry will likely provide greater CRPF personnel to the state in the buildup to the elections.

India’s home minister plans to rid the country of its “greatest internal security threat” by 2021

Former <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6359397" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Manmohan-Singh">Manmohan Singh</keyword> has always been known to be the ‘silent PM’. All throughout his 10-year tenure at the helm of affairs as the Prime Minister of India, from 2004 to 2014, the Prime Minister was accused of not interacting more with either the media or the citizens of the country. Infact, things became too hot to handle once the scams started coming out into the open. First the <keyword id="6446767" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="2G-scam">2G scam</keyword> in 2010, followed by the CWG scam and then the coal scam, severely marred the <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> party’s reputation and did irreversible damage to even Singh’s reputation, who was till then hailed as the ‘cleanest politician’ and was extended wide acclaim for having brought around the very first round of economic liberalisation to India in 1991 as the <keyword id="6355261" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Finance-minister">Finance Minister</keyword> (under the aegis of Narasimha Rao). 
 Today, just a day after fresh allegations were levelled against him by former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman, Pradeep Baijal, Singh told a gathering of young, budding politicians of NSUI that most of the claims being made by the <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> and the <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> government were all false. 
 
Here, we list down for you the top 5 digs the former Prime Minister leveled at all the allegations that have been made against him, his leadership and his family, in an extremely candid address. 
 
1) Manmohan Singh said, “The UPA has always fought against corruption. We will continue to do so,” and went on to say, “I have never used the office to enrich the coffers of my family, or that of my friends or that of my political party.” 
 2) On the claims that the BJP government has been making about the reforms the NDA government has brought to the economy within a year of its coming to power, Singh said, “We have a duty to our citizens of telling the truth. All of us have an obligation to give out the correct information to our people. You can’t make false talk about the <keyword id="26374" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="UPA-government">UPA government</keyword>.” 
 3) He also claimed that most of the ‘achievements’ that the BJP government was laying claim to was in fact, revamped versions of schemes that were launched by the UPA regime, a claim that many an expert has in the past reiterated. He said, “Be it the <keyword id="6383794" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="national-Rural-Health-Mission">National Rural Health Mission</keyword> or the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission. These were schemes that were launched during the UPA regimen and that have been subsequently revamped and relaunched by the BJP government.” 
 
4) Singh went on to say, “All the talk about improvement in the economy that the BJP is talking about. Just go around and see for yourself and look at the data. Investment is not increasing. Farming sector has seen no increase. 65% of our country is represented by the rural population and they are in distress. When over 65% of a country’s population is in distress, how can you claim that the country is progressing?” 
 5) Singh also took a dig at Modi’s pet project, The Make in India. He said, “What is this Make in India? This is nothing but a revamped version of the UPA’s new National Manufacturing Policy, under which we had promised to increase the share of manufacturing to <keyword id="35050" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="gdp">GDP</keyword> to 25% by 2025. The BJP’s claims are no different.”

5 uncharacteristically strong digs that Former
PM Manmohan Singh took at Narendra Modi and the BJP Govt

Former <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6359397" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Manmohan-Singh">Manmohan Singh</keyword> does not have to appear in a <keyword id="6364736" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Delhi-court">Delhi court</keyword> on April 8, the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> said today. The top court has suspended the summons sent to the <keyword id="6378412" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="politician">politician</keyword> by a <keyword id="6362306" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="CBI-court">CBI court</keyword> last month. The investigating agency has three weeks to respond to Dr Singh's petition against his summons. 
 Dr Singh, 82, had been told to make a personal appearance with industrialist Kumar <keyword id="286113" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mangalam-Birla">Mangalam Birla</keyword> for a case that says a coal field was illegally awarded in 2005 to Hindalco, a company owned by Mr Birla. At the time, Dr Singh held direct charge of the <keyword id="111919" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="coal-ministry">Coal Ministry</keyword>. 
The former PM has not been charged with any crime but is being investigated for criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy, and corruption. He has denied any wrong doing. The CBI has twice said it would like to close the case against him, but has been over-ruled by the judge handling the matter. 
 "There was no criminal intent, it (the allotment) was an administrative decision and not an illegality," said the politician's lawyer, <keyword id="30182" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Kapil-Sibal">Kapil Sibal</keyword>, who was also <keyword id="2789849" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Telecom-Minister-in-Dr-Singh">Telecom Minister in Dr Singh</keyword>'s government. Two of Dr Singh's three daughters were present in court today. 
 The case known as "Coalgate" came to light in 2012 after <keyword id="222693" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="The-National">the national</keyword> auditor said 1.86 lakh crores had been lost because coal blocks were distributed without a transparent bidding process. Last year, the Supreme Court declared as illegal nearly 300 coal licenses issued by consecutive governments since 1993. Over the last few weeks, 32 of the coal blocks were auctioned by the <keyword id="6360789" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Modi-Government">Modi government</keyword>. 
 Judge <keyword id="2055026" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Bharat-Parashar">Bharat Parashar</keyword> of the CBI court said in the summons to Dr Singh that "a well-planned conspiracy was hatched" to award a coal field in Odisha to <keyword id="105310" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Hindalco-Industries">Hindalco Industries</keyword>, part of the $40 billion <keyword id="44373" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Aditya-Birla-Group">Aditya Birla Group</keyword>, which is chaired by Kumar Mangalam Birla. 
 
Hindalco has said that it made its case for the mining license "in a transparent and lawful manner".

You Searched For "Manmohan Singh government" and got 13 results

From Deepak Parekh to Vodafone CEO Nick Read — 5 times corporates criticised Indian government and ran into trouble

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Sitharaman now blames Manmohan Singh and Raghuram Rajan for India's banking crisis

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Manmohan Singh: Lost In Time?

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Congress veteran and former law minister Hansraj Bharadwaj passes away at 83

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Here’s how difficult the GST process was for the Modi government

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Manmohan Singh’s trusted aide Arun Maira is now calling the Ex PM and Montek Singh ‘reluctant reformers’

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Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi meet like long-lost friends, just a day after levelling nasty charges against each other

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UPA government hid vital facts about VVIP helicopter scam, an Italian court reveals

BI India Bureau

Know why the Congress Party thinks it’s important to have 52 members addressing media queries

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Modi government yet again pins hope on GST bill passage in budget session

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India’s home minister plans to rid the country of its “greatest internal security threat” by 2021

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5 uncharacteristically strong digs that Former PM Manmohan Singh took at Narendra Modi and the BJP Govt

Debdatta Das

Supreme Court sides with Ex PM Manmohan Singh, says appearance in court on April 8 not required

BI India Bureau

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