Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

download Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

of 14

Transcript of Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

  • 8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

    1/32

    The South Asian Timese x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m

    excellence in journalism SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30

    Vol.8 No. 17 August 29-September 4, 2015 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

    OP-ED 12 FASHION 15 ARCHITECTURE 27

    New Delhi: Amid the global eco-

    nomic gloom, triggered by a slow-

    ing Chinese economy, most econo-

    mists maintained that India's

    growth prospects were brighter

    than those of other emerging mar-

    kets. India stands to benefit from

    China's slowdown thanks to its

    resilient consumer spending and

    improving macroeconomic funda-

    mentals.

    China's economy is slowing

    sharply as shown in the accompa-

    nying chart, creating a risk for the

    global economy. Seeing an oppor-tunity in the recent turmoil in

    global equity and currency mar-

    kets, finance minister Arun Jaitley

    on Thursday said India, with 8-9 %

    growth rate, can replace China as

    the driver of world economy.

    Asserting that the global market

    turmoil was not a cause of ʻworryʼ

    for India, he said the crisis should

    be converted into an ʻopportunityʼ

    to grow by speeding up the

    reforms.

    RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan

    has explained to the media why it

    is different this time, and how

    India is no more in the club of the

    'Fragile Five' or 'Troubled 10.'

    Rating agency Moody's Investor's

    Service has said that India's macro-

    economic indicators have

    improved over the last few yearswhich will help the country with-

    stand volatility in global capital

    flows in coming months.

    With China's economic woes

    engulfing the world economy, the

    Sriharikota India: Staging yet

    another spectacular launch of 3-

    stage heavy weight rocket GSLV D-

    6 with indigenous cryogenic upper

    stage, ISRO on Thursday success-

    fully put in orbit GSAT-6 communi-

    cation satellite. The GSLV D-6 is

    the second successful consecutive

    Continued on page 4

    Continued on page 4

    (See detailed story on pg 10)

    With GSLV-D6launch, India getsanother eyein the sky

    New York: Donald Trump has made dramatic gains on

    Hillary Clinton and is within striking distance of her in

    a hypothetical 2016 presidential battle, according to a

    poll released Wednesday. Democrat Clinton leads the

    Republican front-runner by 6 points, 51 percent to 45

    percent, according to the CNN/ORC International sur-

    vey conducted Thursday Continued on page 4

    A month before he passed away, Dr APJ Abdul Kalampresented a copy of his book ‘Transcendence’ to H.H. PramukhSwami Maharaj in Sarangpur, Gujarat, in June 2015. The book details the 14-year journey of Dr Kalam’s spiritual experiences 

    with the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha head. BAPS temple inRobbinsville, NJ, honored the legacy of the ‘People’s President’ 

    with the launch of ‘Transcendence’ on August 23.

    Vice President Joe Biden & Hillary Clinton

    Chronicle of a spiritual journey

    See detailed report on pg 18-19.

    India poised togain most fromChinese crisisIndia can replace China as driver of global

    growth: Finance Minister Jaitley

    As Hillary’s invincibility isdented, Biden mulls run

    Hardik Patel, 21, is the face of the movement demanding OBC status and reservations for Patidar (Patel) community in Gujarat. Their agitation, barely weeks old, turned violent 

    this week even as Hardik hogs the headlines.

    Patels' stir for OBC status

  • 8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

    2/32

    TheSouthAsianTimes.info  August 29-September 4, 2015

  • 8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

    3/32

    By Ashok Ojha 

    Edison NJ:

    Harvard scholar and former

    Indian cabinet minister Dr. Subramanian

    Swamy, who is known for his pro-Hindu

    crusade, made a case for joint action by

    the United States, Israel and India against

    the Islamic movement called ISIS.

    “ISIS is more dangerous than Hitler”, he

    said pointing out that the world had nochoice than to join hands to fight against

    Islamic terrorism.

    Addressing a crowded auditorium at TV

    Asia studios in Edison, NJ, Swamy said

    that India was under siege by terrorists

    and anti-Hindus. “In order to save the

    nation Hindus all over the world must be

    united.” He also urged his audience to

    learn Sanskrit and Devanagari script for

    the revival of ancient values.

    “The DNA of all Hindus is the same

    including the Muslims living in India”, he

    said, “We are all descendants of Hindus”,

    he pointed out adding that all Muslims

    were converts. Elaborating on his theme

    of ʻVirat Hinduʼ society, Swamy blamed

    Congress leaders including JawaharlalNehru for creating problems for the

    country including ignoring Dr.

    Ambedkarʼs opposition to Article 370 in

    the Constitution of India.

    Swamy declared that he would lead an

    agitation if the Modi government didnʼt

    announce its decision to construct Ram

    temple in Ayudhya within six months.

    Swamy reiterated his demands to intro-

    duce uniform civil code, removing article

    370 from the constitution and revising

    history books within two years to include

    more chapters on ʻIndian freedom fight-ers such as Maharana Pratap, Shiva ji,

     Jha nsi ki Raani and others ʻwho have

    been so far ignored by previous govern-

    mentsʼ.

    Dr Swamy will be the chief guest and 

    star speaker at the 20th Annual Hindu 

    Unity Day at Hindu temple auditorium in 

    Flushing, NY on August 30.

    3August 29-September 4, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info  TRISTATE COMMUNITY

    Washington: Enthused by the over-

    whelming support he received

    from top companies in both the US

    and Canada to his new industrial

    policy, Haryana Chief Minister

    Manohar Lal Khattar has exudedconfidence that his state would

    soon emerge as the "most favored

    FDI destination" in India.

    "I received an encouraging

    response to our new policies from

    investors in both the US and

    Canada. This gives me confidence

    that Haryana would be the most

    favored FDI destination in India.

    My government is determined to

    take all necessary steps in this

    regard," Khattar told a news

    agency from Toronto before leav-

    ing for India after concluding his

    10-day tour.

    Leading a high powered delega-

    tion, including Industry MinisterCapt Abhimanyu, to New York,

    Baltimore, Washington DC, San

    Francisco, Vancouver and Toronto,

    Khattar met representatives of thebusiness communities, senior gov-

    ernment officials and Indian dias-

    pora. Six MoUs were signed during

    the trip and process has started forseveral others as a result of these

    meetings, he said. Having received

    initial indications from several

    companies to invest in Haryana,Khattar said these investments

    would help in creating large scale

     jobs in his state. These companies

    have only asked for creating a con-

    ducive business and investors envi-

    ronment in Haryana, to which the

    BJP Government in Haryana is

    committed to provide, he said. "Ithink both Haryana and other

    parts of the country as well would

    receive big investment from for-

    eign businesses this year," he said.

    Khattar said there is a huge enthu-

    siasm among the Indian diaspora

    to come and invest in India. During

    the trip, Khattar announced to host

    a "Happening Haryana" conclave

    next year, to which he said a large

    number of companies from both

    the US and Canada have agreed to

    attend. Noting that there are

    "immense opportunities" for busi-

    nesses in Haryana, the Chief 

    Minister said the state has a strate-

    gic location and its proximity toNew Delhi makes it an attractive

    FDI destination.

    New York

    An appeals court in New York has

    affirmed a district judgeʼs order to dismiss a

    human rights violation lawsuit filed against

    Congress president Sonia Gandhi by a Sikh

    group in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh

    riots case, ruling that the petition lacked merit.

    The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that it

    found the arguments presented by Sikhs for

     Justice (SFJ) in its case against Gandhi “without

    merit”.

    The bench affirmed the district courtʼs order

    of June 9, 2014 in which the judge had dis-

    missed the human rights violation lawsuit filed

    by SFJ against Gandhi.

    US District Judge Brian Cogan had granted

    Gandhiʼs motion to dismiss the complaint due

    to “lack of subject matter jurisdiction” and fail-

    ure to state a claim.

    “Upon due consideration..., it is hereby

    ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the judg-

    ment of the District Court is affirmed,” the

    three-judge bench said in its order issued on

    Tuesday.Sonia Gandhiʼs lawyer, eminent Indian-

    American attorney Ravi Batra, termed the

    appeals court ruling as “historic” and said the

     judges have upheld a nationʼs sovereignty by

    declaring Gandhi free of any fault ̶ despite

    SFJʼs “reprehensible defamatory efforts”.

    Batra said in a statement that SFJ should

    “publically apologize” to Sonia Gandhi and to

    every leader it has sued without just cause or

    any legal right or standing to do so, and state

    that it will no longer hurt genuine victims of 

    1984 by selling false hope that only re-victim-

    izes them.

    “SFJ making false, reprehensible and defama-

    tory allegations against Indiaʼs leaders is the

    wrong recipe,” he added.

    SFJ legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun

    said the group will file a petition for a “rehear-ing en banc” with the appeals court to chal-

    lenge the order within 14 days of the order.

    SFJ had filed a lawsuit in 2013 against Sonia

    Gandhi accusing her of allegedly shielding and

    protecting Congress party leaders in the anti-

    Sikh riots that had erupted following the assas-

    sination of former Prime Minister and her

    mother-in-law Indira Gandhi.

    Khattar announces ‘Happening Haryana’ meet in 2016 to attract FDI

    ‘ISIS is more dangerous than Hitler’

    Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at an interactive sessionat the Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) at Toronto on Aug 24.

    His Industries Minister Capt. Abhimanyu is at extreme left.

    Dr. Subramanian Swamy

    calls for Hindu unity

    Dr. Subramanian Swamyaddressing a meeting in NJ

    (photo: Ashok Ojha) 

    US court dismisses 1984 riotscase against Sonia Gandhi

    Sonia Gandhi and (right) her defenseattorney in the US, Ravi Batra

  • 8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

    4/32

    Chairman and Co-Founder

    Kamlesh C. Mehta

    Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull

    ([email protected])

    President: Arjit Mehta

    Chief Operating Officer:

    Ginsmon P. Zacharia

    P: 516 776 7061

    [email protected]

    Board Advisors (Honorary)

    Ajay Lodha, MD,

    Lakhpat B. Mehta, Esq.

    Rajasthan High Court & Supreme Court

    Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra

    P : 516.710.0508

    [email protected]

    Associate Editors Jinal Shah,

    Hiral Dholakia-Dave, Meenakshi Iyer 

    Contributing Editors: Ni lima Madan,

    Melvin Durai, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma,

    Harry Aurora, Ashok Vyas,

    Dr Akshat Jain, Nupur Joshi

    Contributing Editors (Youth):

    Rhea Gupta, Shweta Lodha, Sidharth Goyal

    West Coast Correspondent

    Pooja Jain,

    [email protected]

    New Delhi Bureau

    Meenakshi Iyer 

    [email protected]

    Strategy and Marketing

    Jinal Shah

    P: 315-436-1142

     [email protected]

    Marketing & PR (Washington DC)

    Chander Gambhir, P: 703.717.1667

    Jaipur (India) Bureau

    Prakash Bhandari

    [email protected]

    Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/

    masalajunction.com.

    Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com

    Photo Journalist: Sandeep Ganatra

    Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah

    Art and Design: Vladimir Tomovski

    Bhagwati Creations,

    Dhiraj Kumar 

    Web Editor: B.B.Chopra

    News Service: HT Media Ltd.

    IANS Newswire Services

    IANS Washington Bureau

    Arun Kumar 

    arun.kumar@ians,in

    Printing: Five Star Printing, NY

    Contacts

    [email protected]

    [email protected]

    Advertisements

    [email protected]

    P : 516.390.7847, F : 516.465.1343

    Website:

    www.TheSouthAsianTimes.info

    Notice: The South Asian Times is published weekly by The Forsythe Media Group, LLC. POSTMASTER: Send all address notices, subscription orders/payments and other inquiries to The South Asian

    Times, 76 N Broadway, Suite 2004, Hicksville, NY 11801, USA. Copyright and all other rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be reprinted without the consent of the publisher. The

    views expressed on the opinion pages and in the letters to the editor pages are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of The South Asian Times. The editor/publisher does not warrant accuracy

    and cannot be held responsible for the content of the advertisements placed in the publication and/or inaccurate claims, if any, made by the advertisers. Advertisements of business or facilities included in this

     publication do not imply connection or endorsement of these businesses. All rights reserved.

    4 August 29-September 4, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info URN PAGE

    Printed Every Saturday by: Forsythe Media Group, LLC, ISSN 1941-9333, 76 N Broadway, Suite 2004, Hicksville, NY 11801 P: 516.390.7847

    Website: TheSouthAsianTimes.info Updated Daily

     India poised to gain most from Chinese economy...

    Continued from page 1

    government has swung into action and Prime Minister

    Narendra Modi is expected to seek advice of economists and

    businessmen at a brainstorming session over the weekend to

    work out a roadmap to strengthen India against any possible

    turbulence.

    With GSLV-D6 launch, India gets another eye ...

    Continued from page 1

    launch of the GSLV series with indigenous cryogenic upperstage. ISRO had in January 2014 launched GSLV D-5 after a

    similar attempt failed in 2010.

    About 17 minute after the 49.1 metre high spacecraft lift-

    ed off raised from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan

    Space Centre with a lift-off weight of 416 tonne at 4.52 pm,

    the rocket placed GSAT-6 in the intended orbit.

    The 2,117 kg-weighing GSAT-6 communication satellite is

    aimed at primarily benefiting the country's strategic users

    and other specific authorized users. The cuboid-shaped satel-

    lite with a mission life of nine years also includes a first-of-

    its-kind S-Band unfurlable antenna with a diameter of six

    metres. This is the largest antenna ISRO has ever made for a

    satellite.

     As Hillary’s invincibility is dented, Biden mulls run...

    Continued from page 1

    through Sunday last week. That puts him within the pollʼsmargin of error of plus or minus 3.5 points.

    Clinton was clobbering Trump by 16 points, 56 percent to

    40 percent, just a month earlier.

    Trumpʼs strong gain could go a long way to combat his

    perceived weakness ̶ electability ̶ in a face-off with

    Clinton.

    “Well, [running against Clinton] is not my focus right now.

    Right now, I have 16 other people that Iʼm looking at and

    thatʼs not my focus ̶ but indirectly probably is,” Trump told

    CNN, referring to his GOP rivals.

    “I think that Hillary is going to have a hard time being in

    the election based on whatʼs happening with the emails, the

    servers . . . I think itʼs going to be a very hard thing to over-

    come.” The poll showed that Trump is now on equal ̶ or

    higher ̶ ground with other Republicans in a match-up

    against the former secretary of state.

    Clinton leads Scott Walker, too, by 6 points, Jeb Bush by 9,and Carly Fiorina by 10. While he said heʼs concentrating on

    the GOP primary and not the general election, Trump blasted

    his potential rivalʼs record.

    “Hillaryʼs record as secretary of state was a disaster,” he

    said. “She was in favor, totally in favor, of the Iraq War ̶

    which is obviously not a good sound bite.”

    But with all her problems, Clinton remains the candidate to

    beat, according to the poll.

    New York Dell has awarded

    American India Foundation

    a multi-year grant to sup-

    port AIFʼs Digital Equalizer

    (DE) program. Aiming to

    impact 61,000 students and

    2,500 teachers in four

    states of India, this gener-

    ous grant will help bridge

    Indiaʼs educational and digi-

    tal divide and bring technol-

    ogy literacy and 21st centu-

    ry skills to more young peo-

    ple in the country. Since

    2007, Dell has been AIFʼs

    staunch supporter of the

    Digital Equalizer program.

    With 70% of Indiaʼs one

    million public schools lack-

    ing basic computing tech-

    nology, the country is facing

    significant challenges to

    prepare its youth for suc-

    cess in the global economy.

    Since 2002, Digital

    Equalizer has been bringing

    technology to schools

    across India and utilizing

    technology to transform

    teaching and learning into a

    collaborative, project-based

    approach.

    The program is creating

    public education reform by

    targeting under-resourced

    government schools.

    This approach helps

    teachers to be more effec-

    tive while motivating and

    inspiring students to contin-

    ue their education and open

    doors of opportunity to

    higher education and career

    success. To date, the pro-

    gram has touched the lives

    of over 1 million children.

    Los Angeles The first Indian

    American to become US Surgeon

    General, Dr Vivek Murthy marrieda fellow doctor Alice Chen on Aug

    22. He flew from Boston toCalifornia to marry her.

    In addition to holding the posi-

    tion of surgeon general, Murthy,37, is also a physician at Brigham

    and Womenʼs Hospital and a

    teacher at Harvard MedicalSchool.

    Chen is a practicing internalmedicine hospitalist and assistant

    clinical professor at the University

    of California, Los Angeles, alongwith serving as executive director

    for Doctors for America, an organ-

    ization working towards equal

    access to high-quality health care,

    according to the Doctors forAmerica Website.

    Berlin Austrian authorities launched an inter-

    national probe Thursday into the deaths of up

    to 50 suspected migrants, with white-suited

    forensic experts still struggling to count the

    decomposed corpses left by a tragedy that

    immediately touched off a new round of 

    recriminations over Europeʼs handling of an

    escalating refugee crisis.

    The bodies were discovered shortly before

    noon after a highway patrol officer investigat-

    ed a putrid smell and liquid coming from the

    back of a truck abandoned near the Austrian

    village of Parndorf on the main expresswaybetween Vienna and Budapest. The incident

    came as top European officials were huddling

    in the Austrian capital, partly to discuss the

    biggest wave of refugees pouring into Europe

    since World War II, with most of them coming

    from war-torn countries in the Middle East,

    Africa and Asia. Deaths of migrants at sea and,

    to a lesser degree, on land are rising.

    Discovery of 50 bodies in truckhighlights European migrant crisis

    Dr Vivek Murthyand Alice Chen

    US Surgeon General VivekMurthy marries fellow doctor

    Dell awards AIF multi-year grant to help bridgeIndia’s educational & digital divide

  • 8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

    5/32

    5August 29-September 4, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY

    New Brunswick

    Houston teen Shourav

    Dasari correctly spelled

    the word “Psocoptera”(an order of insects

    including booklice) dur-

    ing the 2015 MetLife

    South Asian Spelling Bee

    finals to clinch the title

    of national champion

    and took home a cash

    prize of $10,000 from

    MetLife.

    During the MetLife event on

    Aug.14, Shourav along with 23

    other finalists competed for the

    title. Siyona Mishra of Florida and

    Smrithi Upadyayula of Texas were

    National runners up.

    The event was organized by the

    South Asian advertising firmTouchdown Media Inc. and spon-

    sored by MetLife, a leading global

    provider of life insurance, annu-

    ities, employee benefits and asset

    management. Sony Entertainment

    Television was the exclusive rights

    holder and broadcast the event

    across the globe in over 119 coun-

    tries.

    The special guest at the finals

    was Gokul Venkatachalam, the

    2014 MetLife South Asian Spelling

    Bee National Champion and 2014

    Scripps National Co-champion,

    who helped co-host a portion of 

    the event.

    The event was open to children

    up to 14 years of age and was held

    in 12 regional centers across theUnited States. These areas includ-

    ed, New Jersey, DC Metro area,

    Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Seattle,

    New York, Boston, Los Angeles,

    Bay Area and the newly added

    Orlando.

    The contest was conducted in

    written and oral format at the

    regional levels which served as the

    elimination as well as selection

    process for the finalists.

    New Jersey Nisha Kalamdani, a res-

    ident of New Jersey was crowned

    as the first ever Miss Nepal US

    Ambassador 2015, on August 22nd

    at the New York Society for Ethical

    Culture in New York City. The star-studded event; 5th Miss Nepal US

    with the theme of “Rebuilding

    Nepal” primarily focusing on chari-

    ty for Nepalʼs earthquake disaster

    relief in the hope of recovering and

    rebuilding was organized by Event

    Planet Inc. in association with

    Consulate General of Nepal in New

    York & Nepalese American

    Foundation. Bollywood actress &

    Goodwill Ambassador of Nepal

    Government PM Fund for Disaster

    Manisha Koirala graced the occa-

    sion by her presence as a Guest of 

    Honor & Chief Jury along with sev-

    eral other dignitaries. With their

    annual Miss Nepal USA pageant,the organizers opened up a new

    platform this year to elect an

    Ambassador from American

    females of all races, in an effort to

    strengthen the Nepalese-American

    Youth relationship and to give

    opportunities to those who want to

    help Nepal, and have elaborately

    formulated relief effort concepts to

    support the Nepal earthquake vic-

    tims and thus give an opportunity

    to the winner to help in the devel-

    opment of a newer Nepal.

    Nisha will be representing the

    USA and will also be visiting Nepal

    for an official trip to meet with the

    Government officials, including the

    President & the Prime Minister of 

    the country to formulate the plan

    to work on her project related to

    support Rebuilding Nepal cam-

    paign. The organizers of the Miss

    Nepal US Ambassador are currently

    working with the Consulate General

    of Nepal with the required formali-

    ties.

    Always a photographer's delight,

    she plans to Major in Acting, pur-

    sue her career as a model & actor

    and is keen to do some quality

    work in this profession.

    N e w Y o r k The 35th India DayParade in New York City witnessed

    participation of an estimated

    250,000 people. Organized annual-

    ly by FIA as the biggest event to cel-

    ebrate Indiaʼs Independence Day

    outside India, this year it had an

    eclectic mix of Bollywood stars

    (Arjun Rampal and Parineeti

    Chopra), a singer (Shankar

    Mahadevan), a cricketer (Virender

    Sehwag) and a politician (Chief 

    Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal

    Khattar). The event also had more

    than 30 floats on display, cultural

    events, songs and speeches high-

    lighting the spirit and themes of the

    vibrant democracy that India is. Theparade was later followed by Grand

    Gala Dinner with the VVIPs of Tri-

    state in attendance. Times Now,

    Indiaʼs No. 1 English News channel,

    was the of ficial Global broadcast

    partner of the event and televised

    the parade LIVE along with key

    highlights of the parades in San

    Francisco, New Jersey and Chicagoacross 78 countries on 4 conti-

    nents. The Head of International

    Business Times Network, Naveen

    Chandra, said, “The New York India

    Day Parade has grown tremendous-

    ly over the last few years from an

    on-ground audience of 80,000 to an

    estimated over 250,000 this year.

    N e w Y o r k New York-based

    HelpMeSee, which also has offices

    in New Delhi, China and the

    Netherlands, was recognized Aug.

    13 with 11 Stevie Awards at the

    12th annual International Business

    Awards. HelpMeSee is a global cam-

    paign with a singular mission to

    eradicate preventable blindness

    caused by cataracts ̶ the leading

    cause of blindness worldwide ̶

    within two decades. The company,

    whose volunteer medical officer is

    Indian American Dr. Ajay Singh, was

    recognized with a silver Stevie

    Award for Company of the Year in

    the nonprofit category. Other recog-

    nition included Gold Stevie Awards

    for a video on the HelpMeSee Reach

    mobile app and the Partners in

    Sight eNewsletter; Silver Stevie

    Awards for creative use of 

    Instagram, video and direct mail;

    and Bronze for its Facebook feed,

    Twitter feed, the Giving Tuesday

    Campaign and 2014 Annual Report.

    The campaign uses social media

    as a crucial tool to raise awareness

    about the health issue of cataract

    blindness in the developing world

    and the cost-effective solutions that

    have been developed.

    HelpMeSee technologies featured

    in the winning entries include the

    HelpMeSee Reach app for commu-

    nity screening, a high-fidelity surgi-

    cal simulator for training specialists

    and a single-use surgical kit to

    improve the quality of care. Singh

    has worked closely with HelpMeSee

    chief medical officer Dr. Glenn

    Strauss in developing the surgical

    simulation technology needed to

    provide cataract surgical training in

    the developing world. He has co-

    authored a paper with Strauss on

    the need for advanced simulation

    for microsurgical training.

    NJ girl crowned first Miss Nepal US-Ambassador

    Record numbers at India Day Parade in NYC New York firm helping blind people

    see wins 11 Stevie Awards

    Crowned Miss Nepal-US Ambassador on Aug 22, Nisha Kalamadani will visit the mountain nation for Rebuilding Nepal campaign.

    Talking to Times Now at the parade, Grand Marshal Arjun Rampal said, “This is absolutely incredible, I’ve not seen something like

    this. We don't celebrate independence day like this in India.” 

    Shourav Dasari receiving his prize

    Shourav Dasari wins 2015 MetLifeSouth Asian Spelling Bee

    Times Now is airing a special edi- 

    tion capturing the Independence 

    Day celebrations in the USA

    across New York, San Francisco,

    Chicago and New Jersey on 

    TIMES NOW USA on Saturday,

    Aug 29 at 9pm (ET) with a repeat 

    on Aug 30, 9pm (ET).

  • 8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

    6/32

    6 August 29-September 4, 2015   TheSouthAsianTimes.info RISTATE COMMUNITY

    New York

    Festival of Globe ‒

    Silicon Valley (FOGSV) & SanFrancisco Movie Fest has wit-

    nessed yet another successful edi-

    tion. Held from August 7-16, the

    festival received a footfall of over

    1,00,000 visitors from the Bay

    Area and surrounds. Indian film

    personalities Richa Chadda,

    Deepti Naval, Pooja Batra, Bappi

    Lahiri, Gulshan Grover, Guneet

    Monga, Rajat Kapoor and many

    more were felicitated for their

    contribution to Indian Cinema.The celebrations included eight

    days of movie screenings, work-

    shops, panel discussions, the pres-

    tigious FOG Awards and the India

    Day Parade. Three controversial

    Indian films -19th January,

    Unfreedom and Oass were

    screened and admired for their

    bold storylines. Commenting on

    the success of the Festival, Rajesh

    Verma, President FIA said, “This is

    our way of passing on the torch of our pride in our traditions to the

    future generations of American

    Indian youth.”

    Indian actresses Richa Chadda,

    Deepti Naval, Pooja Batra, Sonu

    Walia led a panel on Women

    Empowerment, discussing women

    issues and the pressing need to be

    respected and accepted by socie-

    ty. Pooja Batra highlighted, “A

    woman should be able to make

    her own choices, and not be sup-pressed by family, society, or the

    world in general.”

    At the FOG Awards, the red car-

    pet was rolled out to welcome film

    personalities from India, China,

    Nepal, Brazil , Hollywood and

    thousands of Bay Area community

    members. The star-studded event

    showcased world cultures and

    honored film personalities from

    across the globe.

    The festival concluded with theIndia Day Parade, which was led

    by Bollywood star Divya Khosla

    Kumar from T-Series and Dr.

    Romesh Japra. With the support

    of local ethnic groups, Bay Area

    welcomed 20 floats filled with

    several Bollywood and Hollywood

    celebrities and cultural programs

    showcasing the rich culture and

    heritage of India.

    Prashantt Guptha hosting awards night (right) Women empowerment panel.

    The 10 day long fes-tival attracted over1,00,000 visitors

    Film personalitiesfrom around theworld descended tothe Silicon Valley

    Leading Indianactresses head apanel discussionabout WomenEmpowerment

    India Day Paradecelebrated India’sIndependence Day

    India shines at FOGSV & San Francisco Movie Fest

    Ragamala Dance Company, celebrat-

    ing 23 years of a contemporary ap-

    proach to the classical

    Bharatanatyam dance method of south-

    ern India, will present “Song of the Jas-

    mine” at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22 in

    Eisenhower Auditorium, Center for Per-

    forming Arts at Penn State.

    “Song of the Jasmine” features music by

     jazz composer and alto saxophonist

    Rudresh Mahanthappa. He and four oth-

    er musicians on guitar, Indian lute, per-

    cussion and violin will perform the

    danceʼs music on stage.

    Ranne Ramaswamy and her daughter,

    Aparna, who serve as co-artistic directors,

    choreographers and principal dancers,

    have spent more than two decades creat-

    ing ways to combine the Indian ethos

    with the Western aesthetic.

    “Our aesthetic is to present the form of 

    Bharatanatyam in its glory and complex-

    ity and without tampering with its tech-

    nique, with its authenticity… but pushing

    the thematic boundaries,” said Aparna,

    who, along with her mother, was born in

    India and lives in Minneapolis. “We may

    look to ancient literary sources, but in a

    way that, thematically, comes together

    and resonates with us today as Indian-

    Americans, or with a general audience

    and in themes that everyone can connect

    to and understand.”

    “Song of the Jasmine” took inspiration

    from the writing of Tamil poet-saint An-

    dal, known for her devotion to Lord Vish-

    nu, widely regarded in Hindu culture as

    the supreme being. Andalʼs works depict

    dreams of intense longing to become the

    bride and servant of Vishnu.

    Previous Ragamala programs have fea-

    tured blues music by Billie Holiday, oper-

    atic compositions and Japanese drums.

    With “Song of the Jasmine,” Ragamala en-

    listed the talents of Mahanthappa, known

    for his collaborations that fuse Western

    and Indian styles of music. His perform-

    ance with the band Kinsman inspired the

    Ramaswamys to approach him about

    “Song of the Jasmine.”

    I

    ndo-American Cultural Foundation of 

    Central New Jersey (IACFNJ), a non-

    profit organization in central jersey or-ganized Indiaʼs 69th Independence Day

    celebration on August 16 from 11 a.m. to

    2 p.m. at Shree Swaminarayan Temple,

    (old SB YMCA) 329 Culver Road, Mon-

    mouth Junction, New Jersey. Approxi-

    mately 200 people attended this outdoor

    fun-filled patriotic event which was free

    and open to public.

    After last five yearsʼ grand success and

    overwhelming community support, the or-

    ganizers and executive committee of 

    IACFNJ once again organized 2015 patri-

    otic celebration of Indiaʼs Independence

    Day event with fun-filled entertainment

    and cultural activities, dance performanc-

    es, traditional Indian dances, patriotic

    dances, recital of songs, live music and au-thentic food sampling which was attended

    by local residents, community leaders and

    local and state public officials.

    The program kicked-off with wonderful

    signing of the American and Indian An-

    thems followed by the local and state pub-lic officials and dignitaryʼs addresses and

    fun filled patriotic dances and singing

    from the young and talented kids from the

    renowned dance local dance groups of 

    Vandana Aiyar, Latika Jethani and

    Meghana Goradia.

    South Brunswick Mayor Frank Gambat-

    ese, Deputy Mayor Chris Killmurray, Coun-

    cilman Charles Carley, New Jersey State

    Senate President Steven Sweeney and the

    Commissioner of New Jersey Board of 

    Public Utilities and former State Assem-

    blyman Upendra Chivukula were among

    the dignitaries who attended the celebra-

    tion to wish all participants on Indiaʼs 69th

    Independence Day. In his address, Mayor

    Gambatese said “I am proud to be a Mayorof the culturally diverse town where about

    30% Asians resides and events like these

    will bring community together.”

    Ragamala Dance Company to perform ‘Songof the Jasmine’ with live music Sept. 22

    Ragamala Dance Company,co-founder Aparna Ramaswamy 

    Local and state public officials also attended the event (right) Youngtalented performers showcased Indian art and culture on stage

    IACFNJ celebrates India’s 69th I-Day

    IN BRIEF

  • 8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

    7/32

    Washington DC: In a miraculous

    surgical feat, an Indian-American

    surgeon has gifted a pair of new ears

    to an eight-year-old boy in the US,

    media reports said on Sunday.

    Elijah Bell, a second-grade studentat the Frazer Elementary in Stark

    county, Ohio, was born with bilateral

    atresia microtia -- a rare birth defect

    where the outer ears are undevel-

    oped.

    But thanks to Ananth Murthy,

    director of plastic and reconstructive

    surgery at the Akron Children's

    Hospital, Elijah got a new pair re-

    constructed from his rib cartilage,

    Canton Representative reported on

    Friday. The surgical feat has been

    reported across the US as a "miracle"

    because of the intricacies involved.

    Besides five surgeries to create the

    ears -- starting when Elijah was just

    four-year-old -- Murthy had to use askin graft from the boy's thigh to

    create a gap between his ears and

    his head.

    The final surgery was done in July

    when Murthy gave Elijah's ears

    detailed "hills and valleys."

    "The body naturally wants to

    smooth everything out as it heals, so

    we always have to go back a couple

    of times to help create the natural

    curves of an ear," Murthy was quot-

    ed as saying in a statement.

    "It is an artistic procedure," saidthe Indian-American doctor.

    For Elijah, the surgery has helped

    develop a new confidence in him.

    "He's just learning to love himself 

    the way he is," the boy's mother

    Colleen Bell said.

    Becoming a more confident young

    man is "going to translate into his

    education, it's going to translate into

    his friendships with others, how he

    works with teachers, all those

    things," Bell said. "It's going to make

    a really big difference for him."Murthy is described by his Akron-

    based hospital as "our very own

    Doogie Howser", who completed his

    undergraduate degree at the age of 

    19 and earned his medical degree by

    the time he was 22 years old.

    New York: President Barack

    Obama has appointed Indian

    American federal judge Vince

    Chhabria along with 10 oth-

    ers as full-time judges, a

    media report said.

    The appointment filled 11

    of the 14 vacancies in the

    court for the northern district

    of California and is the most

    dramatic makeover of such

    bench during his administra-

    tion, mercurynews.com

    reported on Sunday.

    The 11 Obama appointees

    sailed through Senate confir-

    mation hearings.Obama nominated

    Chhabria, 46, to serve as a US

    district judge of the US dis-

    trict court for the northern

    district of California on July

    25, 2013. His nomination was

    confirmed on March 5, 2014

    by a vote of 58-41 and

    received his judicial commis-

    sion on March 7, 2014.

    Born in 1969 in San

    Francisco, California,

    Chhabria completed his

    Bachelors' in Arts in 1991

    from the University of 

    California-Santa Cruz.

    He received a Juris

    Doctorate -- a professional

    doctorate and first profes-

    sional graduate degree in law

    -- in 1998 from the University

    of California-Berkeley.

    From 2005 to 2013, heserved in the San Francisco

    City Attorney's office as a

    deputy city Attorney for

    Government Litigation and as

    the Co-Chief of Appellate

    Litigation.

    7August 29-September 4, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info  NATIONAL COMMUNITY

    Chicago: The boisterous patriotic

    fervor with confluence of colorful

    floats, marching bands, music,

    dancing troupes and the deafening

    drum-beats of Indian dholaks wererobustly irrepressible even under

    scorching summer weather as FIA-

    Chicago kicked-off yet another

    stunning India Independence Day

    Parade with gathering crowds

    cheering reaching piercing deci-

    bels on August 15 on Devon Ave

    here.

    With both sides of the streets

    rendering a cheerful chorus of 

    ʻBharat mata ki jai ʼ the grand

    parade encompassing 28 dazzling

    floats gently advanced inter-

    spersed with three marching

    bands, dancing groups augmented

    by the presence of several high-

    profile elected officials includingConsul General of India Dr. Ausaf 

    Sayeed, Cook County Board

    President Toni Preckwinkle, IL

    Secretary of State Jesse White, IL

    Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti,

    Clerk of Cook County Circuit Court

    Dorothy Brown and Bollywood

    Celebrities Upen Patel and

    Karishma Tanna, Trustee of 

    Schaumburg Village Nimesh Jani

    and Tollywood actress Divya Vani

    ‒ all creating an uncontrollablefrenzy with a host of FIA leader-

    ship team joining the colorful

    frontline led by FIAʼs President Dr.

    Indrajit Patel.

    The spirit of celebrations was

    simply unabated as it continued its

     joyful frenzy at the Mela hosted by

    ʻHi Indiaʼ in conjunction with FIA-

    Chicago.

    Iftekhar Shareef, Events

    Convener served as the emcee and

    conducted the ceremonies on thereviewing stand which was com-

    plemented by a host of other

    Trustees with a singing of Indian

    national anthem drawing the clo-

    sure on the parade. FIA is already

    planning a large mela in Warren

    Park next year. Preceding the

    grand parade led by Parade Chair

    Ms. Smita Shah, FIA-Chicago host-

    ed a glittering Gala Banquet on

    August 14. The Banquet unveiled

    inspiring patriotic remarks and

    musical presentations that lastedlate into the night.

    Consul General of India Dr. Ausaf 

    Sayeed, Chief Guest in his spirited

    eloquence offered greetings at the

    banquet and the parade; while gen-

    erously thanking FIA and its team

    of leaders for hosting grand festiv-

    ities in honor of Indiaʼs

    Independence. He admired the

    burgeoning strength of Indians in

    the United States and significant

    appointments of Indian Americans

    in major multinational companies

    highlighting the burgeoning

    strengths, accomplishments and

    contributions of Indian Americans

    who ‒ he added ‒ are proudly serv-ing as brand ambassadors of India.

    Consul General said that he would

    like to convene an annual confer-

    ence of Indian organizations to

    foster the integration of the Indian

    communities. Dr. Indrajit Patel

    emphasized on Prime Minister

    Modiʼs doctrine of unity, friend-

    ship, cooperation and a sense of 

    community in his remarks.

    Several awards were presented

    at Banquet held at Medows club

    led by FIA's Banquet Chair NeilPatel in recognition of outstanding

    community services and exempla-

    ry leadership contributions to Dr.

    Bharat Barai, Syed Hussaini of 

    WinTrust, Nakul Singh Chand of 

    Air-India, Dr. Chittaranjan Patel,

    Dr. Umang Patel, Shri Sahab Singh,

    of Animal Husbandry in U.P.

    Government, India and Dr. Prem

    Raj Yadav a grass root BJP worker

    from newly carved Telangana

    State; while posthumously honor-

    ing Mr. Narendra Patel who was

    fondly remembered for his excep-

    tional contributions to the commu-

    nity and FIA. A special acknowl-

    edgement award was presented toKeerthi Kumar Ravoori, immediate

    past-president for his meritorious

    services to FIA.

    A moment of silence was

    observed in memory of Indiaʼs late

    president Dr. Kalam, community

    figures Naren Patel and Hasan

    Merchant.

    FIA Chicago celebrates India I-Day with gusto

    Dr Ananth Murthy with Elijah Bell 

    FIA Chicago’s India Independence Day Parade VIP guests & FIAofficials [LtoR] Keerthi Ravoori, FIA President Dr. Indrajit Patel,

    Consul General of India Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, Iftekhar Shareef,Bollywood celebrities Upen Patel, Karishma Tanna, Lt Governor 

    Sanguinetti , Syed Hussaini, Smita Shah, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle & Mr. Niranjan Shah

    Indian-American doctor gifts new ears to boy Indian American judgeamong 11 Barack

    Obama appointees

  • 8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

    8/32

    Thousands of lovers of authentic In-

    dian cuisine, dances, apparel, jewel-

    ry and spa treatments attended the

    third annual Manasota India Fest in Pal-

    metto, Florida a media report said on Sun-day. Besides the Dances of India culture

    program at the Bradenton Area Conven-

    tion Centre held on Saturday, attendees

    were also treated to Indian food from

    multiple restaurants.

    Organizers said they were thrilled with

    the success of the festival, which saw

    nearly 4,000 people in attendance.

    "We're putting this event together for

    the community so that we can learn abouteach other and build a long lasting, trust-

    ing relationship," organizer Biren Pathak

    said.

    The festival gives a lot of information

    about the culture of India, he added.

    South Asian Young Women Entrepre-

    neurs (SAY WE), a national network of 

    business-minded executives in the

    fields of technology, finance, entertain-ment and fashion, hosted #SAYWE2015,

    the organizationʼs third annual conference

    in Houston aimed to educate women busi-

    ness owners & budding entrepreneurs

    about finance, marketing, public relations

    and social media.

    In collaboration with founding sponsor

    Wells Fargo and fashion sponsor StyLead,

    the regional conference showcased sub-

     ject-matter experts who discussed topics

    including building your business plan and

    credit, reinvesting in your business, pro-

    tecting your credit score, creating rela-

    tionships with business bankers, market-

    ing your new business, reaching out to the

    media and implementing a social media

    strategy for your startup. More than 75women entrepreneurs attended the after-

    noon event at the Sugar Creek Country

    Club in Sugar Land.

    “It is easy to fail at something you donʼt

    like to do, so take a chance and fail at

    something you love to do. You ʻfailʼ when

     you stop trying,” said finance education

    panelist Tanaz Choudhury, CEO and

    founder of TanChes and MABYUSA. Peri-

    odontist Hiru Mathur shared: “I stopped

    hiring based on educational backgroundand started hiring based on personalities.”

    SAY WE founder Reema Rasool said that

    “comments from these women entrepre-

    neurs inspired the audience to dream big,

    project themselves as the brand of their

    companies and surround themselves with

    experts who can help advise them in areas

    in which they have less experience. So

    many women came up and thanked me for

    helping educate them and include them in

    our national network of business owners.”

    Other panelists at the conference includ-

    ed: Maryum Khan, Wells Fargo Business

    Banking Relationship Manager; Abbas

    Hashmi, CEO of Green Card Capital; Shital

    Dalwadi, Dalwadi Hospitality Manage-

    ment; Ayesha Hakki, CEO of Bibi PR & BibiMagazine; Atiya Hasan, Co-Founder of 

    Brown Girl Magazine; Sarah Ali, CEO of 

    Chamak Cosmetics & Chocolates; Kajal De-

    sai, Co-Founder of Doonya Dance Compa-

    ny; Jitin Hingorani, CEO of JINGO Media,

    DFW SAFF, Forever Rakhi, Texas Spice

    Route & OʼHarani Luxe Experiences.

    Aconvenience store owned by an Indi-

    an-origin couple in North Carolina's

    Gastonia city was robbed by a gun-

    wielding man, a media report said.

     Jacob's Food Mart at 1406 Gaston Av-enue in Gastonia, owned by Baki and San-

     jay Patel, was robbed, The Gaston Gazette

    reported on Thursday.

    Baki was alone when the man armed

    with a handgun entered the store around

    9 p.m. on Wednesday and demanded that

    she hand over all the cash she had. The

    robber escaped with more than $1,300 in

    cash, according to police.

    The surveillance camera captured the

    robbery. The footage shows Baki putting

    her hands in the air when the man pointedthe gun at her before collecting the cash

    and escaping.

    The suspect has been described as a

    black male who wore a blue T-shirt and

    had a bandana covering most of his face.

    Police have launched a manhunt for the

    robber.

    4000 attend India Fest in Palmetto

    Children enjoy at third Manasota India Fest 

    An Indian-American classi-

    cal dancer is set to per-

    form at a concert in Cali-

    fornia this weekend to raise

    funds for a high-poverty ele-

    mentary school, a media report

    said.Sharanya Balaji, a 16-year-

    old senior from Harker school,

    said she wants to help the

    Grant Elementary School which

    lacks basic education facilities,

    mercurynews.com reported on

    Friday.

    "It was shocking to me. Arts

    education was not there. I real-

    ly wanted to do something that

    also meant something to me

    and that I could continue into

    the future," said Balaji.

    "There are so many ways to

    raise a well-rounded child, and

    the arts are one of them," Grant

    Elementary Principal Paulette

    Zades said, adding that "We

    can give them academics all day, but they

    need both sides of it."

    Balaji will perform at Los Altos high

    school in California. She has won many

    competitions all over the world, including

    a junior division prize at the prestigious

    Cleveland Thyagaraja festival in April this

     year. She has been dancing professional-

    ly since she was 12 and has raised funds

    for the school earlier also.

    Indian-American dancer to raise funds for US school

    Sharanya Balaji 

    Indian couple's store robbed in North Carolina

    SAY WE hosts third annual business meet in Houston

    IN BRIEF

    8 August 29-September 4, 2015   TheSouthAsianTimes.info   TION L COMMUNITY

    Finance Panelists (from L to R): Hiru Mathur, Maryum Khan, Tanaz Choudhury, Shital Dalwadi, Reema Rasool & Abbas Hashmi 

  • 8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

    9/32

    9August 29-September 4, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS

    Washington Vice

    President Joe Biden

    received President BarackObama's "blessing" to

    make a 2016 bid for the

    White House, according to

    a senior Democrat.

    But that's if Biden

    chooses to run -- the deci-

    sion is his. While he does-

    n't need the President's

    permission, of course, a

    potential presidential

    candidacy was among the topics

    of their lunch Monday at the

    White House. The President

    made clear he would not stand in

    his way or counsel him against a

    run, the senior Democrat said.

    Biden is leaning toward run-

    ning, several people involved in

    discussions told CNN, but they

    stress that he has not yet firmly

    made up his mind.

    His private session on Saturday

    with Sen. Elizabeth Warren

    underscores the length he is

    going to explore a run.

    While many top Democrats

    have already signed onto Hillary

    Clinton's candidacy, several for-

    mer Obama advisers tell CNN

    they would work for Biden if he

     jumps into the race.

    Key Democratic fundraisers

    have been invited to a meeting

    with Biden after Labor Day, a

    source close to Biden confirmed

    to CNN.

    One line of thinking in

    Democratic circles is that the

    party needs a back up in case

    Hillary Clintonʼs candidacy is gut-

    ted due to the issue of her email

    server as Secretary of State.

    Another view is that she will ride

    over that and in the primaries

    can outlast Biden.

    Washington Outshining seasoned politicians, drawing

    huge crowds and surging in polls, frontrunner

    Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has

    served notice on his opponents that he is in the game to

    win.

    "It's one thing to have the summer of Trump. But it

    doesn't mean anything unless we win," Trump told acrowd Tuesday in Dubuque in Iowa, the state where the

    nomination process begins with a caucus of party func-

    tionaries. "If you lose, what does it all matter?"

    The declaration came ahead of another day of media

    attention sparked by renewed attacks on his opponents

    particularly establishment favorite Jeb Bush and

    reigniting a simmering debate night clash with Fox

    News host Megyn Kelly. In an email to supporters

    Tuesday afternoon, Trump touted "Tens of Thousands

    Support Trump" referring to new polling which showed

    him with double-digit leads in the early primary states

    of South Carolina and New Hampshire.

    Before addressing another huge rally in Dubuque,

    Trump had testy exchanges with Jorge Ramos, anchor

    of Univision, the leading American Spanish language

    channel, with a security officer at one point ejecting

    Ramos from his news conference.Trump also mocked Jeb Bush on Twitter Tuesday

    after the former Florida governor found himself in a

    deeper mess in trying to explain his "anchor babies"

    comment as "frankly, more related to Asian people."

    "In a clumsy move to get out of his 'anchor babies'

    dilemma, where he signed that he would not use the

    term and now uses it, he blamed ASIANS," Trump wrote.

    "Asians are very offended that JEB said that anchor

    babies applies to them as a way to be more politically

    correct to hispanics. A mess!" Trump then wrote, a few

    minutes later.

    Trump also vowed Monday not to host a lavish state

    dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping when he visits

    the US in September. "I'd get him a McDonald's ham-

    burger and I'd say we gotta get down to work, because

     you can't continue to devalue (the Chinese currency),"

    Trump said Monday night on Fox News.

    "I would give him a very, yeah, but I would give him adouble, probably a double size Big Mac."

    Meanwhile, a new deadline loomed for Trump, who

    has repeatedly refused to rule out a third-party candi-

    dacy, noting that he could use the threat of an inde-

    pendent bid as leverage. But he cannot compete in

    South Carolina's Republican primary, unless he signs a

    pledge before Sep 30 to support the Republican nomi-

    nee in the general election.

    "We certainly have plenty of time," he said. "My whole

    desire is just fairness, and I want to run as the

    Republican nominee, I want to win, I think we will win."

    Washington DC A constitutional amend-

    ment passed nearly 150 years ago to give

    US citizenship to freed slaves has become a

    hot-button issue in the 2016 presidential

    campaign. Last week, leading Republican

    presidential contender Donald Trump

    unveiled his campaignʼs immigration plan,

    including a controversial proposal to end

    granting “birthright citizenship” ‒ automatic

    citizenship to any child born on U.S. soil.

    After the Civil War ended in 1865, the U.S.

    Congress passed, and the states later rati-

    fied, the 14th Amendment, which was

    designed to grant citizenship to, and protect

    the civil liberties of, newly emancipatedslaves.

    Trump, and several other Republican can-

    didates, takes issue with the automatic

    granting of citizenship to children born to

    undocumented migrants.

    Trump said he doesnʼt believe the amend-

    ment grants American citizenship to such

    children, whom he calls “anchor babies,” a

    term many consider to be derogatory.

    He has said “it would take too long” to

    amend the constitution but would seek a

    court review of the amendment as president.

    "This [birthright citizenship] remains the

    biggest magnet for illegal immigration,"

    Trumpʼs policy paper states.

    Suzanna Sherry, professor of law at

    Vanderbilt Law School in Nashville,

    Tennessee, said Trump has only two optionsto address the 14th Amendment: amend it

    or persuade the Supreme Court that previ-

    ous interpretations of the law are incorrect.

    Washington Two members of a local TV sta-

    tion's news team were fatally shot Wednesday

    during a live TV broadcast near Roanoke, Va.,

    setting off an intense manhunt that ended

    with the suspect shooting himself, Virginia

    State Police said.

    The suspect, Vester Flanagan, 41, is a for-mer employee who displayed "anger issues"

    before being fired in 2013. Flanagan, who

    used the name Bryce Williams while working

    for WDBJ, posted video on his Facebook page

    showing the shooting from the perspective of 

    the shooter.

    The shooting took place at about 6:45 a.m.,

    at Bridgewater Plaza, a shopping center,

    about 35 miles from Roanoke. Killed were

    Alison Parker, 24, a WDBJ7 reporter, and

    cameraman Adam Ward, 27. Vicki Gardner, alocal official who was being interviewed,

    underwent emergency surgery at Carilion

    Roanoke Memorial Hospital and was in stable

    condition, the hospital said.

    Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385

    718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.com

    Suspect in on-air murder of journalistswas disgruntled worker

    No easy way to repeal, amend

    'Birthright Citizenship'

    Donald Trump had a testy exchange withUnivision anchor Jorge Ramos after the latter was evicted and readmitted into his news conference.

    Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren meeting fuelled spec- ulation of a Biden/Warren candidacy

    Donald looks beyond summer of TrumpWith Obama’s ‘blessing’,Joe Biden likely to run for 2016

  • 8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

    10/32

    Ahmedabad Five people were

    killed, and over 100 injured as a

    statewide shutdown in Gujaratcalled by the Patidar Arakshan

    Andolan Samiti turned violent

    this week, officials said.

    Riots, arson, stone-pelting and

    widespread damage to public and

    private property forced the

    authorities to call the army and

    paramilitary forces.

    "Three people were killed in

    Ahmedabad and two in

    Banaskantha in firing by the

    paramilitary forces while

    attempting to control rioting

    mobs," an official at the Gujarat

    State Police Control said.

    At least 100 people were

    injured in violence, mainly ingroup clashes and stone-pelting

    incidents, in the state from where

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi

    hails.

    As many as 133 companies of 

    the Indian Army, Central Reserve

    Police Force (CRPF), State RPF,Rapid Action Force (RAF), and

    Border Security Force (BSF)

    besides Gujarat Police were

    engaged in controlling violent

    mobs in various cities including

    Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot,

     Ja mn ag ar , Mo rb i, Va do da ra ,Mehsana and Banaskantha.

    The army and paramilitary

    forces carried out flag marches in

    riot-hit localities in various cities

    which observed a near-total shut-

    down even as Modi, Chief 

    Minister Anandiben Patel ,Congress president Sonia Gandhi,

    Congress vice president Rahul

    Gandhi and top leaders of other

    political parties fervently

    appealed for peace and restraint.

    At least 49 companies of the

    armed forces were stationed in

    Ahmedabad where nearly 1.2

    million Patidars had taken out a

    rally demanding caste-based

    reservation in education and

     jobs . Simi larl y, 10 compan ies

    were stationed in diamond pol-

    ishing hub Surat, which saw riots,

    arson and looting of shops and

    commercial establishments on

    Wednesday.Overnight curfew imposed in

    many cities failed to deter the

    rioting mobs who were reacting

    to the brief detention of PAAS

    convenor, 22-year old Hardik

    Patel, the leader of the 56-day-

    long Patidar agitation acrossGujarat.

    Ahmedabad Commissioner of 

    Police Shivanand Jha said curfew

    will continue in areas under the

     jur isd ict ion of nine pol ice sta -

    tions even on Wednesday night.

    "We are keeping a close watch

    on the situation and all measures

    are being taken to prevent any

    further untoward incident," Jha

    told media persons.

    In view of the tense situation,

    all schools and colleges shall

    remain closed for the second

    consecutive day on Thursday in

    Ahmedabad and other cities.

    Late on Tuesday night, Patelwas detained and taken into cus-

    tody by police after he launched

    a sudden hunger strike on the

    stage at the meeting venue.

    10 August 29-September 4, 2015   TheSouthAsianTimes.info N I

    22-year old Hardik Patel is leading the agitation, demanding reservation for the Patel community in the OBC quota.

    New Delhi Hectic negotiations over

    'One Rank One Pension' continued this

    week, as the government tried to con-

    vince the ex-servicemen to scale down

    their demands on the issue.While an official statement from the

    protesting ex-servicemen said they

    had reached a "step forward" in the

    negotiations, there were no clear sig-

    nals if a breakthrough will be reached

    any time soon.

    A statement issued by the ex-service-

    men's front on Wednesday evening

    said: "Dialogue with the government is

    continuing and considerable ground

    has been covered today. We have

    moved a step forward and are opti-

    mistic about the final outcome."

    This however comes after the ex-ser-

    vicemen warned again that they would

    scale up the agitation if their demands

    were not met.The veterans had planned to scale

    up the agitation after the government

    failed to announce OROP on August

    15, as expected.

    "Talks are on but we have so far not

    reached any consensus with the gov-

    ernment," a representative from the

    veterans said.

    "They want to make changes thatwill reduce their expenditure, but we

    are not ready to allow it," the veteran

    said.

    Sources told IANS that the govern-

    ment wants 2011 to be the base year,

    while the veterans say it should be at

    the 2014 level, along with a 3 percent

    increment every year, which the gov-

    ernment is not agreeing to.

    Besides, the government wants pay-

    ment to begin from April 1, 2015 as

    against the agreed date of April 1,

    2014. Col. Anil Kaul (retd), spokesper-

    son from the front, said on Wednesday

    morning that the agitation will be

    scaled up if the demands were not

    met."The government's arithmetic means

    reduced payout. We have rejected it

    and the agitation is expected to be

    escalated," Col. Kaul said.

    Mumbai The three-year-old murder of Sheena Bora

    unfolded stories of sleaze, betrayal and family feud

    as police arrested a former husband of Indrani, the

    wife of former media honcho Peter Mukherjea andthe victim's alleged mother who is already in cus-

    tody.Mukherjea, the former CEO of INX Media, made

    a stunning disclosure that Sheena had an affair with

    his son Rahul but he wasn't aware that Sheena was

    in reality Indrani's daughter and not her sister.

    As the until now closely held secrets became pub-

    lic knowledge, Mumbai Police arrested Sanjeev

    Khanna, a former husband of Indrani, in Kolkata on

    Wednesday. In Guwahati, Indrani's son Mikhail Bora

    revealed that Sheena was his sister, that Indrani had

    mothered both of them and this could be easily be

    proved by a DNA test. "The real reason behind the

    murder is something else, which I don't want to

    reveal now," he said, hinting at some dark secrets.

    "I want her (Indrani) to speak the truth. If she does

    not, then I have got proof, documents and photo-

    graphs which I shall reveal to the media."Discussing Sheena's relationship with his son,

    Mukherjea said he chose to overlook it as both were

    adults and could take their own decisions.

    "Sheena was in a relationship with my son which

    Indrani disapproved of," he told the media.

    Mukherjea also told TV channels that he had "no

    clue" that Sheena was actually Indrani's daughter

    from an earlier marriage and not her sister as she

    had told him. Soon after the television statements, a

    team of Mumbai Police landed up at Mukherjea's

    Khar residence to question him.

    Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria said

    Sheena was murdered on April 24, 2012. Her body

    was found on May 23 that year after Indrani's driver

    Shyam Rai revealed the murder site to police.

    Both Indrani and the driver were arrested on

    Tuesday on charges of killing Sheena and disposingoff her body in Raigad, near Mumbai. A court sent

    Indrani to police custody till August 31.

    Sheena had been employed as an assistant manag-

    er with Mumbai Metro One Pvt. Ltd. since June 20,

    2011. She took leave of absence on April 24, 2012,

    the day she was killed. Mumbai Metro said she sent

    her resignation while on leave.

    Mukherjea said he was "mentally very shocked"

    and stumped by his wife's arrest. "I am dumbstruck

    by this level of criminality." "Sheena was having an

    affair with my son... When she disappeared in 2012,I was told she was studying in the US. I asked

    Indrani and she showed me pictures of Sheena at a

    Diwali function there," Mukherjea said.

    This was corroborated by Mikhail Bora.

    Revealing gory details, Mikhail said Indrani had a

    son (he himself) and a daughter (Sheena) from a

    boyfriend while studying in Shillong.

    Indrani left for Kolkata in the early 1990s, leaving

    the minor children with her parents in Guwahati

    where they grew up. After completing schooling,

    after encountering financial difficulties, the siblings

    went searching for Indrani in Mumbai.

    "She was not willing to introduce us to anyone as

    her son and daughter. After spending some time in

    Mumbai, I came back to be with my grandparents in

    Guwahati while Sheena stayed back there."

    He said he was in touch with Sheena till 2012 butlost all contact with his elder sister after that.

    He said when he asked his mother about her

    whereabouts, she replied that Sheena had gone to

    the US and was working for a big company.

    OROP: Negotiations continue,no breakthrough, but 'step forward'

    Army called in as Gujarat burns

    Sheena murder: Sleaze, betrayal,family feud come to fore

    Ex-Servicemen protesting against the delay in grant of OROP scheme.

    Former Star TV CEO Peter Mukherjea and his wife

    Indrani Mukherjea.(Inset) Sheena Bora.

  • 8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

    11/32

    11August 29-September 4, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info    INDIA

    Bengaluru The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

    retained control of the 198-ward Bengaluru

    municipal corporation for a second succes-

    sive term, winning 100 wards and relegat-

    ing the state's ruling Congress to the second

    place.

    The victory gladdened Prime Minister

    Narendra Modi who thanked the voters of 

    India's IT capital for reposing continuous

    faith in his party and called it a hat-trick

    after similar wins in Madhya Pradesh and

    Rajasthan early this month.

    "Thank you Bengaluru", Modi tweeted.

    According to the state election commis-

    sion, the Congress won 76 wards, Janata

    Dal-Secular (JD-S) 14 and Independents

    eight. Polling was held in 197 wards, as BJP

    candidate Bharati Ramachandra was

    declared elected unopposed earlier from

    Hongasandra (ward 189) after nomination

    of Congress candidate K. Maheshwari was

    rejected on August 13 for submitting a fake

    caste certificate.

    "This is a win for the politics of develop-

    ment and good governance," Modi said in a

    series of tweets, even as counting was in

    progress.

    Though the BJP retains the council, with a

    simple majority (100), it is 11 wards less

    than 111 it had in the 2010 election, which

    it had won for the first time under its own

    government (2008-2013).

    Congress, however, gained 11 wards more

    than 65 it had last time, while JD-S won one

    less than 15 it had last time and the number

    of independents winning remained same -

    eight.

    Of the 74-lakh electorate, over 36 lakh

    voted, registering 49.3 percent turnout,

    which is 5.3 percent more than 44 percent

    recorded in the 2010 election.

    The century-old Bruhat Bengaluru

    Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was expanded in

    2007 by including seven city municipal

    councils and a town municipal council as

    well as 111 surrounding villages to increase

    the civic wards to 198 from 100.

    With 50 percent of the wards reserved for

    women, political parties fielded wives or

    women relatives of former corporators in

    many wards. In all, 1,120 candidates con-

    tested.

    The BJP and Congress had candidates in

    all wards, and the JD-S in 187. A slew of 

    regional outfits, including the AIADMK were

    also in the fray.

    Cairo India's strong traditional support to

    the Palestinian cause remains unwavering

    even while pursuing good relations with

    Israel, External Affairs Minister Sushma

    Swaraj said here and added that the India is

    now more actively engaging with the Arabworld. Addressing the Egyptian Council for

    World Affairs, she also spoke about boost-

    ing economic and defence ties with Egypt

    and underlined three pillars for partnership

    with it.

    She also said India remains concerned

    about the growth of terrorism and of sectar-

    ian violence in the region and stands com-

    mitted to support efforts to fight this.

    "We also sense a need to develop a broad-

    er approach based on dialogue to shift from

    an atmosphere of mistrust and violence

    towards one which exudes confidence in

    peace and development. We have noticed

    the positive role played by Egypt in this

    context on several occasions in history," she

    said.Sushma Swaraj said the new develop-

    ments including the Iran nuclear agreement

    can open up new vistas of cooperation and

    reduce frictions.

    "India is a long-time friend of all the coun-

    tries in the region and we have no major

    differences with any. We remain convinced

    that a new paradigm of peace, prosperity

    and stability will emerge," she said.

    "We have strong interests in the Arabworld and have been strongly committed to

    its various causes. We have been supportive

    of your aspirations regarding the resolution

    of the Palestine-Israel issue. Our strong tra-

    ditional support to the Palestinian cause

    remains unwavering even as we pursue

    good relations with Israel. We commend the

    Egyptian role in bringing about a ceasefire

    in last year's Israel-Gaza conflict," she said.

    Referring to the Arab region, she said:

    "Your region is no longer our extended

    neighborhood, it is now our neighborhood.

    We are now more actively engaged in your

    region which lies to the west of my country.

    You are central to my security interest as

    well as my requirements for energy."

    Sushma Swaraj , who met EgyptianPresident Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Arab

    League chief Nabil El-Araby, said India and

    Egypt are "both committed to take our rela-

    tions to the next higher level.

    Chennai The foundation for

    India's first fast reactor fuel

    reprocessing plant to be builtat a cost of Rs.9,600 crore is

    expected to be laid in two

    months' time at Kalpakkam in

    Tamil Nadu, a top official hassaid.

    "The soil excavation work

    for the fuel reprocessing

    plants is almost over as therocky layer has been reached.

    In two months' t ime, the

    foundation for the reprocess-ing plants would be laid," P.R.

    Vasudeva Rao, director,Indira Gandhi Centre for

    Atomic Research (IGCAR)

    said.Rao said the FRFCF will be

    the first of its kind plant dedi-

    cated solely to reprocessingfast reactor fuels to cater to a

    commercial-sized reactor.He said the foundation has

    been laid for some of the

    administrative buildings con-nected to the Rs.9,600 crore

    Fast Reactor Fuel Cycle

    Facility (FRFCF).Though FRFCF will have

    only fuel reprocessing plantsand not a reactor, Rao said

    the plant buildings have to be

    seismically qualif ied andhence the need for deep exca-

    vation.

    Similarly all other safetyaspects are being considered

    and incorporated in the proj-

    ect construction stage.Rao said around Rs.500

    crore would be spent on theproject this fiscal.

    Washington Outpacing India in the development of 

    nuclear warheads, Pakistan could have at least 350

    nuclear weapons within a decade, making it the

    world's third largest nuclear arsenal, according to a

    new report. Pakistan may be building 20 nuclear war-

    heads annually, according to the report by two

    American think tanks, the Carnegie Endowment for

    International Peace and the Stimson Centre.

    Analysts estimate Pakistan currently has 120

    nuclear heads while India has around 100, theWashington Post said in a despatch from Islamabad.

    But in the coming years, Islamabad's advantage

    could grow dramatically because it has a large stock-

    pile of highly enriched uranium that could be used to

    quickly produce low-yield nuclear devices, it said.

    India has far larger stockpiles of plutonium, which is

    needed to produce high-yield warheads, than Pakistan

    does. But the report as cited by the Post said India

    appears to be using most of its plutonium to produce

    domestic energy. Pakistan could have at least 350

    nuclear weapons within five to 10 years, the report

    concluded. It then would probably possess more

    nuclear weapons than any country except the US and

    Russia, which each have thousands of the bombs.

    New De lh i Union Urban Development minister M.

    Venkaiah Naidu has announced the list of 98 cities nomi-

    nated for the Smart City Mission, saying a population of 

    13 crore across these cities will be covered under the

    initiative. "There are 13 cities from Uttar Pradesh, 12

    from Tamil Nadu, 10 from Maharashtra, seven from

    Madhya Pradesh, three each from Bihar and Andhra

    Pradesh included in the list," Naidu told media persons

    at an interaction here.

    "Smart cities need smart people. We need people's co-

    operation to move forward in our mission," he added.

    The central government proposes to give financial sup-

    port to the extent of Rs.48,000 crore to these cities over

    the next five years, Naidu said.

    "Around 13 crore population across 98 cities will be

    covered under the Smart City Mission. Making themsmart will make them engines of economic growth

    besides giving decent life to the citizens," he said. Nine

    capital cities that were not nominated for the mission

    include Itanagar, Patna, Shimla, Bengaluru and Kolkata.

    BJP wins Bengaluru civic polls; Modi says thank you!

    India to get firstfast reactor fuel

    reprocessing plant

    Outpacing India, Pakistan set to get

    3rd largest nuke pile in 10 years

    India announces list of 98 smart cities

    Support to Palestine unwaveringwhile engaging with Israel: India

    The BJP won 100 wards and relegated the state's ruling Congress to the second place.

    External Affairs 

    Minister Sushma Swaraj 

    addresses at the

    community reception in

    Egypt.

  • 8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

    12/32

    12 August 29-September 4, 2015   TheSouthAsianTimes.info P E

    By Arun Kumar 

    If Republicans are hoping to

    ride out the tornado that

    Donald Trump has come to be,

    Hillary Clinton's troubles reflected

    in her falling poll numbers are

    posing a dilemma for the

    Democrats too.

    While the brash real estate

    mogul's popularity seems to be

    growing by the day to the chagrin

    of the Republican establishment,

    the former secretary of state has

    much more to contend with than

     just her self-proclaimed socialist

    rival Bernie Sanders.

    The 73-year-old independent

    senator from Vermont seekingDemocratic nomination is draw-

    ing huge crowds everywhere with

    his tirade against the "billionaire

    class" and fast closing the gap

    with Clinton in the polls.

    But it is the controversy sur-

    rounding her use of a private

    server for sending emails during

    her four year stint at the State

    Department that is denting

    Clinton's image and adding to her

    growing trust deficit even as she

    remains the favourite of her party.

    "Hillary Clinton's poll numbers

    are like a leaky faucet: drip...drip...

    drip," as a pollster quipped after a

    recent poll found Clinton andTrump with the worst overall

    favorability ratings and the lowest

    scores for being honest and trust-

    worthy in three swing states.

    Clinton's flippant comments

    about the email controversy

    haven't helped her any. She first

     jo ke d th at sh e ha d ta ke n to

    Snapchat because messages on it

    disappear instantly. And when

    asked by reporters if she had

    wiped her server clean before

    handing it over to the Justice

    Department and FBI investigators,

    Clinton responded with "What,

    like with a cloth or something?"

    Clinton's falling poll numbershave also given an added impetus

    to speculation about Vice

    President Joe Biden jumping into

    the presidential race.

    Biden, who begun exploring a

    presidential run a few weeks ago,

    reportedly huddled Saturday with

    Democrat Senator Elizabeth

    Warren, the rising liberal star,

    who hasn't endorsed any candi-

    date for the presidential race so

    far.

    Biden's entry into the race could

    really complicate things for the

    former first lady as several recent

    polls show the vice president

    more trustworthy than her.But if he does enter, he will have

    a lot of catching up to do in the

    money race too.

    According to latest Federal

    Election commission filings

    Clinton has already amassed a

    war chest of $67.5 million second

    only to $120 million raised by her

    Republican rival Jeb Bush.

    Republican frontrunner Trump

    has raised only $1.9 million, all on

    his own.

    Notwithstanding her troubles,

    numerous Indian Americans are

    involved in supporting the Clinton

    campaign in various ways, accord-

    ing to Frank Islam, a member of her campaign's national finance

    committee

    "Many have given campaign

    contributions. Several have con-

    tributed and are raising money;

    and others are volunteering for

    the campaign," said the Azamgarh,

    Uttar Pradesh, born Indian-

    American investor.

    "Historically, Clinton has always

    had a very good rapport with the

    Indian American community,"

    Islam said noting, "When she first

    ran for Senate in 2000, the com-

    munity overwhelmingly support-

    ed the then first lady."

    During her unsuccessful 2008

    presidential run too, she had a

    strong Indian American backing,

    he added. Clinton further

    strengthened her Indian American

    ties when she was secretary of 

    state by placing a strong emphasis

    on building better relations

    between India and the US, Islam

    said. Apart from the Indian com-

    munity, after six weeks of cam-

    paigning Clinton remains the best-

    known and best-liked candidate

    for Democratic voters nationally,

    according to a Gallup poll.

    A new national CNN/ORC poll

    also shows Clinton still leading in

    head-to-head match-ups with

    three top Republican candidates:

     Jeb Bush 52/43; Donald Trump

    51/45; Scott Walker 52/46.

    But her declining numbers do

    pose a cause of worry for

    Clinton's dream of shattering the

    glass ceiling.

    Hillary Clinton's triple trouble -

    Trump, Sanders and emails

    Hillary Clinton's falling poll numbers have also given an

    added impetus to speculation about Vice President Joe Biden jumping into the presidential race.

    By Sheikh Qayoom

    Pakistan's decision to call off 

    the NSA-level talks with India

    proves an old maxim for the

    people of Jammu and Kashmir:

    Whether the knife falls on the

    watermelon or the watermelon

    falls on the knife, it is the water-

    melon that gets cut.

    There have been nearly 100 vio-

    lations of the 2003 ceasefire by

    Pakistan on the Line of Control(LoC) and the international border

    in Jammu and Kashmir since

     January 1.

    Ten people have been killed in

    Pakistani firing and shelling in

     Jammu and Kashmir while Pakistan

    claims 10 people were killed in

    retaliatory Indian firing on their

    side of the divided Kashmir.

    Kashmiris fear the rising tensions

    between India and Pakistan would

    reflect in more ceasefire violations

    on the borders.

    Indiscriminate shelling by

    Pakistan has affected c ivi l ian

    areas, forcing residents of border

    villages to abandon their homes,

    agricultural fields and livestock in

    the past.

    Whether or not the two countries

    allow border skirmishes to get out

    of control and blow up into a larger

    conflict, for thousands of people

    living on the two sides of the bor-

    der in divided Kashmir any cease-

    fire violation on the LoC or the

    international border means 'War'.

    The politics of brinkmanship by

    Pakistan that talks between the

    NSAs, mandated to focus on securi-

    ty, should also include Kashmir has

    proved self-defeating.

    If it was a question of who blinks

    first vis-a-vis calling off the NSA

    talks, it was Pakistan.

    Its insistence that its national

    security adviser Sartaj Aziz must

    first meet the Kashmiri separatists

    before talking to his Indian coun-

    terpart Ajit Doval did not go down

    well with New Delhi.

    Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, chairman

    of the moderate Hurriyat group,

    had suggested a way out of the

    impasse that perhaps did not

    please either India or Pakistan.

    The Mirwaiz had said that Aziz

    could begin talking to Doval; he

    could meet the Kashmiri separatist

    leaders later.

    There is nothing new in either

    the separatist leaders meeting the

    Pakistani high commissioner inNew Delhi or attending the

    Pakistan Day celebrations at the

    high commission.

    There is nothing new about

    Pakistan's commitment to support

    the cause of separatism in Kashmir

    and there is nothing new about

    New Delhi's inability to handle the

    local separatists - sometimes with

    kid gloves and other times with an

    iron fist.

    In order to keep their dwindling

    political constituencies intact, most

    mainstream political parties, espe-

    cially those chiefly based in the

    Muslim majority Valley, have

    remained soft towards the sepa-

    ratists or at least ensure that they

    are seen to be so.

    Having blamed the ruling PDP in

    the past for closeness to the sepa-

    ratists, the National Conference has

    suddenly become very soft towards

    the separatists after losing power

    in the state.

    The recent detention of sepa-

    ratist leaders in Srinagar by the

    authorities was a fiasco that had to

    be reversed within less than one

    hour.

    On this issue there was completelack of coordination between New

    Delhi and Srinagar on the one hand

    and between the state police chief 

    and the chief minister on the other.

    Who benefitted from the confu-

    sion? Ironically, all that has hap-

    pened in the process is that

    whether it was intended or not, the

    stature of Kashmiri separatist lead-

    ers has gone up.

    The decision to prevent their

    meeting with Sartaj Aziz finally

    resulted in Pakistan calling off the

    NSA talks.

    Whether Pakistan's bluff has

    been called or it has shown India's

    inability to handle the separatists

    remains to be seen.

    What does axing of NSA talks mean to Kashmiris

    The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

    Pakistan's national security adviser Sartaj Aziz.

  • 8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 17- Aug 29-Sep 4, 2015

    13/32

    By Amulya Ganguli 

    Notwithstanding the cheers

    which Prime Minister

    Narendra Modi received

    while announcing the Rs1.25 tril-lion special package for Bihar at

    an election rally, he will be mak-

    ing a mistake if he believes that

    the bonanza will ensure the BJPʼs

    runaway victory in the state

    assembly elections in

    October/November.

    All that it can do is to bring

    about a marginal improvement in

    the BJPʼs position, for the Indian

    voter is far too canny to be easily

    swayed by promises.

    Moreover, the more extravagant

    they are, the more suspicious he

    will be. Besides, the voter is aware

    that the bounty is for Bihar, and

    not for any particular ruling party.So, irrespective of which alliance

    comes to power, whether it is the

    BJP-Lok Janshakti Party (LJP)-

    Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP)-

    Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM)

    combination, or the Janata Dal-

    United (JD-U)-Rashtriya Janata

    Dal (RJD)-Congress group, the gift

    will be available ̶ unless the cen-

    tre plays dirty.

    It isnʼt the promise of funds,

    therefore, which will help the BJP,

    but the latent fear among the vot-

    ers of the return of what the party

    calls the “jungle raj” of RJD leader

    Lalu Prasadʼs rule between 1990

    and 2005.

    Although, theoretically, Lalu

    Prasad is a junior partner in Chief 

    Minister Nitish Kumarʼs govern-

    ment, the preponderance of the

    Yadavs in Biharʼs social scene ̶

    this caste group makes up 16 percent of the stateʼs population ̶

    gives the RJD a clear edge in polit-

    ical terms.

    Relations far from cordial

    If Lalu Prasadʼs conviction in the

    fodder scam hadnʼt prevented him

    from contesting, the RJD rather

    than the JD-U would have led the

    alliance. As the RJD leader admit-

    ted, for him to have yielded the

    top position to Nitish Kumar was

    tantamount to swallowing poison.

    Nitish Kumar, in turn, compared

    himself to a sandalwood tree

    which does not lose its flavor even

    if a snake wraps itself round it.Although the chief minister later

    said that he did not have Lalu

    Prasad in mind when he made the

    comment, it is clear enough that

    the relations between the two top

    men in the “secular” alliance are

    not all that cordial. The BJP will

    no doubt try to exploit this disso-

    nance. But, it will also be aw


Issue 1 Vol. 1 Aug/Sep 2016

Issue 1 Vol. 1 Aug/Sep 2016

Kelfi News Vol. 6 (aug sep 14)

Kelfi News Vol. 6 (aug sep 14)

Aug/Sep 2012

Aug/Sep 2012

Newsletter Jul/Aug/Sep

Newsletter Jul/Aug/Sep

The Colonist AUG. / SEP. 2014 - SnapPagescloud2.snappages.com/71ea88c88c68c920e265e7bbec4391ff2e9bc57d... · The Colonist AUG. / SEP. 2014 Vol. XII ... report to Accell any unusual

The Colonist AUG. / SEP. 2014 - SnapPagescloud2.snappages.com/71ea88c88c68c920e265e7bbec4391ff2e9bc57d... · The Colonist AUG. / SEP. 2014 Vol. XII ... report to Accell any unusual

1. Volume12-- Jul-Aug-Sep 2009 Jul-Aug-Sep 2… · Jul-Aug-Sept 2009 Vol. 12 IN THIS ISSUE 1 CERT received $500 1 CERT received ATV 1 Websites 2 CERT Activities 3 Tornadoes, Rain

1. Volume12-- Jul-Aug-Sep 2009 Jul-Aug-Sep 2… · Jul-Aug-Sept 2009 Vol. 12 IN THIS ISSUE 1 CERT received $500 1 CERT received ATV 1 Websites 2 CERT Activities 3 Tornadoes, Rain

Vol. 120 No. 3 Aug. 29-Sep. 4, 2019 @DailyCollegian NEXT ... · HOme game special: News cOverage iNside Published independently by students at Penn State Vol. 120 No. 3 Aug. 29-Sep.

Vol. 120 No. 3 Aug. 29-Sep. 4, 2019 @DailyCollegian NEXT ... · HOme game special: News cOverage iNside Published independently by students at Penn State Vol. 120 No. 3 Aug. 29-Sep.

BAMOS Aug/Sep 2015

BAMOS Aug/Sep 2015

Inshore Ireland Vol 6 nr 4 Aug-Sep 2010

Inshore Ireland Vol 6 nr 4 Aug-Sep 2010

Jerraganda Vol 17 No 09 10 11 12 - 29 Aug - 19 Sep 13

Jerraganda Vol 17 No 09 10 11 12 - 29 Aug - 19 Sep 13

Wholesale Investor Aug / Sep

Wholesale Investor Aug / Sep

International Newsletter Vol. 2 Iss, 4, Aug\Sep 2014

International Newsletter Vol. 2 Iss, 4, Aug\Sep 2014

Bi-Weekly Mowing Schedule Weeks 2 & 4 - Jan-Mar …Lawn Fertilization #3 Jul 18-Jul 29 Aug 1-Aug 5 Aug 8-Aug 12 Aug 15-Aug 19 Aug 22-Aug 26 T/S Fertilization #2 Aug 29-Sep 2 Sep 5-Sep

Bi-Weekly Mowing Schedule Weeks 2 & 4 - Jan-Mar …Lawn Fertilization #3 Jul 18-Jul 29 Aug 1-Aug 5 Aug 8-Aug 12 Aug 15-Aug 19 Aug 22-Aug 26 T/S Fertilization #2 Aug 29-Sep 2 Sep 5-Sep

Foodservice Mail vol 005 Aug-Sep 2013

Foodservice Mail vol 005 Aug-Sep 2013

Plain Truth 1940 (Vol v No 03) Aug-Sep

Plain Truth 1940 (Vol v No 03) Aug-Sep

Aug.30 sep. 3

Aug.30 sep. 3

Hazeldean Times Aug / Sep

Hazeldean Times Aug / Sep

Aug/Sep Gym Newsletter

Aug/Sep Gym Newsletter

Plain Truth 1954 (Vol XIX No 07) Aug-Sep

Plain Truth 1954 (Vol XIX No 07) Aug-Sep

Holidays Aug/Sep 2014

Holidays Aug/Sep 2014