At least 60 opposition members had signed the notice for removal of Dhankhar from his post on December 10, alleging that they did not have trust in him and that he was “biased”….reports Asian Lite news
Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh on Thursday dismissed the impeachment notice given by the opposition seeking the removal of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar while ruling it as an act of impropriety, being severely flawed and drawn in haste to mar his reputation, sources said.
In his ruling, which was tabled in the House by Rajya Sabha secretary general P C Mody, the deputy chairman said the impeachment notice is part of a design to denigrate the nation’s constitutional institutions and malign the incumbent Vice President, the sources said.
At least 60 opposition members had signed the notice for removal of Dhankhar from his post on December 10, alleging that they did not have trust in him and that he was “biased”.
The deputy chairman ruled that the gravity of this “personally targeted” notice which is bereft of facts and aimed at securing publicity.
He also held that the notice was a “misadventure” in “deliberate trivialising and demeaning” of the high constitutional office of the Vice President of the largest democracy.
Worrisomely for the prestige of Parliament and its members, the notice is replete with assertions only to malign the incumbent Vice President, the deputy chairman ruled, the sources added. The deputy chairman was entrusted to deal with the notice after Chairman Dhankhar recused himself from it.
The notice, he remarked, appeared “casual and cavalier, wanting on every conceivable aspect,” casting doubts on its bona fides. “Worrisomely for the prestige of Parliament and its members, the notice is replete with assertions only to malign the incumbent Vice President asserting events from the time he assumed office in August 2022.”
Harivansh added that “subsequent events unfolding revealed it being a calculated unwholesome attempt to garnish publicity; run down the constitutional institution; insinuate the the personal image of the incumbent Vice President.” He cited a similar removal notice in September 2020 which was rejected by then-Chairman Venkaiah Naidu for procedural lapses under a provision similar to Article 67(b).
The ruling pointed to “orchestration of a coordinated media campaign” by the Congress and highlighted press conferences and social media posts by opposition leaders, including the Leader of Opposition (LoP), which Harivansh described as attempts to create a misleading narrative. “The gravity of this personally targeted notice bereft of facts and aimed at securing publicity makes its expose expedient, being misadventure in deliberate trivialising and demeaning of the high constitutional office of Vice President of the largest democracy,” it added.
The Standing Committee report of the 18th Lok Sabha stated that during the ‘Thirteenth Defence Period Plan’ from Financial Years 2017 to 2022, a total of 34 IAF accidents took place…reports Asian Lite News
Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat died in a Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash on December 8, 2021. A total of 12 people died in the crash, including General Rawat’s wife, Madhulika Rawat. The helicopter crashed in the mountains near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.
Three years later, a Standing Committee on Defence report tabled in the Lok Sabha the day before yesterday stated that the Mi-17 crash, which took place on December 8, 2021, occurred because of “Human Error (Aircrew)”.
The Standing Committee report of the 18th Lok Sabha stated that during the ‘Thirteenth Defence Period Plan’ from Financial Years 2017 to 2022, a total of 34 IAF accidents took place. During FY 2021-2022, a total of nine accidents took place and the one on December 8, 2021, was because of “Human Error (Aircrew)”.
In 2022, sources said that pilot error was the likely cause of the chopper crash that led to Chief of Defence Staff General Rawat’s death. Now, the report from the Standing Committee on Defence confirms that the crash was due to “Human Error”.
Later, the inquiry team in its preliminary findings said, “The accident was a result of entry into clouds due to an unexpected change in weather conditions in the valley. This led to spatial disorientation of the pilot resulting in a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT),” the team found after analysing the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder besides questioning all available witnesses to determine the most probable cause of the accident.”
A Mi-17 V5 carrying General Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and 12 other armed forces personnel, took off from the Sulur Air Force base in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore to the Defence Staff Services Colleges in Wellington, it crashed into the hills minutes before landing
The crash killed CDS Gen Rawat, his wife and 11 others. Group Captain Varun Singh, a Shaurya Chakra awardee, was the sole survivor of the chopper crash but he died a week later during treatment.
Group Captain Singh was being treated for severe burns at a Bengaluru military hospital after he was moved from Wellington in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor. He had been on life support.
The Speaker’s office stressed that the move is aimed at safeguarding the sanctity of Parliament and ensuring that its proceedings are not disrupted…reports Asian Lite News
In a decisive move aimed at maintaining decorum and ensuring the smooth functioning of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Thursday issued strict instructions that no political party, Member of Parliament (MP), or groups of MPs will be allowed to hold any dharna (protest) or demonstration at the gates of Parliament House.
The directive explicitly prohibits such gatherings at any of the building’s gates. The Speaker’s office stressed that the move is aimed at safeguarding the sanctity of Parliament and ensuring that its proceedings are not disrupted. “No member, group of members, or political parties shall hold any dharna or demonstration at any of the gates of Parliament House,” sources said.
Earlier in the day, a controversy erupted after a heated confrontation between opposition and NDA MPs in the Parliament premises, allegedly triggered by an insult to BR Ambedkar. The BJP alleged that two of its MPs, Pratap Chandra Sarangi from Balasore in Odisha and Mukesh Rajput from Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh, were injured after being allegedly pushed by Opposition MPs as both sides protested over the B R Ambedkar issue. BJP MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi claimed he was injured when Gandhi pushed a senior BJP member, leading to Sarangi falling.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to have called up the two MPs, who were taken to RML Hospital, to enquire about their health. Rajput is said to be admitted in the ICU.
In response to the allegations, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in a press conference, said, “We were peacefully protesting in a line, but they stopped us at the Makar Dwar gate. To show their muscle power, they brought many male MPs. We had our female MPs with us, and they were also stopped,” Kharge said. He added that BJP MPs forcefully attacked Congress leaders, causing him to lose his balance. “I’m in no condition to push anyone. I couldn’t handle my balance, and I sat down. Now they are alleging we pushed them,” he stated.
Speaking in Rajya Sabha, BJP MP from Nagaland S Phangnon Konyak alleged that Gandhi came in her “close proximity” and shouted at her during the protest outside the Parliament’s Makar Dwar which made her feel “extremely uncomfortable”.
In a letter to the Rajya Sabha chairman, she claimed that Rahul Gandhi along with other party MPs came in front of her despite there being a passage created for them by security personnel.
“He misbehaved with me in a loud voice and his physical proximity to me was so close that I being a lady member felt extremely uncomfortable… I belong to the ST community and I am a lady member. My dignity and self-esteem have been deeply hurt by LoP Shri Rahul Gandhi ji. Therefore, Hon’ble Chairman sir, I seek your protection,” she wrote.
Rahul Gandhi booked
The Delhi police on Thursday registered an FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, hours after the Bharatiya Janata Party filed a complaint, accusing him of physical assault and incitement” during a scuffle in Parliament premises.
A police officer said that the FIR has been registered under sections 115 (voluntary causing hurt), 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt), 125 (act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The officer said police are likely to call Gandhi for questioning in connection with the case. The police will request the Lok Sabha Secretariat to provide the CCTV footage of the area where the alleged incident happened.
Another officer said all sections imposed against Gandhi are bailable, except section 117, punishment for which depends on the severity of the injury caused, ranging from seven years to life imprisonment.
After the incident, the BJP filed police complaint against Gandhi, accusing him of “physical assault and incitement” and sought his indictment under sections of attempt to murder and other charges.
Earlier in the day, BJP MP Hemang Joshi, accompanied by party colleagues Anurag Thakur and Bansuri Swaraj, visited the Parliament Street Police Station and filed the complaint.
The Congress strongly rejected the claim, alleging that BJP MPs pushed its chief Mallikarjun Kharge and “physically manhandled” Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. Congress also lodged a complaint in connection the matter.
In his two-page complaint, BJP MP from Vadodara Hemang Joshi said, “At around 10, I along with Mukesh Rajput ji, Pratap Rao Sarangi ji and other large numbers of my fellow Members of Parliament belonging to the National Democratic Alliance, were peacefully demonstrating at the Makar Dwar entrance of Parliament.”
He said they were protesting against the “blatant misinformation being propagated by opposition parties, particularly led by the Indian National Congress.”
“During this peaceful demonstration, Rahul Gandhi, arrived at the scene around 10.40 am to 10.45 am. Despite request from Parliament security to take the designated entry path, Rahul Gandhi with a malicious intent to disrupt the protest and physically harm NDA Members of Parliament ignored the instructions and forcefully barged toward the peaceful demonstrators,” Joshi said in the complaint.
Guterres underscored that Israel and Syria must uphold the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, which remains fully in force…reports Asian Lite News
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged Israel to stop violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Guterres condemned Israel’s extensive airstrikes on Syria aimed at destroying strategic weapons and military infrastructure and its troops’ entry into a demilitarised zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Xinhua news agency reported.
“They are violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and they must stop,” he said.
“Let me be clear: There should be no military forces in the area of separation other than UN peacekeepers. And those peacekeepers must have freedom of movement to undertake their important work.”
Guterres underscored that Israel and Syria must uphold the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, which remains fully in force.
“This is a decisive moment — a moment of hope and history, but also one of great uncertainty,” the UN Chief told reporters.
“Some will try to exploit the situation for their own narrow ends. But it is the obligation of the international community to stand with the people of Syria who have suffered so much,” he said.
Since a lightning rebel offensive ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes that it says are aimed at destroying strategic weapons and military infrastructure.
Israeli troops also moved into a demilitarised zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights – created after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war — that is patrolled by UN peacekeepers.
Israeli officials have described the move as a limited and temporary measure to ensure the security of Israel’s borders but have given no indication of when the troops might be withdrawn.
The International Commission on Missing Persons in The Hague has said it had received data indicating there may be as many as 66, as yet unverified, mass grave sites in Syria. More than 150,000 people are considered missing, according to international and Syrian organisations, including the United Nations and the Syrian Network for Human Rights, it said.
A violent crackdown by Assad on peaceful pro-democracy protesters in 2011 led to a civil war. Millions of people fled Syria with millions more internally displaced.
Handmade gifts are always a hit. If you’re crafty, consider making something yourself, like homemade cookies or a personalized ornament. People appreciate the time and effort you put into making something special just for them…reports Asian Lite News
As Christmas 2024 is just round the corner, many of us are getting ready for Secret Santa exchanges. While it’s a fun tradition, picking the perfect gift can be stressful. You want to impress your gift recipient but also don’t want to break the bank. Here are five easy ways to make sure you nail your Secret Santa gift this year, without all the worry.
Stick to the basics
When in doubt, stick to simple, classic gifts. A nice mug, a cozy scarf, or a box of chocolates can go a long way. These items are useful, thoughtful, and don’t cost too much.
Know their interests
If you know a little about the person you’re shopping for, use that to your advantage. Do they like coffee, books, or candles? Picking a gift that matches their hobbies shows that you care and put thought into it.
Handmade gifts
Handmade gifts are always a hit. If you’re crafty, consider making something yourself, like homemade cookies or a personalized ornament. People appreciate the time and effort you put into making something special just for them.
Stay within the budget
Secret Santa is all about fun, not spending too much money. Be sure to stick to the budget set by your group. If you’re unsure, ask a friend for ideas on what you could buy without going over the limit.
Add a personal touch
Even if you buy something simple, adding a personal note or a little extra touch can make the gift feel more meaningful. A handwritten card or a small wrapping detail can show that you thought about the person.
The area then appeared stable until July 2021, when there was a further minor collapse. Ground investigations proved there was a 3.5 metre diameter shaft, which had been plugged with concrete between 4.5 metres and 6 metres below ground level by the National Coal Board in the 1970s
Safety works have been completed by the Mining Remediation Authority to protect residents in Arley Lane, Wigan, from ground collapses caused by a historical coal mine shaft.
Teams designed a permanent solution, pouring more than 120 cubic metres of concrete in one day to form a 0.5-metre thick, heavily-reinforced, high-specification cap with a diameter of 16 metres over the shaft.
The authority has records of mining in the area as far back as 1840 and Malcolm Scott, regional project manager for the public safety and subsidence team, said, “There were a few challenges to this project. We couldn’t excavate deep enough to place the reinforced cap on the upper surface of the bedrock due to the constraints of the garden and extensive tree removal that would have been required. Therefore an oversized octagonal cap was constructed, 2 metres below ground level, to cover a collapse zone of around 13 metres. As Arley Lane is single-track we had to bring in compact concrete mixer trucks, about half the size of the vehicles we normally use, and we also had to pour a temporary layer of thin concrete to give access to the site during the construction phase. A minor collapse near a recorded mine shaft was first reported in December 2018, which was excavated and filled with stone in January 2019. The site was then monitored and works were needed again following more ground movement in April 2019.”
The area then appeared stable until July 2021, when there was a further minor collapse. Ground investigations proved there was a 3.5 metre diameter shaft, which had been plugged with concrete between 4.5 metres and 6 metres below ground level by the National Coal Board in the 1970s.
The drilling also showed that solid rock – known as rockhead – was around 11 metres below ground level, allowing clays and looser material to migrate into the shaft beneath the plug, so a resin grout injection was used to try to stabilise the ground, but further loss of material was reported in May 2023, which meant the new cap was needed.
Following the latest works, the area has now been backfilled to create a soil base and site demobilisation will start this week, leaving only turfing and landscaping works for 2025.
As part of the work to keep people safe and provide peace of mind, you can report a coal mine hazard, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by calling 0800 288 4242.
Trump is expected to seek a deal to end the war in Ukraine when he takes office next month, and has publicly criticized consensus Western policy on the conflict..reports Asian Lite News
The prime minister told Donald Trump on Wednesday that Western allies must “stand together” on Ukraine. Speaking to the United States president-elect by phone — in their second call since Trump’s thumping November US election win — PM Keir Starmer “reiterated the need for allies to stand together with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and to ensure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position,” per a British readout of the call.
Trump is expected to seek a deal to end the war in Ukraine when he takes office next month, and has publicly criticized consensus Western policy on the conflict — including the green-lighting of Western missiles inside Russian territory.
The UK has long been a staunch supporter of Ukraine. Starmer was among those lobbying the Biden administration to let Ukraine use British-made missiles inside Russia’s borders.
Trump and Starmer talked up their “joint ambition to strengthen the close and historic relationship between the UK and the US,” a No. 10 Downing Street spokesperson said of the call.
Starmer began by congratulating Trump on “his recent team appointments.” The president-elect responded by “warmly recounting” his meeting with the Prince of Wales, Prince William, in Paris earlier this month, No.10 said.
Donald Trump is expected to seek a deal to end the war in Ukraine when he takes office next month, and has publicly criticized consensus Western policy on the conflict. | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
In an interview with the Sun newspaper Tuesday, Starmer said he hopes to restart talks with the new US administration on a trade deal — after sitting President Joe Biden put talks on ice two years ago.
In their call, the leaders said they looked forward to seeing one another “at the earliest opportunity.” The UK’s i newspaper reported Wednesday that Starmer could visit the US as early as February.
The two men met for the first time in September for a two-hour dinner in New York, as Starmer and his party pursued a charm offensive with the president-elect and his allies ahead of the US election. Starmer’s call with Trump came as a key political rival, Nigel Farage, talked up his own friendship with Trump and his government efficiency pick Elon Musk, who has repeatedly disparaged Starmer and spoken warmly of Farage’s right-wing Reform UK party.
Meanwhile, Starmer has supported Trump’s call for Nato countries to meet their defence spending targets. Speaking to LBC News, Starmer agreed with the Trump, saying that “Europe needs to do more” on military expenditure.
Trump, who is set to return to the White House in January, has urged European allies to increase their defence budgets, arguing that it’s unfair for the US to bear such a disproportionate share of defence costs. Starmer added that he had been holding “constructive discussions” with Trump on several issues, including military matters.
“As you know I met him a number of weeks ago. I do think that when he says that Europe needs to do more, as a general proposition I think that’s right, and we should do more,” LBC News quoted Starmer as saying.
But he added that there was “a huge amount of capability that we are doing together.” Nato members are required to allocate at least 2% of their GDP to defence spending, yet not all countries meet this target, even amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Portugal, Italy, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia, and Spain all have military expenditures below the 2% threshold. The UK ranks as the ninth-highest spender in proportion to its GDP. Poland leads with 4.1%, followed by the US at around 3.4%, reported LBC News.
In raw terms, the US is the biggest contributor to NATO along with Germany, providing about 16% of the total budget. When asked if everyone should “pay their way,” Keir said he wouldn’t “sit here in an interview and start telling allies what they must do.”
“All of our allied countries make a significant contribution to our collective defence, and if Putin believed his aggression in Ukraine would weaken NATO, he made a major mistake,” LBC News quoted Starmer as saying. Starmer emphasised that Nato is “now stronger” since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We have extra members, and we are constantly working together – training together, deployed together. Just up the coast here we’ve got our troops embedded as part of our NATO deployment,” he added.’
He also praised the British military’s efforts, particularly in response to the “constant threat” posed by Russia. “There’s a real appreciation for what our teams are doing as part of that Nato deployment,” he said.
Starmer refused to commit to a 3% defence spending target, saying that the priority is “working collectively.” Instead, he reiterated the government’s pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.
This follows a warning from Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, who said the West is unprepared for future threats from Russia. He called on Nato members to adopt a wartime mindset and significantly increase spending.
Rutte described the current security situation as the “worst in my lifetime” and warned that Nato is “not ready” for what’s to come. Chancellor Rachel Reeves stated earlier this month that Labour could not raise defence spending without cuts in other areas.
The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign group say that 3.6 million women born in the 1950s were not properly informed of the rise in state pension age to bring them into line with men
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended the decision to reject compensation for women hit by changes to the state pension age, arguing that the taxpayer “simply can’t afford the tens of billions of pounds” in payments. He added that “90% of those impacted knew about the changes that were taking place”.
However, during Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer was repeatedly pressed on the government’s decision, with one MP calling for a vote. The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign group say that 3.6 million women born in the 1950s were not properly informed of the rise in state pension age to bring them into line with men.
In 1995, the government increased the pension age for women from 60 to 65, phasing in the change between 2010 and 2020. The coalition government of 2010 opted to speed up the process, bringing forward the qualifying age of 65 to 2018.
Waspi says many of the affected women had made financial plans based on the old state pension age and some retired before realising they could not claim their pension. The group been pushing for compensation, previously suggesting that some women should receive £10,000 each, at a cost of £36bn.
The current government’s decision not to award payments comes despite an independent government review in March which recommended compensation of between £1,000 and £2,950 for each of those affected.
Rebecca Hilsenrath, head of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, which wrote the review, told Times Radio that although the government had accepted that it had delayed writing to 1950s-born women by 28 months, and apologised, it had rejected paying compensation.
“What we don’t expect is for an acknowledgement to be made by a public body that it’s got it wrong but then refuse to make it right for those affected,” she said. Before this year’s general election, several senior Labour figures had backed the campaign and Sir Keir himself signed a pledge for “fair and fast compensation” in 2022.
In 2019, Angela Rayner, now the deputy prime minister, said, “They [the government] stole their pensions…we’ve said we’d right that injustice and within the five years of the Labour government we’ll compensate them for the money that they’ve lost.”
In the first Prime Minister’s Questions since the government announced they would not be providing compensation, veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott said the Waspi women had “fought one of the most sustained and passionate campaigns for justice that I can remember, year in, year out. Does the prime minister really understand how let down Waspi women feel today?” she asked.
Ian Byrne, an independent MP, said the women were owed compensation for the “injustice done to them” and urged the prime minister to hold a vote on the subject.
And Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Labour had “played politics” with the group by previously supporting their campaign. “She [Rayner] promised to compensate them in full… now they admit we were right all along.”
Responding to the criticism, Starmer said the delays to telling women about pension changes were “unacceptable”. “I’m afraid to say that taxpayers simply can’t afford the tens of billions of pounds in compensation when the evidence shows that 90% of those impacted did know about it, that’s because of the state of our economy.”
Following PMQs, a No 10 spokesman said that since winning the election, the government had “had the chance” to look at the ombudsman’s report, which said the women “faced no direct financial loss as a result of the delays”. The government has said compensation could cost up to £10.5bn.
But De Spon said many Waspi women “didn’t know” about the pensions changes, and added that even to this day women were saying: “I never even received a letter, let alone when I received a letter.”
She added that former Conservative Chancellor George Osborne had saved more than £180bn by raising the state pension age and “boasted that it was easiest money he had ever saved”.
“We’re asking for a tiny fraction of that back as compensation for government failure,” she said.
The Waspi campaign also accused the prime minister of spreading “dangerous misinformation” by saying 90% of women had been aware of changes to the pension age.
“The fact that 90% of women had some general awareness of potential changes in the future does not mean they knew this would impact them personally,” said Waspi chair Angela Madden.
Diane Abbott is one of a small group of Labour MPs objecting to their leader’s approach. Kate Osborne and Emma Lewell-Buck have also publicly opposed the decision. The SNP is calling for a vote in Parliament on compensation. The party’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said: “Labour Party politicians posed with Waspi women before the election only to leave them high and dry when they got into government.”
Earlier, Conservative shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith also said the decision was “a betrayal”, adding that Cabinet ministers had “queued up, had their photo taken with Waspi women, talked about how they were going to remedy that injustice.” He said “we won’t know” whether a Conservative government would have paid compensation as they were voted out of government before making that decision.
The then Conservative-run Department of Work and Pensions told the ombudsman at the time of its report in March why it could not pay out. It cited “the costs involved, the time it would take, the amount of resource it would involve, and the negative impact delivering a remedy would have on it being able to maintain other services”. The Liberal Democrats had earlier said the stance “sets an extremely worrying precedent” in its rejection of the ombudsman’s findings.
Ashwin ends his career with 537 wickets at average of 24 in 106 Tests and becoming India’s second leading wicket-taker after legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble…reports Asian Lite News
Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. Ashwin revealed his decision at the end of the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Brisbane, which ended in a draw due to rain.
“This will be my last day as an Indian cricketer in all formats at the international level. I do feel there’s a bit of punch left in me as a cricketer, but I would like to expose and probably showcase that in club level cricket, but this will be the last day. I’ve had a lot of fun.
“I must say I’ve created a lot of memories alongside Rohit and several of my other teammates, even though I’ve lost some of them over the last few years. We are the last bunch of OGs, if you can say that, left out of the dressing room. I’d be marking this as my date of having played at this level,” said Ashwin in the post-match press conference.
Ashwin ends his career with 537 wickets at average of 24 in 106 Tests and becoming India’s second leading wicket-taker after legendary leg-spinner Anil Kumble. He also scored six Test centuries and 14 fifties with the bat. His last international game was the day-night Test in Adelaide, where he took 1-53.
His retirement announcement looked imminent once TV visuals showed an emotional Ashwin being given a hug by Virat Kohli on the balcony of the dressing room during the rain delay. Ashwin also played 116 ODIs for India, taking 156 wickets, and being a member of 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy winning teams.
Ashwin also played 65 T20I matches and took 72 wickets. “Obviously, there are a lot of people to thank, but I would be failing in my duties if I didn’t thank the BCCI and fellow teammates, several of them. I want to name a few of them.
“All the coaches who’ve been a part of the journey, most importantly, Rohit, Virat (Kohli), Ajinkya (Rahane), (Cheteshwar) Pujara, who’ve taken those spending catches around the back to give me the number of wickets I’ve managed to get over the years. Also, a big thank you to the Australian cricket team, who’ve been very fierce competitors. I’ve enjoyed my time playing against them,” added Ashwin.
Brisbane [Australia], Dec 18 (ANI): India’s Captain Rohit Sharma with Ravichandran Ashwin address a press conference as Ashwin retires from International Cricket, in Brisbane on Wednesday. (ANI Photo)
In Tests, Ashwin was one of the big figures in the Indian team’s 12-year long home domination and played a starring role in the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy win in Australia. Ashwin was one of 11 allrounders to clinch the double of 3000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests. He also won a record 11 Player-of-the-Series awards, level with Muthiah Muralitharan.
“I think it’s already getting long. I wouldn’t be taking any questions, but it’s truly a very emotional moment. I don’t think I’m in a position where I would be answering the questions in the right way, so please pardon me for that. Once again, that’s my time.
“Thanks for being the journalist that you’ve been, writing good things and, of course, writing nasty things on occasions. That’s a relationship I think we would maintain forever. I hope the cricketers to come in the future will also get the same amount of love that you’ve given them.
“Once again, thank you all. See you all soon. As a cricketer, I’ve just stopped it. I might go on to be involved with the game because this is a game that’s given me everything. Thank you,” concluded Ashwin.
Antonio Bartoli, Italy’s Ambassador to India, spoke exclusively on the road ahead and how the excellent relations enjoyed by the top leaders of two countries – Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni – continue to transform bilateral ties.
As India and Italy continue to deepen cooperation in several spheres, including defence and security, science and technology, space, clean energy, migration and mobility linkages, Antonio Bartoli, the country’s Ambassador to India, spoke exclusively on the road ahead and how the excellent relations enjoyed by the top leaders of two countries – Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni – continue to transform bilateral ties.
Excerpts:
Q: Earlier this week, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was named as ‘Europe’s most powerful person’ which is being seen as an acknowledgement and acceptance of her growing popularity in the region and beyond. How do you see this?
Antonio Bartoli: One of her (Meloni’s) strong points is coherence and determination. Her government, the Italian government, is one of the most stable in Europe. I would say in the world, because in an era of liquid politics, where leaders change with a certain rapidity, she has very solid bases, and the coalition has been there for 30 years – more or less, in the same parties. She has a strong leadership, and this is an element that she has in common with PM Modi. That is why there is this personal chemistry, which is very important in nowadays’ politics, to also feed and develop relationships between states, and our bilateral relationship that is continuing to move forward at an unprecedented intensity.
Q: These are also good times for the India-Italy relationship with so many high-level interactions taking place this year, including over the past few weeks…
Antonio Bartoli: PM Meloni and PM Modi met on November 18, on the margins of the G20 summit in Rio. They signed a joint action plan, which gives a concrete and determined plan to give contents and projects to the strategic partnership that they established between Italy and India. They have identified 10 areas of cooperation which are top on the agenda, starting from political dialogue. For instance, the Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar came to Italy for the G7 and for the MED Dialogues, and other visits. Soon after, our Minister of Industry came here and now our Deputy Prime Minister is scheduled to visit for a big business forum, followed by the Minister of Defence who is also expected to come soon. So, there is a structure and an intense political dialogue and there are priority areas, including space and defence, connectivity, energy transition, security, mobility, people-to-people, science and technology. So a lot of things to do and realise and we are on the job!
Q: The government led by PM Modi has specifically focused on connectivity over the last 10 years. Do you think that the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC), of which India and Italy are the founding members, could be a game-changer in future?
Antonio Bartoli: It’s a privilege to represent a vision for the future, that at the same time is deeply rooted in the past. Rome and India already traded millennia, centuries ago. Black pepper was one thing that the King of Visigoths asked Rome for as a ransom, because it was a precious and valuable good that we imported from India. So, this route has always been there. We are revitalising that perspective. This will go across the Middle East, which is a tormented area now as we have seen what is happening in Syria. But, we always have a vision for the future and the perspective of common and shared prosperity can be a factor of stabilisation and peace, also for that area. Italy is, has been, and will be the natural terminal of this corridor, especially with some ports like Trieste, which represent the gateway to the whole Europe, especially Central and Eastern Europe. We are also working on a ports collaboration agreement with India that could also be game-changers in future.
Q: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Rome last year and had very constructive discussions with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto, exploring various avenues of enhanced partnerships as India focuses on ‘Make in India, Make for World’. How have the things moved forward since then?
Antonio Bartoli: Defence and space are top on the agenda of the India-Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan. It means that we are assuring an ever-increasing presence in the Indo-Pacific region. At the end of November, we had an amazing ship Amerigo Vespucci visiting Mumbai. The ship was open to the local public and was the third port call in India by an Italian Navy vessel in 18 months, reflecting the importance Italy gives to the Indo-Pacific region. In October, a Joint Strike Carrier Group made of aircraft carrier Cavour, which is the main aircraft carrier of the Italian navy, and frigate Alpino, also visited India and held joint exercises. It is all about the presence in the Indo-Pacific region. The idea of ‘Make in India’ applies also to the defence sector, so our defence industries are eager and ready to move some productions here and develop co-design and co-production projects with the industry of India. The next step is to identify this area and proceed.
Q: PM Meloni-led Italian government believes that Italy and India are united by a sense of respect towards other countries. Is this shared approach binding the countries together more like ever before?
Antonio Bartoli: Respect is the right word, but not even enough, because there is a common idea of not patronising anybody and there is the common idea, even in different situations. You preach your multi-alignment, in the sense that India says legitimately so, we have to have our free hands, and so decide our partnerships in a free way. We are free as well, but we belong to a clear family of alliances, we are founders of the European Union, and of NATO. However, notwithstanding this different political background, the common idea is that of pursuing the national interest and not remaining hostage to preconceived destinies or ideologies. This is the way Italy is pushing forward its own agenda in the European Union, and this is the way India is playing as a global actor. So, there is respect in the sense that there is also the respect, for example, that we are using towards Africa, in a peer-to-peer relationship. We have launched this ambitious programme called ‘Piano Mattei’ plan because Mattei was a visionary entrepreneur in the oil and gas sector, was the head of ENI, which is the oil and gas giant of Italy. He was different from other companies in the oil and gas sector, insofar as he tried to establish a peer-to-peer relationship with great respect for their interlocutors in the producer countries in Africa. We are doing the same, developing investment projects, and I think that India could also partner in this. In general, we are never finger-pointing and never patronising so there is respect, admiration, and the capacity to put ourselves in others’ shoes, and to develop joint projects together. So, the hashtag Melodi is not just a slogan, it is a common vision, and is also witnessed by an intensity of relations, because when we talk about the signature of the joint action plan, that was the fifth time in two years that the two leaders met, so it is really a common vision.
Q: Indian diaspora also continues to play a significant role in Italy’s economic growth. How significant has been the contribution of the Indian community, estimated to be over two lakh now, in Italy?
Antonio Bartoli: It is a very good and integrated community, never having substantive problems. There are old communities – like for example, the Sikh community which have contributed, after they were in the British army, to the liberation of Italy from anti-fascism, and then they remained. They are very active in agriculture, industry, and restoration. But, this is only a part. Indians are frankly a very laborious and integrated community. What we will work on is to increase their number and also the quality by having newcomers with professional skills. That is why the agreement on mobility is so important, because it is a win-win situation. You have a huge manpower and we have gaps in our labour market. So, the idea is to bring from respective countries, in our case bring from India, qualified personnel, provided that they have been trained in India. The pilot project we are starting is with nurses because we need 65,000 nurses in Italy. So, we will teach Italian to would-be nurses, and when the linguistic competence, and, of course, their professional competence is certified, we will bring them to Italy.
Q: You arrived in New Delhi only in July… What has been your experience so far, as far as the growing relations between the two countries are concerned?
Antonio Bartoli: Well I think, I mean all diplomats say, but I really believe in it that we are very similar – distant but very close because we have common values despite having different religions. We are celebrating Christmas but it’s actually the same concept of Diwali, that of light, elimination of darkness and victory of good over evil. We both attach great importance to friendship, to family and even to food, which is not something to eat, to grab in two minutes like fast food. This is a catalyst for friendship and family reunions. So, I think there is this basis, as I said, there is a political common vision, the idea of pursuing the national interest, of a proud sense of identity, of cultural heritage. We are ancient civilizations, and I think there are objective complementarities. You intend to develop a more robust manufacturing system and we are an industrial powerhouse in Europe. 40 per cent of our exports here are made by machinery, so we can complement. We are two peninsulas in the respective dimensions. You are a giant, but we are two peninsulas projecting in the respective sea, and so we are export countries, we are interested in connectivity, we are interested in stability, and so the Indo-Pacific is also a basin where you are, Mediterranean is the basin that we are, but the two basins are connected in the area that is Indo-Mediterranean, and then this area represents 70 per cent of the trade of goods and services, 60 per cent of foreign direct investments, and so it’s not by chance that we are engaged together. For example, our soldiers in UNIFIL in Lebanon, we are engaged in protecting the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, or in the Indian Ocean. So we are interested in stability and in connectivity. IMEEC is not only about railways and ships, it’s also about the internet, because there is also a digital corridor, our Sparkle, Telecom Sparkle, an Italian company, is completing the pause of a cable that will unite Mumbai, connect Mumbai to Geneva in Italy, and then Mumbai to Singapore. It’s a high-speed data highway that will be another factor of connectivity. So, the reasons are ancient, rooted in the past, and projected into the future.
Q: Having started off as a journalist and then, in your long career as a diplomat that saw you working in so many countries, also the US State Department, how do you see India’s rise in recent times, especially under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership?
Antonio Bartoli: Let’s start from the leader… Of course, Modi is an extraordinary political leader. I mean, one can have his own opinion, can agree or not agree, but he has an extraordinary capacity to connect with people. I mean, it suffices to see the Twitter account. He has the ability to build, that is fundamental for leader, and to give a sense of direction to people, to provide a narrative, which doesn’t mean an artificial narrative but a narrative in the sense that we have to strive for these objectives, and here is where we are going to like, for example, the 2047 objective. We all see that India is making a lot of headway in any sector. Of course, economic growth is evident, and there are still many fragilities… But, you are a very young country with the median age being 28 and you will remain a young country. You have a good level of education that, of course, you have to increase, but all the fundamentals are on your side. For this reason, and for the reason that you are a huge democracy and so we share the same values in Italy and Europe in general, we want to partner more and more with India.
Q: Italy is also a massive football stronghold – are there any plans to build more partnerships between the two countries in the field of sports?
Antonio Bartoli: Very much so! Frankly, I do believe a lot in sports diplomacy because our task is to build bridges and I think sport is a great catalyst for friendship. Unfortunately, we have different passions because cricket is not so popular in Italy. But I think especially that you are a continent, so especially in some areas of your huge country, there are football lovers, and what we are working on. The idea that we are developing, I just arrived, is to have coaches for youth teams. For example, starting with the ‘A-series’ teams that can send their coaches to teach kids, especially underprivileged kids, in summer camps, and then organise a tournament out of it. That would be a wonderful experience for these kids, and maybe a way of discovering new talents. There have been Italian players, above all Alessandro Del Piero, who came to India to play, and so we can have them as guests to launch this project.
Q: There is also another area that India and Italy can work on – boosting tourism via Bollywood movies that are shot in beautiful locations…
Antonio Bartoli: You know, talking about the leadership, and the rising role of India, this is another important factor. I mean, the soft power that is characteristic of big powers… You have an incredible soft power, also because you have a huge diaspora, which is another important factor, that represents a weight, politically, economically, in the respective hosting countries. Movies and Bollywood are also very interesting from our point of view because we think we have an extraordinary set. Italy is the country of widespread beauty, and we have pretty much everything, lakes, sea, same coastline of India in terms of kilometers, beautiful mountains and different ones because northwest Alps are Himalayan, the Dolomites are unique in the east, we have a wonderful countryside, we have, of course, beautiful islands, we have art cities, we have small villages, everyone which is with its own church, with own noble palace. So, it’s a widespread beauty and an incredible set. Like incredible India and incredible Italy. This is an opportunity for you because in a limited territory, you can have various options. It’s also interesting from the point of view of tax credit, and for us an extraordinary way of promoting our own territories. Both countries are punching below our weight in terms of interchange because there could be much, many more, Italian tourists to India and vice versa, and so we are eager to host not only movie productions. Not just that but also in different sectors… We can talk about weddings that are very popular, but also, you know, you are passionate about cycling, and there are wonderful cycle tours. You are passionate about Italian brands, and you can have many… It’s like Rome, you can visit the Palo Christian Rome, the Catacombs, the Renaissance Rome and the Baroque Rome… There are different layers and I think, especially for a more refined public, this is an incredible opportunity. Moreover, we have direct flights, which I hope will increase. But we have already, from Milan and from Rome, daily direct flights.
Q: Do you see, with the change of leadership in the United States, India, Italy, and US working together in several spheres?
Antonio Bartoli: Yes, because there is a common vision. (Donald) Trump looks harsher, more demanding in terms of, vis-a-vis Europe. I think he is right, from a certain point of view, because Europe must develop its own strategic capacity while remaining the most important partner for the United States because the transatlantic link is existential. But in sectors like defence, for example, to develop more is autonomy and of importance. I think that the new American president will also be benefiting India for several reasons. I mean, Trump was the one who revitalized, upgraded the Quad. He is more flexible with Russia, he is more assertive with China, and even the tariffs, if he will impose higher tariffs to China with respect to India, that would be a comparative advantage for India. So I think that also from this point of view, we are on the same boat and we can collaborate very well together.
