kothari institute its benefit were funding narendra modi's expensive election campaign....

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NEWS FROM “THE HINDU” AND “TIMES OF INDIA”[Type text]

DATE- 16 April 2014

NATIONAL NEWS

India-born poet wins Pulitzer

India to suggest renaming of Internet as ‘Equinet’

Only 17 women contesting in first phase of Rajasthan polls

We are scared of Modi, clerics tell Rajnath

Toffee model' beneficiaries funding Modi’s campaign: Rahul Gandhi BUSINESS

Infy pegs down revenue guidance for FY 15

Deterioration in credit conditions felt in India, says Moody’s SPORTS

Tsonga battles past Kohlschreiber INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Iraq shuts Abu Ghraib prison following security fears

Five gruelling days come to an end BUSINESS

Asian stock markets boosted by US data, earnings

Google to buy drone-maker Titan Aerospace EDITORIAL

Writing no wrongs

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NATIONAL NEWS

India-born poet wins Pulitzer

Vijay Seshadri

When it released, published by Greywolf, a small independent publishing house in Midwest America, Vijay Seshadri’s slim volume of poetry slipped under the radar, as poetry, ever beautiful, groundbreaking poetry, is often wont to do. Of course, Mr. Seshadri’s previous works had brought him both recognition and respect as a poet, and The Long Meadow , his second collection, had won him the James Laughlin Award.

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A Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, though, awarded for his third volume, 3 Sections , brings Mr. Seshadri under the spotlight, highlighting his work for the world and underlining the power of his words. Mr. Seshadri's book was described by the Pulitzer committee as “a compelling collection of poems that examine human consciousness, from birth to dementia, in a voice that is by turns witty and grave, compassionate and remorseless”. And 3 Sections , a volume that brings together varying forms and displays the ease with which Mr. Seshadri can play with words and rhyme and meter, is universal in its attempt at both the exploration of the human condition, and a philosophical, intellectual interrogation that turns the sight inwards.

Mr. Seshadri’s carefully chosen words explore the increasingly blurring lines between different mediums: when does prose flow into poetry, and when does a poem transform into prose? In ‘Pacific Fishes of Canada’, the middle section of the book, Seshadri attempts to ask these very questions, not by invoking them, but by displaying a complete confidence in the form this poem takes.

Though laced with a deeper, resonant quality, there is also humour in Sesashdri’s words, spun with a dry, almost quizzical wit. In Surveillance Report , he invokes an everyday radio programme, and writes, “Caller Y wants to share that my fearless candor has given her permission/to become utterly transparent herself./Thank you, Caller Y. Your inner light can be seen from here”.

He experiments with style and form, as well as the tone, like one would with spices, trying different combinations, with results that are both surprising and unusual. When he writes, “The soul/ Like the square root of minus 1/ is an impossibility that has its uses,” Seshadri displays the scope and universality of his work, and then, in other poems, like This Morning , he swings the pendulum towards the every day, mundane life.

Mr. Seshadri’s is the poetry we can understand and appreciate, and, more importantly, one that we need. The voices are our own, the introspection and questioning familiar. When, in his poem, Visiting Paris , the speaker says “I was wanted in Paris. Paris, astounded by my splendour/ and charmed by my excitable manner,/waited to open its arms to me,” it's not difficult to recognise this excitable manner he speaks of. The words hide beneath their visceral and beautiful appeal, world of irreverence, humour, thoughtfulness and familiarity.

The beauty of Mr. Seshadri’s words lies in their truth, and the Pulitzer, given to a “distinguished volume of original verse”, has found its rightful owner. 3 Sections includes short and long poems, as well as a prose lyric essay.

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India to suggest renaming of Internet as ‘Equinet’ In a major diplomatic initiative, India is all set to challenge the U.S.’ hegemony of the World Wide Web at a global meet on Internet governance in Sao Paulo (Brazil) next week. India has decided to propose renaming of Internet as ‘Equinet’ so that all nations can have equal say in its operations, besides calling for “internationalisation” of core Internet resources.

Starting April 23, the two-day, ‘Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Governance’, also referred to as ‘NETmundial’, will see representatives from nearly 180 nations debating the future of Internet governance and cyber security. India has decided to take this opportunity to highlight U.S. dominance of the Internet and press for equal rights and say for all nations on matters related to Internet governance and cyber security.

India is likely to side with Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and Iran to make its point. In fact, it was Brazil which took the lead in organising this conference parallel to the U.S.-dominated Internet Governance Forum (IGF) following reports of U.S. agencies spying on top Brazil government officials, including President Dilma Rousseff’s office, based on documents leaked by Edward Snowden, U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower.

In a carefully drafted initial note submitted to ‘NETmundial’ and circulated to all participating members representing their governments, private sector and civil society, the Ministry of External Affairs has said, “Internet governance should be multilateral, transparent, democratic, and representative ... ”

Similarly, it has said the structures that manage and regulate the core Internet resources need to be internationalised, and made representative and democratic. “The Internet must be owned by the global community for mutual benefit and be rendered impervious to possible manipulation or misuse by any particular stakeholder, whether State or non-State.”

Similarly, India has been persistently seeking the U.S.’ cooperation in cases related to cyber security, particularly when it comes to taking action against Internet giants whose servers are installed in that country. In this context, India will be seeking “a mechanism for accountability to be put in place in respect of crimes committed in cyberspace, such that the Internet is a free and secure space for universal benefaction.”

“New cyber jurisprudence needs to be evolved to deal with cybercrime, without being limited by political boundaries and cyber justice can be delivered in near real time ... All stakeholders need to facilitate the transfer of information technology and capacity building to developing countries,

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in order to help them take measures to improve cybersecurity, develop technical skills and enact legislation, strategies and regulatory frameworks to fulfil their responsibilities,” the note adds.

Significantly, an internal note prepared by the National Security Council Secretariat on cyber security preparedness last year had stated that “the control of Internet was in the hands of the U.S. government … ”

Only 17 women contesting in first phase of Rajasthan polls Against tall claims made by political parties about women’s empowerment and reservation in legislature, only 17 women are among the 239 candidates in the fray for 20 seats going to polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan. Polling for these seats will take place on April 17.

Congress has fielded six women, including three sitting MPs, while the BJP has nominated just one woman candidate in the poll battle’s first phase. The 10 other women contestants include the youngest candidate, 26-year-old Urmila, fighting on Megh Desham Party’s ticket from Jhunjhunu.

In the 2009 general elections, there were 31 women candidates for all the 25 seats in Rajasthan. About 2.01 crore women, along with 2.25 crore men, will exercise their franchise during the 16{+t}{+h}Lok Sabha elections in the desert State this year.

The Congress candidates are Union Ministers Girija Vyas (Chittorgarh) and Chandresh Kumari Katoch (Jodhpur), Jyoti Mirdha (Nagaur), Resham Malviya (Banswara), Rajbala Ola (Jhunjhunu) and Munni Godara (Pali).

Ms. Vyas was earlier Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, while Ms. Mirdha is the granddaughter of veteran Jat leader, late Nathuram Mirdha, and had made a successful debut in 2009. Ms. Godara is the daughter of sitting Pali MP Badri Ram Jakhar.

Ms. Ola, daughter-in-law of former Union Minister, late Sis Ram Ola, was nominated through an nternal referendum in Congress. Ms. Malviya’s husband Mahendrajit Singh Malviya was a Minister in the previous Ashok Gehlot regime.

In the BJP camp, only Santosh Ahlawat has been fielded from Jhunjhunu to contest mainly against Ms. Ola of Congress and former deputy chief of Army staff, Lt. Gen. Raj Kadyan, of Aam Aadmi Party. Ms. Ahlawat, who has worked in the field of education, is at present a BJP MLA from Surajgarh.

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The BJP insiders feel that the defeat of all the three women nominees fielded in the previous Lok Sabha polls might have deterred the party leadership from putting forth more women candidates this time. Congress had last time fielded five women candidates, of whom three won.

We are scared of Modi, clerics tell Rajnath

The Muslim clerics who praised BJP president Rajnath Singh on Tuesday also aired their concerns on BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

“We are scared of Modi, but Rajnath Singh has the acceptability of Mr. Vajpayee,” Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, an influential Shia cleric in Lucknow, told a TV channel. The Maulana made the comment after Mr. Singh, along with sitting MP Lalji Tandon and Mayor Dinesh Sharma, held meetings with key Muslim clerics on Monday.

Mr. Singh is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Lucknow, which has a sizable Muslim population, including Shias. His meetings with the Muslim clerics drew criticism from parties, which accused him of seeking votes on communal lines.

THE TIMES OF INDIA

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Toffee model' beneficiaries funding Modi’s campaign: Rahul Gandhi PUNE: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday harped on the 'pro-rich toffee model of development' in Gujarat and said industrialists who had reaped its benefit were funding Narendra Modi's expensive election campaign. "He is spending about Rs 10 crore on each public meeting. There are advertisements in newspapers. Where is this money coming from? Those who have gained from the toffee model are funding this marketing," Rahul said. He was addressing a rally in Pune in support of party nominee Vishwajeet Kadam on the last day of the election campaign for the Lok Sabha constituencies in the sugar belt of western Maharashtra. These constituencies are scheduled to go to polls on April 17. Rahul reiterated that Modi has given land of Aurangabad's size, around 45,000 acres, for a mere Rs 300 crore to Adanis. He also said Gujarat government has given away sea beach stretch equal to Mumbai's total beach line to an individual at a price of Rs 33 crore. "The Gujarat government has given Rs 10,000 crore to the Tata Group for the Nano factory with just one per cent interest rate," he added. Accusing Modi of claiming the credit for the work done by the people of Gujarat, Rahul said, "He (Modi) wants to be the chowkidar of the country. He was made the chowkidar of Gujarat and we can see what has happened to that state." The Congress vice president said that the Gujarat government should have invested in education and health. "About 40 lakh people in Gujarat are living below poverty line and one of every two children is hungry. People are yearning for water in Gujarat. Despite of this, the toffee model money is flowing in for marketing," said Rahul. Congress vice president invoked Mahatma Gandhi's legacy and compared BJP's ideology with that of Nathuram Godse, who killed Gandhi. "Only love and affection for everyone can take this country forward. However, there is second ideology—ideology of Godse, which is full of hatred and anger for others. Godse

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killed Gandhi because he could not kill his thoughts. Gandhi's ideology is our ideology" Rahul said. Rahul said that earlier LK Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to discuss various issues openly; now only one person in the BJP was in-charge of everything. He claimed that the BJP has copied Congress party's election manifesto. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Manikrao Thakre were among those present for the meeting. Rahul promises speedy metro work and slum free Pune Rahul Gandhi said that Congress candidate Vishwajeet Kadam will facilitate development of the city by speeding up the execution of the slum rehabilitation schemes and the metro project. "I want to assure Pune people that Congress party will eradicate slums and also solve the city's infrastructure problems. We will speed up completion of metro project. We plan to connect Pune to other major cities in India by road network and a new railway line. Pune is already a manufacturing centre and we will focus on making it more compatible."

BUSINESS

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Infy pegs down revenue guidance for FY 15

IT major Infosys announced on Tuesday that its revenue growth forecast for 2014-15 would be 7 to 9 per cent in dollar terms, well behind NASSCOM’s guidance of 13-15 per cent for the overall software services industry. The guidance, which was marginally better than market expectations, sent the company’s stock up by about 3.6 per cent in the first half of the day but the picture reversed in the second half and the share closed the day with a marginal increase of 0.7 per cent.

The lowered forecast, which the second largest IT exporter attributes to a “low momentum in the previous two quarters”, comes even as the company finished at the lower end of its annual revenue guidance at 11.5 per cent.

In dollar terms, net profits at the company grew by 11.5 per cent in 2013-14, while the growth figures in rupee terms — owing to the depreciation in the value of the rupee against the dollar — was pegged at 24.2 per cent. These numbers are also significantly lower than the industry’s growth this fiscal estimated at 13 per cent. In rupee terms, revenues are expected to grow 5.6-7.6 per cent.

The company announced a net profit of Rs. 2,992 crore for the quarter ended March, marking a sequential growth of 4.1 per cent and a growth of 25 per cent compared to the year-ago quarter. Infosys reported revenues of Rs. 50,133 crore for the first time, crossing the Rs. 50,000-crore mark, up by 24.2 per cent compared to the previous financial year.

Addressing the media after announcing the results, Infosys CEO S.D. Shibulal said that while performance continued to be an issue having finished a “disappointing quarter”, he was pleased that the company had been able to double annual growth rate compared to the previous year. “With this, we are already on track to bridging the gap with the industry growth rates, and will continue to make necessary investments in our business to accelerate this,” he added.

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He said that he expected the weakness of the previous two quarters to continue into the next fiscal. “At this stage, we cannot say if this weakness will remain for half the year or for the entire year. This is based on what it is now.”

He said that the clients’ appetite for discretionary spend continued to be low which remained a challenge.

For the second consecutive quarter, the company’s revenues from North America showed a decline with a sequential drop of 0.8 per cent, while revenues from European markets saw a growth of around 1 per cent.

Infosys’ president and board member U.B. Pravin Rao said that over the last two quarters the company had been seeing positive momentum in Europe. Corporates from continental Europe had been showing more willingness to offshore work with an Indian vendor, perhaps owing to economic conditions, he added. “U.S. is less of a secular trend as it is about current volatility in environment and decrease in discretionary spend. But we are not too worried,” he pointed out.

Infosys ADRs were quoting at $51.82, down by 6.77 per cent on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday in the afternoon trade.

Deterioration in credit conditions felt in India, says Moody’s Moody’s Analytics on Tuesday said that deterioration in credit conditions was already being felt in India, where slower economic growth and rising interest rates had made it tougher for borrowers to repay debt.

India’s non-performing loan ratio increased from a low of 2.3 per cent in 2011 to around 4 per cent in 2013. Central bank data show publicly-owned Indian banks, which account for about 75 per cent of total lending, are behind the increase in non-performing loans. The government has encouraged lending to support development of inadequate infrastructure, but although these intentions are positive, delays to projects and other regulatory issues have weighed on revenues, and thus, developers’ ability to repay debt, said Moody’s Analytics.

On Asia, it said that non-performing loan ratios have been trending lower in Asia for more than a decade, though the trend may reverse in the coming years as economic and financial conditions shift. Some Asian economies are likely to experience an environment of slower gross domestic

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product (GDP) growth and higher interest rates in the coming years, which will make debt harder to repay.

“An increase in bad loans is also likely after Asia’s credit binge in recent years, which poses risk to the region’s banking systems and real economies,” Moody’s Analytics added.

Lending standards

Bad loans account for less than 5 per cent of all loans across most of Asia, below the rate that caused significant financial problems in the U.S. and many European countries in 2009.

“This can be attributed to more prudent lending standards among Asian banks since the 1997 Asian financial crisis and 2008 global recession and efforts by the authorities to increase credit ratings”.

Economic and financial conditions, including lower interest rates, steadily expanding economies, and rising asset prices have also helped ensure stability in credit markets.

SPORTS

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Santosh

Tsonga battles past Kohlschreiber TENNIS / Djokovic drubs Montanes; Bopanna-Qureshi overcome Knowle-Pospisil

HARD-FOUGHT WIN: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was stretched to three sets by Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round on Tuesday.— PHOTO: AFP

French No. 1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was made to work hard for his place in the third round of the ATP Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday, battling past Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in just under two hours.

Tsonga broke in the final game of the match to clinch victory, having hit 19 winners to 39 unforced errors and won 76 per cent of first serve points. It was the Frenchman’s sixth win in a row over Kohlschreiber, whom he leads 7-1 in their head-to-head.

The 28-year-old Tsonga was a semifinalist at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournament last year and seven weeks later went on to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros.

Tsonga turned in a welcome victory for France after two compatriots enjoyed mixed fortunes in the first round.

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France’s Julien Benneteau advanced over Austrian Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, but Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili packed off Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Tsonga is playing in the tournament for a fifth time, with a 2013 semifinal his best result at an event the French consider a “home” tie.

The ninth seed continued his tradition of never losing in a Monte Carlo opening match.

About the tough encounter, Tsonga said: “I just had a bad period. I felt my legs were very heavy. I didn’t feel well, so I called the doctor to explain what was happening. He gave me homeopathic treatment.”

Sizzling start

Defending champion Novak Djokovic stormed into the third round with a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Albert Montanes.

The second seed is bidding for his fifth straight Masters after ending last season as the winner at Shanghai and Paris, and sweeping Indian Wells and Miami last month.

Djokovic, who won the last 11 games, wrapped up the match in just 45 minutes to improve to 17-2 this year.

“For my first clay match since Roland Garros last June, it was great,” said Djokovic. “I could not find any flaws in my game.

“My opponent was making a lot of unforced errors, I tried not to give him any rhythm. Longer rallies would have given more of a test so early in the clay season,” he added.

Djokovic revealed that he has been carrying a slight wrist problem for a week, but said he would not speak of it.

Spanish sixth seed David Ferrer, the 2011 finalist, started with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Jeremy Chardy.

Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi overcame a stiff resistance from Julian Knowle and Vasek Pospisil before moving into the pre-quarterfinals.

The Indo-Pak pair battled past the Austrian-Canadian combo 7-6(2) 6-4 in one hour and 15 minutes in the opening round.

There was no break of serve in the opening set as Knowle and Pospisil saved both the chances they faced.

Breaking back

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In the second set, Bopanna and Qureshi were broken but they managed to break their rivals twice to seal the issue.

The experienced Indo-Pak pair fired 10 aces to just one by their rivals, who were also guilty of committing three double faults.

The results: Second round: Tomas Berdych bt Dimitry Tursunov 7-5, 6-4; David Ferrer bt Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-0; Jo-Wilfried Tsonga bt Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 1-6, 6-4; Novak Djokovic bt Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-0.

First round: Nicolas Almagro bt Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-3, 6-2; Gael Monfils bt Kevin Anderson 6-4, 7-6(4); Grigor Dimitrov bt Marcelo Granollers 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez bt Benjamin Balleret 7-5, 6-2; Julien Benneteau bt Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; Teimuraz Gabashvili bt Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-4, 6-4; Pablo Carreno bt Ivan Dodig 6-3, 6-3; Andreas Seppi bt Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 7-6(4); Lu Yen-Hsun bt Federico Delbonis 7-6(5), 6-1; Michael Llodra bt Jerzy Janowicz 6-4, 6-2.

Doubles: First round: Rohan Bopanna & Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi bt Julian Knowle & Vasek Pospisil 7-6(2), 6-4. — Agencies

INTERNATIONAL

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Iraq shuts Abu Ghraib prison following security fears

infamous:This 2003 photo shows a general view of part of the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad.—PHOTO: AFP

Iraq has closed Abu Ghraib prison, made infamous by Saddam Hussein’s regime and U.S. forces, due to security concerns following a mass breakout last year, the justice ministry said Tuesday.

The country is suffering a protracted surge in violence that has claimed more than 2,550 lives so far this year, and the area west of Baghdad where the prison is located is particularly insecure.

“The ministry of justice announced the complete closure of Baghdad Central Prison, previously [known as] ‘Abu Ghraib,’ and the removal of the inmates in cooperation with the ministries of defence and justice,” it said in an online statement.

Inmates transferred

The statement quoted Justice Minister Hassan al-Shammari as saying that 2,400 inmates arrested or sentenced for terrorism-related offences have been transferred to other facilities in central and northern Iraq.

“The ministry took this decision as part of precautionary measures related to the security of prisons,” Mr. Shammari said, adding that Abu Ghraib prison is “in a hot area.”

The prison is located between Baghdad and the city of Fallujah, which has been held by anti-government fighters since early January and served as a notorious torture centre under Saddam Hussein, with an estimated 4,000 detainees perishing there.

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Abu Ghraib later became a byword for abuses carried out by U.S. forces following the 2003 invasion when photographs surfaced the following year showing Iraqi detainees being humiliated by American guards, igniting worldwide outrage. In July 2013, militants assaulted Abu Ghraib prison. Officials said hundreds of inmates escaped and over 50 prisoners were killed. — AFP

Five gruelling days come to an end The prosecution completed its cross-examination of Oscar Pistorius on Tuesday, ending five days of intense interrogation that raised serious doubts over his version of what happened on the night he shot dead his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

“I have nothing further for this witness,” said prosecution lawyer Gerrie Nel, after a round of relentless interrogation .

The 27-year-old often broke down in tears during the trial.

Over the five days spent grilling Mr. Pistorius, Mr. Nel accused him of lying, tailoring evidence and crying to avoid tough questions.

Inconsistencies in Mr. Pistorius’s account, his sometimes evasive answers and sketchy memory of some details may have left his case in a weaker position than when he took the stand.

Conflicting versions

Mr. Nel, who is nicknamed “the bulldog” for his aggressive style, “managed to elicit conflicting versions from Oscar”, according to David Dadic, a South African lawyer not involved in the case. “He definitely achieved what he set out to achieve.” — AFP

BUSINESS

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THE TIMES OF INDIA

Asian stock markets boosted by US data, earnings TOKYO: Asian shares edged higher on Tuesday after upbeat US data helped Wall Street bounce from a sharp selloff in recent days, though tensions in Ukraine tempered demand for riskier assets. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan inched up 0.1 percent, edging back towards an 11-month high of 486.70 hit last week. The small gains underlined the tense geopolitical backdrop as the crisis in Ukraine kept investors on edge.

Google to buy drone-maker Titan Aerospace

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Google Inc said it will buy drone-maker Titan Aerospace in an attempt to provide internet access to more parts of the world.

Google Inc said it will buy drone-maker Titan Aerospace in an attempt to provide internet access to more parts of the world, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. Google did not disclose a purchase price for Titan, whose solar-powered drones are intended to fly for years, the paper said. Facebook Inc said early in March that in was in talks to buy Titan for $60 million, according to media reports. Last year Google launched a small network of balloons over the Southern Hemisphere, dubbed as Project Loon, in an experiment it hopes could bring reliable internet access to the world's most remote regions.

Editorial

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Writing no wrongs The over-the-top reaction of the Prime Minister’s Office to a book by Manmohan Singh’s former media adviser confirms a long-known side of Indian politicians: they have a terribly thin skin, especially in respect of the printed word, unless of course it is a hagiography. With independent India, much to its own detriment, quite lacking in the diary, memoir & biography department, the intolerance has grown with every book that has remained unwritten. Reactions to those that do get written are absurdly overheated. In this light, the PMO’s description of Sanjaya Baru’s The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh as the “misuse [of] a privileged position and access to high office” is hardly surprising. Compare this with the White House’s handling of Robert M. Gates’s recently published Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War. The former defense secretary, the only one to have served both a Republican and Democrat President, takes down Vice President Joe Biden as being “wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades”, and criticises President Obama for not being passionately supportive of the 2009 troop surge in Afghanistan. The White House put out a calm statement defending Mr. Biden, saying Mr. Obama depended on his Vice President’s “good counsel every day”. The sophisticated handling probably comes with practice; the political memoir is a well-established genre in book writing in western democracies. The release of another tell-all book by the former Coal Secretary, P.C. Parakh, on irregularities in coal mining allocations is an indication that India is catching up. It is a good sign.

The Prime Minister, his office and the Congress party are free to contest Mr. Baru’s contention that his former boss deferred to the wishes of Sonia Gandhi on all important issues, but there is nothing here that was not already widely known or believed. The author has not misused his position to reveal national secrets or endanger national security. The book can be criticised for its interpretations and analyses, but accusing the author of trying to make a fast buck by releasing the book during the elections, or attributing political motives to the timing, is unacceptable. In fact, timing is everything in publishing, as it is in the media. In another month, the interest in the subject would have been academic. If Prime Minister Singh feels betrayed, as his daughter has now said, that is not a national problem. Dr. Singh’s best revenge would be to write his own book putting out his side of the story. Yet history will be the best judge of Dr. Singh’s tenure and his achievements, particularly the remarkable paradigm shift in India’s economic management, are bound to stand this self-effacing yet principled Prime Minister in good stead.

kothari institute its benefit were funding narendra modi's expensive election campaign....

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