INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the oath of office as the Prime Minister of India for a second term at the forecourt of
Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday
Prime Minister Modi greeting the crowds.Narendra Modi has been ceremonially sworn in for his second term as Prime Minister of India at the
Rashtrapathi Bhavan, following the massive electoral victory of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with the Bharathiya Janatha Party
The poll result that saw 353 NDA members with 303 BJP Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha gives a new five-year term to Prime Minister
Modi, who in the immediate post-election phase has indicated he seeks to change the substance of politics in his second term in office.
His
victory in the polls was despite major failures of his BJP-led government to carry out many of the electoral promises given in the campaign
for Modi first victory in 2014
The unemployment rate had risen very high and the agricultural sector was in great failure
There was corruption in governance and India had not gained the expected gains in economic growth
However, Modi was able to lead his party and its alliance to the resounding victory with his emphasis on national security, especially after
the Pakistani terrorist attack in Kashmir, shortly before the poll campaign was launched, and the response of the Indian Security Forces to
the Pakistani terrorist attacks
Narendra Modi was seen as the ‘Defender of India& in a campaign that moved away from economics, agriculture, unemployment and other
day-to-day issues of importance, to one of national security and protection of the national borders.
With this electoral victory, the
larger political expectation was that Modi and the BJP, with the strong ties to powerful Hindu dominance organisations, would push forward
the rising politics of Hindu nationalism
However, Narendra Modi has given indications of a new approach that recognizes the political importance of minorities, and especially the
Muslims of India.
In his speech to the MPs of the new BJP-led government soon after election Modi made a major change with new outreach to
the minorities in India, and especially to the Indian Muslims
&Minorities have been deceived in the country through an imaginary fear for the purpose of vote-bank politics&, he said, stressing on the
&need to pierce this deception & to gain trust&
Emphasizing the need to bring the minorities within the wider political embrace he said: &Now we cannot see anyone as an outsider
Those who voted for us are ours
Those who severely opposed us, are also ours&.
Modi new emphasis on minorities is especially directed at the Muslim population of India,
whose trust neither the BJP nor Modi have achieved while in government
There isn&t a single Muslim member in the 303 BJP MPs elected to the government
The new reach to the minorities, and especially the Muslims, was seen by Narendra Modi new addition &Sabka Vishvas& (trust of all) to his
earlier political slogan &Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas& & ‘together with all, development of all&
Modi shows signs of moving to an all-embracing sense of leadership, and possibly away from the narrow and separatist politics of the strong
Hindutva forces in his political ranks
Many see his call for the &Trust of All& has much to do with bringing India second-largest religious community & the nearly 200 million
Muslims into the active political landscape
Modi has stated that even though elections are won on the principle of &Bahumat& & majority, a government can be run and the country can
march ahead only on the principle of &Sarvamat& & consensus and cooperation of all
However, it is also noteworthy that his strongest pro-Hindu leaders of the BJP and its allies remain very close to Modi in his new
leadership.
Political analysts see Modi new emphasis on gaining the support of minorities, and especially the Muslims has to do with Indian
Foreign Policy realities too
Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States have been supportive of India and Modi in the recent confrontations with Pakistan, and there is a need for
good relations with the Saudi and Gulf States for the anticipated economic progress of India
With all his wider diplomacy, the Prime Minister of Pakistan was not invited to Modi ceremonial swearing-in
Instead of the SAARC leadership, the invitees were from BIMSTEC - the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation - an international organisation of seven nations of South and South East Asia.
European Polls
The elections to the European
Parliament have not produced the expected populist surge that would have challenged the unity of the European Union
The populist forces had more of a ripple in the wider European vote, although the far right did make noticeable gains in some countries, but
lost in most countries.
The strong showings of the far right came from Hungary, Italy and France
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban Fidesz Party took more than half the national vote on strong anti-immigration policies, Italy Interior
Minister Matteo Salvini Lega Party had a major draw of the Italian polls, and France Marine Le Pen National Rally narrowly topped the poll
in the race, defeating French President Macron party
Interestingly, the traditional big parties in many European countries had losses, far from all of those votes going to the far-right or
populist parties that claimed much popularity in the approach to the poll; they had to face the reality of increased support for the Greens
and other pro-European forces doing well.
Nationalist and far-right parties will have more representation in the new European parliament
However, Italy Salvini has failed in the attempt to capitalize on a populist mood and bring a grand coalition of anti-immigrant and
But a combination of personalities, policy differences on issues such as cooperation with Russia saw them fail, and the far-right parties
are finding it hard to build a coherent bloc in the new European parliament.
The results of the European Poll have shown the increased
fragmentation of the party systems in European countries
The big parties are fast being reduced, and what is seen as mainstream parties are now medium-sized and even small parties
There is a rise in anti-establishment parties with more emphasis on issues such as the Environment and Climate Change, as seen in the
success of the Green parties.
The biggest change was seen in the United Kingdom, where the two major national parties & Conservatives and
Labour - lost badly, while the newly formed Brexit Party led by Nigel Farage came on top with 29% of votes
The shows the continuing chaos in the Brexit related politics in the UK, with Theresa May announcing her resignation from the Conservative
leadership on June 7, and the campaign on for a new party leader who will be the next prime minister
The elected UK members of the European Parliament will not take their seats if the UK leaves the EU before the first parliamentary session
The result of the UK-European poll shows the overall failure of Theresa May Brexit policy over the past three years, and the prevailing
divisions within the UK in the exit from the EU.
US and Trump issues
As the tensions in the Gulf region gets tenser in the increasing
confrontation between the United States and Iran, there is also rising calls for the impeachment of President Donald Trump by US Democrat
Representatives and presidential candidates, after Special Counsel Robert Mueller made his first public remarks, on his report on the Trump
presidential poll and alleged related Russian interference
Mueller has said his investigation had not exonerated Trump of obstruction of justice, contradicting the president's claims
He was tasked with investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election
He detailed 10 instances where Trump had possibly attempted to impede the investigation but said that charging the president with a crime
was not an option for the special counsel.
&The Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a
sitting president of wrongdoing,& he said, in what was seen as a reference to the ability of Congress to start an impeachment
process.
Importantly, he also said that if his team had had confidence that Trump &clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said
so&.
But Mueller's remarks prompted three leading Democratic presidential hopefuls to join the chorus calling for impeachment, bringing the
total to 10 of 23 declared candidates.
At the White House on Thursday morning, Trump said Mueller was &a totally conflicted person& and a
&true Never Trumper&, referring to his Republican critics in the 2016 White House race.
He also said impeachment was a &dirty, filthy
disgusting word& and the inquiry was &giant presidential harassment&.
Responding to Mueller's statement, House Speaker Ms Pelosi said: &The
Congress holds sacred its constitutional responsibility to investigate and hold the President accountable for his abuse of
power.&
Israel-Fresh Polls
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who won a majority in the Knesset in April this year will have to
face a fresh election after failing to form a coalition government.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has to face a fresh national
election after his failure to form a coalition government, with a strong ally of his Likud Party.After the failure of the coalition move by
the Prime Minister, the members of the Knesset voted to dissolve parliament
The new election will be held on September 17 this year.
Netanyahu was unable to reach a deal on a right-wing coalition following an
impasse on a military conscription bill that governs exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students, in talks with former Defence
Minister Avigdor Lieberman, whose support in the talks became vital for Netanyahu and his Likud Party
This is the first time in Israel's history that a prime minister-designate has failed to form a coalition
The situation exposes the growing political weakness for the premier, with his political rivals aware of his vulnerability; and some see his
decade in office may be entering its closing stages
Netanyahu - who is on course to become Israel's longest-serving prime minister in July - will now remain in power until September's
vote.
He faces another challenge in the coming months in the form of possible fraud and bribery charges and has been accused of attempting
to secure for himself immunity from prosecution
He is alleged to have accepted gifts from wealthy businessmen and dispensed favours to try to get more positive press coverage
Netanyahu denies all wrongdoing.
If he is indicted, the Supreme Court will determine whether he must resign.
