#INDIA: PM Modi Scraps Controversial Farming Legislation After Year-Long Protests

[world politics news]

India’s Parliament has voted to scrap agricultural reform laws that sparked a year of huge protests by farmers, after a surprise U-turn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Tens of thousands of farmers have been camped out on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi for more than a year – one of the biggest challenges to Modi’s Hindu nationalist government since he came to power in 2014.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Cabinet Approves Restrictions On Muslim Immigration

[world politics news]

Thehe Union Cabinet has signed off on a legislation that stands to give citizenship to certain religious minorities who fled from neighboring countries before 2015, but does not include Muslims.

The 1955 citizenship act's naturalisation clause currently allows resident immigrants to get citizenship if they have lived in the country for more than 11 years - along with other terms and conditions.

The bill, if passed, would change a key part in the category for illegal migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan - Muslim-majority states that were once part of the undivided India.

The residency requirement would also be reduced from 11 years to 6 years, for Hindusddhists, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and Parsis fleeing persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, but not for Muslims.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Gov't Dodging Questions About Religious Citizenship Bill's Future

[world politics news]

Media in India recently noted an incident in parliament in which a question from a member to the government about its citizenship reform bill received a vague answer.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, in this year's election, said it would reintroduce the Citizenship Amendment Bill in this parliament if it was returned to power. Instead, a response by Minister of State Nityanand Rai simply noted the history of the bill and noted that it died in the last parliament, after being passed in the lower house on Jan. 1.

The bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist and Parsi citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who have been discriminated on grounds of religion. Under current law, the Citizenship Act, 1955, there's no provision for granting Indian citizenship on the basis of religion. The bill is controversial in northeastern India, where it was argued that it violated a treaty that restricted immigration from Bangladesh.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Yoga Guru Says Failure To Do Yoga Cost Opposition Leader Gandhi's Party Election

[world politics news]

A national yoga guru has attributed the Opposition National Congress Party's drubbing in the recent legislative elections to party president Rahul Gandhi failing to practising yoga.

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev is preparing to celebrate International Yoga Day on June 21.

Ramdev praised Prime Minister Narenda Modi for his daily yoga practice. But Modi didn't join in the attacks, instead wishing Gandhi a happy birthday in a gracious tweet, that read, "Best wishes to Shri @RahulGandhi on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and a long life."

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: PM Modi, BJP Party, Win Landslide Victory, Five More Years

[world politics news]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thanked the people of India for giving him a "historic mandate" of five more years in office, after a landslide victory in the general election for his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

 The BJP is projected to get about 300 of the 543 seats in parliament. It is likely to take a larger share of the vote than in the 2014 elections. The main opposition alliance, which is headed by Rahul Gandhi's Congress party, has admitted defeat.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Junior Cabinet Member Sues Journalist Who Accused Him Of Sexual Harassment For Defamation

[world politics news]

The #MeToo movement has had important consequences in India. Dozens of women have called out misconduct, assault and harassment in the workplace, naming men in industries including Indian media, entertainment, sports, public relations and non-profit. Accused men have been forced to resign from prominent positions, but some have denied allegations and are fighting back.

Mobashar Jawed Akbar, Minister of State for External Affairs, has accused journalist Priya Ramani of defamation after Ramani posted allegations on social media that she and others of his subordinates were abused when he was a journalist. Eleven other women have come forward since Ramani spoke out. "The allegations of misconduct made against me are false and fabricated, spiced up by innuendo and malice," he said in a statement.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Cabinet Passes Ordinance Banning Practice Of Muslim "Instant Divorce" After Law Stalls In Parliament

[world politics news]

The government has passed an ordinance making "instant divorce" among Muslim couples a criminal offence, punishable by a jail term of up to three years and a fine. Instant "triple talaq," the Islamic practice that allows men to divorce their wives immediately by uttering the word “talaq" ("divorce") three times, was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court last August. A law seeking to ban the practice failed to make it through parliament, even after watering it down significantly, prompting the cabinet to pass the ordinance. The practice has been largely practiced in India, by Sunni Muslims.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: Gov't Considers Sweeping New Data Privacy Law Based on European Union's #GDPR

[world politics news]

The government is considering a sweeping data privacy law which would mean significant changes for foreign companies doing business in India. The Personal Data Protection Bill was prompted in part by a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of India last year calling privacy a “fundamental right” under the Indian Constitution and calling on the Indian government to develop a comprehensive data protection law. The bill is closely modeled after the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). Key provisions include granting four key rights:  (1) the right to confirm whether and how their data is being used; (2) the ability to correct misleading or false data; (3) data portability, and (4) a “right to be forgotten," or the authority to restrict companies from using data they previously shared.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#INDIA: Opposition And Ruling Parties Unite To Complain Of Widespread Voting Machine Glitches

[world politics news]

Both the ruling BJP Party and all opposition parties complained to India's Election Commission about mass voting irregularities in by-elections this week. The Commissioners called the claims "exaggerated." Snags in machines designed to leave a paper trail plagued elections constituencies even as political parties across the spectrum raised the call of the large-scale tampering of Electronic Voting Machines. The Election Commission said 96 balloting units and 84 control units of electronic machines and 1,202 paper trail machines had to be replaced.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#INDIA: Congress Party Pres. Rahul Gandhi Says He'd Have Junked Rollout Of Demonetization; Rips Modi's Policies

[world politics news]

On a trip to Malaysia, Congress Party President Rahul Gandhi criticized PM Narenda Modi's policy of demonetization, which removed high-value banknotes from circulation. Asked how he would have rolled out the policy differently, he said, "If I was the Prime Minister and somebody had given me a file with 'demonetization' written on it, I would thrown it in the dustbin," he continued to say he would have "rolled it out through door and into the junkyard." Congress Party blames the policy for an economic slowdown.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#INDIA: PM Modi Backs An Independent Palestine During Historic Ramallah Visit

[world politics news]

Indian PM Narendra Modi is visiting the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on a landmark visit - the first ever by an Indian prime minister. After holding talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Modi said India hoped to see an independent Palestinian state through dialogue.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#INDIA: Sonia Gandhi Hands Over Congress Party To Her Son, Rahul

[world politics news]

Rahul Gandhi has taken over as the president of the Congress Party from his mother Sonia Gandhi. He used the occasion of the long-awaited hand-over to launch a frontal attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling BJP, calling on Congress Party workers, especially the youth, to stand up to the challenge "the BJP rule is posing to the country and the party."

[FULL STORY HERE]

#INDIA: BJP Will Remain In Control Of Gujarat State Assembly, Say Exit Polls

[world politics news]

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is projected to win between 99 and 117 seats and the Congress between 64 and 82 in Gujarat state Assembly elections. Exit polls predicted a victory for the BJP, giving it a clear majority. It is the home of BJP Prime Minister Narenda Modi. Soon after voting ended in the second and final phase of the election, an exit poll gave the BJP 115 of the total 182 seats and the Congress 65. Another exit poll gave the ruling dispensation 108 seats and 74 to the opposition Congress.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#INDIA: After 5 Attempts, A Privacy Bill May Be Seriously In The Works This Time

[world politics news]

Despite several private member bills, Parliament has not yet enacted any specific law defining privacy and providing protection against breach of privacy of individuals in India. The Privacy Bill, 2011 was drafted government but has been left hanging since then. Some reports suggest that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown interest in a Privacy Bill. PM Modi is said to have held a few rounds of discussion with his cabinet colleagues on the matter. PM Modi apparently last discussed the Privacy Bill in March, 2015. The Privacy Bill is understood to have been put on hold after objections from intelligence agencies.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#INDIA: Upper House Amends Education Bill Giving Teachers More Time To Qualify Under 2009 Act

[world politics news]

The Upper House of the legislature has passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, extending the deadline for teachers to acquire the prescribed minimum qualifications for appointment by four years. Under the new Act, the teachers who do not possess the minimum qualifications as on March 31, 2015 will acquire the minimum qualifications within a period of four years - that is, by March 31, 2019.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#INDIA: Parliamentary Panel Says Gov't Transgender Bill Doesn't Go Far Enough To Protect Rights

[world politics news]

A parliamentary panel has criticized the government’s draft transgender bill for not addressing important civil rights issues such as marriage and divorce among members of the community. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice And Empowerment in its report tabled in the Lok Sabha said transgenders "remain at risk of criminalization under Section 377 of the IPC."The report comes at a time when the BJP-led NDA government is under pressure to decriminalize homosexuality.
[FULL STORY HERE]

#INDIA: New President Is Member of India's Lowest Caste, Political Unknown

[world politics news]

Ram Nath Kovind, a member of India's lowest caste, has been elected India’s new President, defeating the Opposition’s pick, Meira Kumar. In an electoral college of 4,986 voters with a vote value of 10,098,903, Kovind got 2,930 votes carrying a value of 7,000,244, while the former Lok Sabha Speaker secured 1,844 votes. Kovind got 65.65% of the total vote, while Meira Kumar got 34.35%.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#INDIA: Parliament Chooses President Today; Both Candidates From Among Lowest Caste

[world politics news]

Politicians from both houses of India's parliament have cast their ballots to elect the country's next president, with two candidates from the lowest rank of the Hindu caste system - Dalits - vying for the largely ceremonial post. The candidate from the ruling BJP, Ram Nath Kovind, a 71-year-old lawyer turned politician who was until recently governor of the eastern state of Bihar, is predicted to win. Kovind is also backed by several regional parties. His main rival is Meira Kumar, 72, who was India's first female speaker of the parliament and a former federal minister. She is backed by the main opposition Congress party.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#INDIA: 3 Months After Pulling It, Gov't Relents And Is Bringing Back 1,000 Rupee Note

[world politics news]

Just three months after withdrawing the 1000 Rupee note from circulation, India's government has relented and is now reintroducing a redesigned note. The ruling BJP Party's poll numbers took a hit from the move, which caused massive lines at banks in this cash-centered economy. Withdrawals were also limited, making the lines worse.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#INDIA: Congress Party Meeting May Discuss VP Rahul Gandhi Taking Over From His Mother, Sonia

[world politics news]

The Indian National Congress Party will hold a meeting of its highest body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) January 11th, at which the elevation of party Vice Pres. Rahul Gandhi to the party's presidency may be discussed. His mother, Sonia Gandhi, is currently the party's leader. The meeting will also likely discuss how to sharpen attacks on the ruling BJP party's controversial policy of demonetization, in which large bills have been declared invalid.

[FULL STORY HERE]