Modi in same league as Trump, Xi, Putin, Angela Merkel: K Natwar Singh

Praise for Modi

“On May 23, not the political weather but the political climate of India changed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his first term as a novice. He opens his second innings as a statesman. Jawaharlal Nehru was the maker of the India of the 20th century. 

Modi is perhaps destined to be the maker of the India of the 21st century. Modi is the third Prime Minister to serve a second 

consecutive term with a majority. The other two being Nehru and Indira Gandhi. Prime Minister Modi is now in the same league as Presidents Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan.” 

Guess who said this? K Natwar Singh, former foreign minister of India and the pointsperson in the Congress party for at least three decades. 

Three vacancies in RS

Three vacant Rajya Sabha seats (possibly a fourth); and at least three claimants (or not). Smriti Irani, Amit Shah and 

Ravishankar Prasad have all won Lok Sabha elections and have already given up their Rajya Sabha membership. The fourth is 

Birender Singh who is supposed to have promised the BJP leadership that he would resign his seat if his son Brijendra Singh, 

contesting the Lok Sabha seat from Haryana (Hissar) won.  The question is: whom will the BJP nominate to these seats. LK 

Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi and the latest margdarshak, Sushma Swaraj? Or some new, upcoming leaders? Swaraj has already begun making preparations to move out of her official residence. Where she will move is not known.

The problem is, it is now a package deal. The leadership cannot deny Advani and Joshi and give a seat to Swaraj. As it is, the 

party’s treatment of Advani has evoked many snide remarks from Rahul Gandhi.