In The News (1)

PM Narendra Modi one of best prime ministers India has had: Mufti Muhammad Sayeed
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Narendra Modi remains a popular Prime Minister with 74% approval rating

The approval of 74% reflects a marginal dip for Modi from 79% in August, and 82% last August...... In May, when his government and he completed a year in office, his approval rating was 74% again..... “There is some level of disillusionment” but expectations “are still high”, said Shastri...... “His persona is projected in multiple ways—he is travelling (around the world), speaking to different audiences… His visibility is high on social media.” ...... The government has agreed to a debate on intolerance in Parliament in a bid to address these concerns and push through its legislative agenda—including a much-awaited bill on Goods and Services Tax (GST), which will unify the Indian market and boost the economy by over a percentage point according to some economists...... The results of the survey show “that Bihar polls are not being viewed as a referendum on Modi or the central government,” said Shastri.

Bihar fastest growing state, Maharashtra tops in economic size: Report

Bihar has emerged as the fastest growing state in terms of gross state domestic product (GSDP), clocking a growth rate of

17.06 per cent

in FY 2014-15, while Maharashtra grew by 11.69 per cent to become the biggest state with Rs 16.87 trillion economy ...... Fastest-growing states are Bihar at 17.06 per cent, Madhya Pradesh at 16.86 per cent and Goa at 16.43 per cent

A contest in 2019 between Nitish Kumar and Narendra Modi too early to predict?

A week after the Congress and non-NDA parties shared the stage at the swearing-in ceremony of the Grand Alliance government in Bihar, strains have come to the fore. Delhi chief Mminister Arvind Kejriwal distanced himself from the tight hug he got from Rashtriya Janata Dal head Lalu Prasad at the event. ..... The Aam Aadmi Party leader who campaigns against corruption not only blamed Prasad for the embrace but also expressed displeasure at his dynasty politics .... The regional parties that shared the dais at Nitish Kumar's oath-taking ceremony are a disparate group and many of them have the Congress as their main opponent in the state where they are a potent force. ...... Some, such as the SP and the Bahujan Samaj Party, or the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties, don't see eye to eye. BSP leader Mayawati made it clear that her party would not attend the November 20 swearing-in event in Patna, ensuring that there is no ambiguity about her party going it alone in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections. The SP backed out at the last moment, although initially, UP CM Akhilesh Yadav was to attend. ...... Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal will never be a part of an alliance that includes the Congress, its primary opponent in Odisha. Patnaik sent a congratulatory letter to Nitish Kumar and kept away from the swearing in. ....... While Nitish may have higher credibility and gravitas than Rahul Gandhi as a challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress would not want the Bihar CM to become the pivot of the opposition alliance.

Arithmetic will outweigh all the credentials that Nitish Kumar enjoys.

..... At most, the Bihar CM can head a Third Front with outside support from the Congress, a scenario the grand old party would not be looking at as it prepares itself to do battle under Gandhi's leadership in 2019.

Modi to blame for Nepal crisis, Madhesi plight: Lalu

Lalu is planning to visit some of the states where elections are due next year. ...... "Just after taking over as the PM, he went to Nepal with much fanfare and even made big claims of strengthening relations with a country that already shared cordial ties with India. China has entered Nepal and he is on world tour," Lalu said. "I am afraid what will happen to our relationship with other countries," he added. ..... Lalu's younger son and deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav had also criticised the PM for frequent foreign tours, saying he only returns to India for dry cleaning his costly suits.

Normalise situation as soon as possible: India to Nepal
Madhesi agitation leads to cross-border weddings falling through
This one thing may decide Yahoo’s future

a proposal to sell the company's core business — the search and advertising sections of the 20-year-old company that have struggled to compete with Google and Facebook. ..... Right now, the company has a total market value of $34 billion. But much of that is because it owns 15 percent of the fast-growing Chinese Web retailer Alibaba. Yahoo's stake is estimated to be worth as much as $32 billion.

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