Babbu Mann and Bhagwant Mann interview - part1

Natasha Mahal Interview With Babbu Mann On Vision Of Punjab Part 2

In run-up to assembly elections, it’s time to crack political deals in Punjab. Apart from making all out efforts to woo voters, politicians are now making rounds of various spiritual ‘deras’ (bodies) seeking the votes of followers.
The latest to join the league was People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) chief Manpreet Badal who recently met Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial head of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda.
Manpreet’s visit comes days after Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Capt Amarinder Singh visited the dera on November 12. The PPP president, it is learnt, had a 10-minute meeting with the dera chief, followed by another one with the dera’s political advisory committee (Punjab wing). Both Manpreet and the dera representatives concerned refused to comment on what transpires at the meeting.
Ram Singh, one of the six members of the advisory committee, said there was no discussion about elections or even politics for that matter. He said Manpreet raised issues like corruption, drug-addiction and unemployment, issues about which even the dera was concerned. However, sources said a senior member of the dera’s committee, who is a resident of Husnar village in Gidderbaha, played an important role in facilitating Manpreet’s visit.
“There is nothing wrong if a political leader visits a dera. Being a secular party, the PPP has high regard for every religious sect provided it works for the society’s betterment,” said Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon, PPP vice-president. Ram Singh said several other political leaders, including Amarinder Singh, had visited the dera in recent past. But, said sources, the dera would weigh various options before taking the final decision on whom to support in the elections.

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US President Barack Obama sought to charm Asia-Pacific leaders this week with Australian slang and memories from his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia in his bid to boost US ties with the fast-growing region.
The top goal of the nine-day trip, which took Obama away from Washington just as US budget battles were intensifying, was to cement a foreign policy ''pivot'' towards Asia that could open the door to more American exports and jobs.The Democratic president, struggling in the polls after bitter fights with Republicans in Congress, geared his Asia message to US voters who will decide next November whether to give him another four years in office.
In Honolulu, Australia and the Indonesian island of Bali, Obama sought out every chance to talk about America's export potential, and the White House previewed Boeing and GE deals with Asia that it said could sustain 130,000 US jobs. Hitching the lackluster US economy to the world's fastest growing region could be a ''win-win'' for American companies and workers as well as for the increasingly affluent Asian consumers who might buy their products, Obama said.
He also sharpened his tone toward China in a strategy that might help him counter criticism from Republican hopeful Mitt Romney, who has accused Obama of being willing to only ''whisper'' to Beijing about US trade concerns. 'KEY GOALS' Obama was clearly at ease in Asia, especially in Bali where he marveled at the island's development in the years since he was there writing his book ''Dreams From My Father.'' He greeted leaders at a Friday dinner with ''Selamat Malam,'' drawing from the Bahasa Indonesia he learned as a boy in Jakarta, and was welcomed at a fundraising event in Honolulu as ''Keiki o ka 'aina'' - child of the land.
As he left Bali on Saturday to return to a still-divided Washington, White House officials seemed confident the messages from his Asia tour would resonate well at home. ''From our perspective, we've been able to positively advance each of the key goals that we had for the course of this trip. And I think that's been in the US interest,'' said Tom Donilon, Obama's top national security adviser. In addition to the trade accord, Obama also unveiled a new military partnership with Asia and seized on a diplomatic opening with Myanmar by announcing that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would soon visit the reclusive country.
Casting himself as a strong leader is fundamental to Obama's hopes for re-election a year from now. His leadership on China is a particularly potent political issue. Obama acknowledged in a meeting in Honolulu with Chinese President Hu Jintao that Americans are increasingly frustrated with what they see as an unfair approach by Beijing on currency and trade policy. Romney has accused Obama of soft-pedaling the US concerns about trade with China. ''Who can blame the Chinese for ignoring our complaints when the status quo has served them so well?'' Romney asked in an opinion piece in the Politico newspaper.
As if on cue, Obama, who was criticised for taking an overly accommodating approach in a 2009 trip to Beijing, called the US-Chinese relationship ''off-kilter'' and suggested China was now too ''grown up'' to flout international trade rules. Beijing seemed to find the shift jarring and it was unclear whether Obama managed to ease the tensions in conversations he had near the end of the trip with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
BUDGET BATTLES When Obama returns to the White House, one of his first orders of business will be to get up to speed on the struggles of the congressional ''super committee.'' The panel of Democratic and Republican lawmakers is trying to craft a deal to cut the US budget deficit by 1.2 trillion dollars with a deadline looming on Wednesday, the day before the Thanksgiving holiday. Few in Washington are hopeful the committee can break its impasse and a failure would be a blow to both Obama's Democrats and opposition Republicans.
In Hawaii, he even hinted that the budget battles and his push for to pass initiatives on jobs could disrupt his plans to return to Hawaii for a family vacation in December. He also referred jokingly to the stalemate during his visit to Canberra, Australia's capital, where he said he was eager to introduce ''ear-bashing'' -- an Australian expression for lecturing somebody -- to Washington's vernacular.
Some have questioned whether the US fiscal strains could limit America's ability to serve as a counterweight to China, especially if the congressional ''super committee'' fails to reach a deal and defense budgets suffer blunt cuts. But with Europe mired in debt crisis, both Democrats and Republicans are clearly focused on Asia as a key economic partner for the United States. Foreign policy experts say that is unlikely to change no matter who wins the 2012 election.
''It is a safe bet that Obama and his successors - despite powerful fiscal and political constraints at home - will be able to follow through on plans to bulk up America's presence,'' said Charles Kupchan, a Georgetown University professor.

  Eminent personalities from diverse fields would be present at the inauguration of Virasat-e-Khalsa, earlier named as Khalsa Heritage Complex, at Anandpur Sahib on November 25. Preparations for the ceremony are on in full swing and the state government is leaving no stone unturned to make it a memorable event.
Among the invitees are the five Sikh High Priests, Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Maulana Muhammad Salim Qasimi from Darul Uloom Deoband, Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini and renowned singer Asha Bhosle. The political guests include BJP national president Nitin Gadkari, Chief Ministers of a few states and eminent politicians of Punjabi origin who have made the cut in Canada and other foreign countries.
Mian Imran Masood, a former Education Minister in Pakistan, has also been sent an invitation. After the inauguration ceremony, there would be a recitation of 'shabad' by Asha Bhosle, followed by brief speeches by a few religious personalities. The next would be a traditional Khalsa parade by Nihangs astride horses and a "Gatka" display. And the event would conclude with a shabad recitation by another renowned singer, Jaspinder Narula. The entry to the inaugural function, which would last for about half an hour, however, would be restricted.
After the inauguration, a public function would be at Hola Mohalla ground in the rear of Gurdwara Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib. In the evening, yet another function would be held where a play, "Bole-so-Nihal", would be staged. "All functions related to the complex inauguration will have a religious ambience. Hema Malini, Amitabh Bachchan and others from the film world are coming but they will not stage any performance. They will be state guests," said Daljit Singh Cheema, in-charge of the functions.

 A local lad, who had gone for higher studies in New Zealand, was killed by unidentified assailants in the foreign land, family sources said today.
They said Charanjit Singh, who was studying in Anderson town of Auckland state, was found dead yesterday and New Zealand Police informed the family about his death late last night. Charanjit had got a part time job on November 17 and he had informed his family about it over telephone. He sounded quite excited about his part-time job, they said.
Charanjit's father had died seven years ago and he was being supported by his mother Karamjit Kaur. His brother Chamanpreet was pursuing his studies in Sangrur. His family members were in a deep shock after they heard about his death.

Interview Famous Dhadi Jatha Giani Sant Singh Paras -3

Interview Famous Dhadi Jatha Giani Sant Singh Paras -1

India firmly rejected China's objections to its presence in the South China Sea, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh telling Chinese leader Wen Jiabao that Indian interests were "purely commercial" and sovereignty claims must be settled according to international law.
 Questioned by Wen Jiabao on projects involving India in the marine zone that China sees as its strategic backyard during their meeting here on Friday, Singh said India's oil exploration activities were legitimate commercial ventures. Wen raised the issue during a 55-minute meeting with Singh on the sidelines of the Asean summit here and Singh gently but firmly told him, "issues of sovereignty should be resolved according to international laws and practice".
 Sources said the PM's response came during the interaction that saw Wen seek greater coordination between India and China on the agenda of the East Asia summit. Wen's raising of the South China Sea issue with Singh signaled Beijing's growing concerns particularly as it has fought hard to keep this out of the purview of both Asean and East Asia Summits, preferring to deal with the matter bilaterally.
 Addressing Asean leaders during the Asean-China summit later this morning, Wen warned "outside forces" from getting embroiled in the South China Sea dispute. The Chinese uneasiness reflects increased preoccupation with neighbours like Vietnam with whom the Asian giant has not always had peaceful relations. "The dispute which exists among relevant countries in this region over the South China Sea is an issue which has built up for several years," Wen told Asean leaders. "It ought to be resolved through friendly consultations and discussions by countries directly involved. Outside forces should not, under any pretext, get involved," he added.
 China has reason to sweat. Not only is India exploring for oil in areas Beijing feels lie in its territory. China's Asian neighbours and rival claimants to South China Sea want the differing perceptions to become a multilateral issue so they together have a stronger case. And now the US has jumped into the dispute as well by pushing maritime security to the forefront of the East Asia summit. US President Barack Obama, attending his first East Asia Summit here, told PM Singh that this forum should be the premier one to discuss maritime issues, despite China's objections.
The gathering "can be the premier arena for us to be able to work together on a wide range of issues: maritime security or nonproliferation," Obama told Singh. India has raised China's hackles because of an oil exploration agreement with Vietnam, signed during the Vietnamese president's recent visit to New Delhi. A joint statement after that visit said pointedly, "disputes in the East Sea/South China Sea should be resolved by peaceful means... in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2002 Asean-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea."
 The Singh-Wen meeting was characterized as "warm and friendly", with each showering compliments on the other. They covered a range of bilateral and regional issues, said Sanjay Singh, secretary (east), MEA. Both acknowledged business and trade ties to be at the heart of their relationship. Trade is expected to touch $70 billion this year, though Singh pushed for a greater balance. India and China will resume defence dialogue from December, and both leaders hailed the new border mechanism to maintain peace and tranquility.
 Singh told Wen, "We are neighbours and large growing economies of Asia. We should cooperate bilaterally and globally. Whenever we have worked together, say on climate change, we have had a positive impact on the global stage." Singh also briefed Wen on his meeting with Pakistani premier Yousaf Raza Gilani during the SAARC summit in Maldives. In turn, Wen briefed the PM about his meeting with Gilani on the sidelines of the SCO summit. But the PM refrained from bringing up China's activities in PoK, while Wen himself said that the official "resolution" of the stapled visas issue was underway.