Brazil prez accepts India’s R-day invite
NEW DELHI: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to be the chief guest at next year’s Republic Day celebrations, an initiative that is being seen as part of India’s outreach to South America.
Modi extended the invitation when he met Bolsonaro on the margins of the Brics (Brazil-russia-india-china-south Africa) Summit in Brasilia on Wednesday. “The Brazilian President has accepted the invitation with 12.11.2019
v 2 edition, HT had carried a story on Brazil President likely to be the chief guest at R-day event
pleasure,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
“Both leaders agreed that on this occasion the two countries can comprehensively enhance our strategic partnership,” the statement said.
People familiar with developments said the invitation fits in well with the Indian government’s outreach to Latin and South America, including the exchange of high-level visits, to boost trade and investments. The choice of chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations is influenced by several factors, including strategic relations and commercial interests.
This will be Bolsonaro’s first visit to India since the far right politician assumed the office of president in January. He will be the third Brazilian president to be chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations after Fernando Cardoso in 1996 and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in 2004. According to the external affairs ministry’s statement, Modi said he looked forward to discussing matters relating to trade with Bolsonaro.
Constantino Xavier, a fellow at Brookings India focusing on India’s foreign policy, described Bolsonaro as a “good choice” as chief guest for Republic Day 2020. “Important to revive India-brazil/ibsa ties and democratic South-south dialogue, alternatives to US decline/china rise,” he tweeted.
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government removed Amethi district magistrate (DM) Prashant Sharma on Thursday, a day after widespread outrage over his alleged misbehaviour with the relative of a murdered man in the district.
The state government, in a press release, said Sharma has been removed and Arun Kumar, vice-chairman Moradabad Development Authority (MDA), appointed the DM, Amethi.
Union minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani on Wednesday tweeted about the incident, asking the DM to be courteous and sensitive. “We all are servants of the public and not rulers,” she said. A viral video showed Sharma holding a family member of the deceased and pushing him without any provocation. The incident took place during a protest after the man’s murder.
Sharma was removed despite a clarification from Sunil Singh, the deceased’s cousin. In a statement to the media, Singh said, “The video aired by the news channels has been edited. The DM heard my grievances and assured to do the needful.”
Trader Vijay Kumar Singh, who owned a brick kiln, was shot dead allegedly over an extortion demand of ₹ 2 lakh barely 500 metres from the office of the superintendent of police (SP), Amethi at around 7pm on Tuesday. His brother Arpit Kumar Singh accused two people, Chandrashekhar Kesarwani and Shubham Tiwari, and three unidentified persons, in the FIR lodged with the Gauriganj police station in connection with the murder. Earlier, Sharma had said, “I did not misbehave...the video that went viral was only a part of my conversation with the family.”
Before being removed on Thursday, Sharma took to social media to clarify his point. He not only posted a video of Sunil Singh issuing a clarification on the Twitter handle of DM Amethi but also posted a statement which said that “media is an important pillar of democracy, yet it is not infallible.”