To Hannover No designated No. 2 in Modi absence this time
PM hardsells India at inauguration of tech fair with Angela Merkel
Arriving after a three-day visit to France with 20 pacts in his pocket, Modi made a strong pitch to attract German capital, especially in 25 identified sectors — from automobiles to wellness.
Promising a much-improved tax environment for business, Modi said his government was encouraging “competitive federalism” in India as states vie to excel and “a predictable and transparent” environment to open up investments.
“We are creating an environment that is stable, where rules will not be changed frequently and there will be no surprise elements,” he said, trying to allay fears of foreign companies over India’s notorious red tape and legal minefields.
He said Make in India was not a “slogan or a brand, but a new national movement”.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 >> PM MAKES UNSC PITCH, P8 NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have started the second leg of his threenation tour Sunday but at home a debate continues to rage — who is Number 2 in the government?
There’s no Number 2, sources said. The PM kept himself abreast of day-to-day developments and would readily intervene, if needed, they said.
“There is nothing called Number 2 in the government. The PM is the head of government whether he is at home or abroad,” an official said, requesting anonymity.
Before he left for the nine-day visit to France, Germany and Canada on April 9, Modi did not nominate a minister to take care of urgent matters, setting off the gossip mill.
In contrast, ahead of Modi’s US trip in September, the cabinet secretary issued a circular, saying the PM had directed that in his absence “urgent business A MINISTER IN MODI GOVERNMENT
may be put up before home minister” Rajnath Singh. Singh even presided over a meeting of the cabinet which agreed to recommend President’s Rule in Maharashtra. And, that — for then — settled the Number 2 debate. No such circular has been issued this time and tongues are wagging over the power equation in the government.
Some leaders were quick to point out that home minister Singh, succeeded by Amit Shah as the BJP chief, was not seated on the dais at the party’s recent national executive in Bengaluru.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 NEW DELHI: There is another war being fought in the faction-hit Aam Aadmi Party — to rally support ahead of the rebel group’s national convention on Tuesday.
While Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, both thrown out of the party’s top panels, are holding public meetings outside Delhi in the run-up to their Swaraj Samvad (a dialogue for self-rule) rally, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is drumming up support in Delhi.
On Sunday, he warned against “big forces” targeting the party. “Big forces are after us. They want us to fail, trying to defame us but I want to urge you not to trust them,” Kejriwal said at a public meeting in Karawal Nagar in north–east Delhi.
“If you see any news on TV, don’t trust it. Let them do their job, we will do ours,” the CM said at the rally, his second in as many days.
Voted to power with record 67 MLAs in the 70-member Delhi assembly in February, AAP’s spectacular success has been overshadowed by bitter infighting.
Senior leaders Yadav and Bhushan revolted against Kejriwal’s alleged dictatorial style of functioning and have since been sidelined, with many of their supporters also being stripped of party positions.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 >> VEGGIE BUFFER STOCK, P2