The Republic of India, commonly known as India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second most populous country, and the most populous, secular liberal democracy in the world. India...
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The Republic of India, commonly known as India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second most populous country, and the most populous, secular liberal democracy in the world. India has a coastline of over seven thousand kilometres, bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east. India borders Pakistan to the west; the People's Republic of China, Nepal and Bhutan to the north-east; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia.
The name India is derived from Indus, which is derived from the Old Persian word Hindu, from Sanskrit Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the ancient Indians as Indoi, the people of the Indus. The Constitution of India and common usage in Hindi also recognise Bharat as an official name of equal status. A third name, Hindustan (Persian: Land of the Hindus), has been in use since the 12th century, though its contemporary use is unevenly applied.
As the party's youth icon and potential prime minister, Rahul Gandhi brought the most unexpected cheer to the Congress in 2009.
His success as the party's key strategist in the Lok Sabha elections and the oxygen injected by him into the Youth Congress have given hope and a confidence the Congress was lacking.
The 39-year-old son of Congress president Sonia Gandhi was for years a reluctant politician, much like his father who went on to become the prime minister.
Two years ago, at... Read Full Story
India's Hindu nationalists completed a leadership change Saturday, naming a new party chief after appointing a woman as parliamentary opposition leader in a bid to revive their political fortunes. Nitin Gadkari, 52, was greeted with bouquets and garlands as outgoing Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian People's Party, BJP) president Rajnath Singh announced his successor at the group's headquarters in New Delhi. "There was complete unanimity on Gadkari's name for president," Singh told reporters as... Read Full Story
In a bid to keep out Congress from power in Jharkhand where assembly polls threw up a hung assembly, the BJP leadership Friday appeared to be giving in to the demand of JMM leader Shibu Soren for Chief Ministership and was working towards cobbling a majority. Former BJP president Rajnath Singh, who was given the responsibility of exploring possibilities of forming a government in Jharkhand, rushed to Ranchi tonight. He was accompanied by party general secretary Ananth Kumar... Read Full Story
It was a quiet 85th birthday Friday for former prime minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who has not been seen in public for over a year. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was among those who visited him. Manmohan Singh reached Vajpayee's residence at Krishna Menon Marg to wish him a happy birthday. Other senior BJP leaders also greeted him. "Vajpayeeji will not be meeting all the people as he is not well," said an official at his residence. He has... Read Full Story
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Friday elected its party chief Shibu Soren, a Lok Sabha MP, as the leader of the legislative party.
"Shibu Soren has been unanimously elected as legislative party leader," Hemlal Murmu, a JMM legislator, told reporters.
"Shibu Soren has been authorized to take the decision regarding the formation of the government," he said.
By naming Soren the leader of the legislative party, the JMM has made it clear that they would not settle for anything less... Read Full Story
Indiaflag
The Centre on Thursday hinted at setting up a second States Reorganisation Commission to settle the plethora of demands for new states.
Though coming from top sources in the form of loud thinking — the option of second SRC may be a trial balloon to test waters — it may still inflame the passions in Telangana given the scepticism after the second statement issued by home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday.
The low acceptability of SRC among Telangana proponents was evident... Read Full Story
Most trains and buses started running again Monday and businesses and schools reopened in Andhra Pradesh following three days of violent protests against the government's plan to split up the southern Indian state. Police, hoping to maintain the fragile calm, also arrested a ruling party lawmaker who was preparing to begin a high-profile hunger strike to protest the splitting of the state. An earlier hunger strike spurred the federal government's surprise decision last week to create a new... Read Full Story
India announced on Thursday that it planned to create the country's 29th state, after a hunger strike by a regional leader and escalating protests from supporters. Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the government would begin work to found the separate state of Telangana, which will be carved out of Andhra Pradesh in the southeast. "The process of forming the state of Telangana will be initiated," Chidambaram told reporters. Since the partition of British-ruled India in 1947, various... Read Full Story
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 3:09 pm
NEW DELHI: The Congress said Wednesday that Telangana was an old issue and it was for the collective political leadership of Andhra Pradesh to resolve the situation that has arisen due to regional divisions over its proposed statehood.
Congress spokesman Manish Tiwari said it was for the "collective wisdom" of Andhra Pradesh leaders across the political spectrum to "sit down and form appropriate solution... Read Full Story
Soon after the independence on 15 August 1947, Brahman ruled India started gobbling princely states. 365 states were made part of Indian Union many among them wanting to stay independent or become part of Pakistan. Later on, India broke Pakistan into two and guzzled Goa and Sikkim. It also got caught up in insurgencies. Nagas followed by Mizos were among the first to demand separation in 1950s. Indian security forces have spent over 50 years combating left wing extremists, separatists and... Read Full Story
