Power games: Mukesh Ambni's niece to marry Laxmi Mittal’s nephew on July 7

Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi’s cross-voting wasn’t completely unexpected.
Power games: Mukesh Ambni's niece to marry Laxmi Mittal’s nephew on July 7

Look East
Rajnath Singh’s mission to reassure Vietnam

Defense minister Rajnath Singh’s three-day Vietnam trip has strengthened ties between the two countries. The Vietnam government had been waiting to receive the US$ 500-million line of credit promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his 2016 trip to the southeast Asian country. One of the purposes of Rajnath’s trip, according to sources, was to assure Vietnam that in spite of the delay in disbursal, India was committed to fully honouring its promise of extending the line of credit. On the day Rajnath reached Hanoi, a press note was issued by the Indian Ministry of Defence which said that the two “ministers also agreed for early finalisation of US$ 500 million defence line of credit extended to Vietnam”. It is good to recall the “rich history of civilizational and cultural linkages spanning over 2,000 years” between the two countries as the press release notes. But honouring promises made in the present would go a long way in cementing ties between the two friends. Rajnath’s trip is a step in that direction. The US$500 million defence line of credit being extended by India will reportedly be used by Vietnam for acquiring BrahMos missile coastal batteries and four to six offshore patrol vessels from India. This purchase is likely to cover about half of the credit line. India would do well to keep Vietnam engaged. China’s growing interest in Laos and Cambodia and the United States’ deepening strategic ties with Vietnam, makes it imperative for India to deepen ties with Hanoi.

Rajya Sabha Polls
Congmen blame Maken’s polling agent for defeat

Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi’s cross-voting wasn’t completely unexpected. It is party leader in charge of Haryana Vivek Bansal’s lack of alertness that is being mentioned as the main reason for the defeat of Ajay Maken in the Rajya Sabha elections. Bansal was Maken’s polling agent. The Rajya Sabha election is held with open ballot, where MLAs are required to show their votes to their party’s authorised polling agent deputed at the polling venue in the state legislative assembly. Congress MLA Kiran Choudhary, whose vote was rejected leading to the defeat of Maken, was among the first ones to vote. She voted before noon. She had shown her ballot paper to Bansal before putting it in the box. Bansal apparently failed to notice the mistake she had made in putting the mark against the Congress candidate. Instead of drawing the prescribed line against Maken’s picture and name, Kiran had put a tick mark. Congress leaders now say that if Bansal had caught the error and alerted party leaders present in the Haryana Assembly building, the party could have brought independent MLA Balraj Kundu to vote for Maken. Kundu, a Jat, who has been elected as an independent from Jat-dominated Meham assembly constituency, was the only MLA who abstained from voting. Congress leaders say that in spite of the best efforts of independent candidate Kartikeya Sharma and his resourceful father Venod Sharma, as also of the BJP, Kundu was the only independent who refused to vote against the Congress candidate while all other independents did. They say Kundu has had his differences with Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the Congress, but he might have heeded to Hooda’s request to keep his Jat electors happy. The Rajya Sabha election was also seen as a shadow fight between Jats and non-Jats with Hooda on one side and Chief Minister M L Khattar on the other. Kundu was present in the Vidhan Sabha all day chatting with colleagues and friends.

Corporate Ties
Mukesh’s niece to marry LN Mittal’s nephew on July 7

The extended Ambani family will travel to London for a July 7 wedding of Ishita Salgaocar, daughter of Asia’s richest businessman Mukesh Ambani’s sister Dipti, who is married to leading businessman of Goa Dattaraj Salgaocar. Ishita is marrying Amulya Mittal, son of steel tycoon Laxmi Niwas Mittal’s brother Vimal Mittal. A pre-wedding dinner for the young couple was held at the Taj hotel in Mumbai last month. This is Ishita’s second marriage. She was earlier married to the son of fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi’s brother Neeshal Modi. Meanwhile, Mukesh Ambani’s second son Anant is all set to marry Radhika Merchant, who hit the limelight with her Arangetram, the graduation ceremony in the classical Indian dance form Bharatnatyam. The high-profile event was hosted by the Ambanis at the Jio World Centre on June 5 in Mumbai. Radhika is the daughter of Viren and Shaila Merchant. Viren is the CEO of Encore Healthcare.

Shahid faridi
The writer is Associate Editor and Chief of Bureau at TNIE, New Delhi.
Email: shahid@newindianexpress.com

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