Congress runs in my blood but this isn't the party I knew: Satyavrat Chaturvedi

Satyavrat Chaturvedi is a Member of Parliament (MP) and a seasoned Congress leader who has risen from the ranks. He was first elected for the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly way back in 1980 and since then, on several occasions, he has been elected as MLA, MP to both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and has held several important positions in the party.

He is one of the most articulate voices in Congress and is known for his original thoughts. He comes from a family of freedom fighters and thinks that Congress is in his blood. In a candid chat with Sanjay Singh of Firstpost, he eloquently spoke of what ails the present day Congress, what is the way forward, and the way he perceives the leadership of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

FP: The pictures out in your office is of the Congress’ who’s who. There is much talk of an old guard versus new guard conflict in Congress. If an organisational change is done accordingly, giving primacy of position to young guards, most leaders seen in those pictures will become history. Do you agree?
Chaturvedi: It never happens that way. In any party, there is always a mix of youthful energy and elderly experience. That combination is always needed. The old guard vs new guard debate is nothing new, this is not happening for the first time. This debate happened even during the times of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indiraji, Rajivji, and it so happened that both the groups had been adequately represented in the leadership. This trend will continue in the future as well.

Source: http://www.firstpost.com

Italy May Out PM Modi Meeting If...': Agusta Middleman's New Claim

Italy will out a private conversation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he allegedly asked for information against Sonia Gandhi if Delhi does not release an Italian marine, claims Christian Michel, a man India wants extradited from the UK for its investigations into the AgustaWestland chopper scam.

Mr Michel, an alleged middleman, has suggested in an exclusive interview to NDTV that the Italian government "may do something unpleasant" if a marine charged with murder is not released by India. The "unpleasant" move would be to "admit to a meeting" between PM Modi and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, he said.

Both governments have emphatically denied that PM Modi met with his Italian counterpart in New York on the sidelines of a UN conference and offered to release the two marines facing trial in India on murder charges in exchange for information about the Agusta chopper deal that could embarrass or implicate Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Mr Michel insisted that the meeting did happen, arguing that the governments had only denied a formal bilateral. "Under the auspices of the UN bilateral discussions there was no meeting. I am talking about a casual brush-by meeting which has plausible deniability attached to it," he said, claiming that the Italian embassy in Delhi briefed Agusta's parent company Finmeccanica about the meeting, which in turn informed him.

He refused to reveal the name of the embassy official citing "very delicate negotiations" between the two countries on whether the marine will return to Italy. The two marines are accused of killing Indian fishermen in 2012; one of them has been allowed to return over health reasons while the other remains in Delhi. Italy says the marines mistook the fishermen for pirates.

"They (Italy) are very upset with the Congress for not supporting them on marines issue. They have a new government and a new opportunity to solve the issue. There is a suggestion of the deal on the table of the way of doing it...the trouble with the suggestion of the deal is it requires an illegal act to have happened involving Mrs Gandhi, which hasn't happened... and I knew it would be a mess," Mr Michel told NDTV.

On the possibility of India not sending the marines home, Mr Michel replied: "If the basis of a deal is flawed, the deal will collapse...the honourable prime minister is in a horrible position - if he lets the marine go, he will be accused of a deal. If he doesn't let him go, the Italians may do something unpleasant - admit to a meeting".

The scandal over kickbacks allegedly paid by Agusta middlemen in India resurfaced after a court verdict in Milan last month. The BJP has alleged that documents attached to the verdict give new proof that Congress leaders helped Agusta swing the deal to provide a dozen choppers to India.

Mr Michel raises very awkward questions for the Congress after he confirmed that he did describe Sonia Gandhi in a 2008 note as "the driving force" of the decision to acquire new helicopters for use by top politicians.

"The note is genuine. We were asked who are the important people in India today and we sent the message," he said. Asked to explain why the note suggested the British High Commissioner should "target" Mrs Gandhi and her advisers, Mr Michel said: "It is a note about lobbying, not kickbacks."

SOurce: http://www.ndtv.com