vol 7 issue 30 - nov 22-28, 2014
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The South Asian Timese x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
excellence in journalismBOLLYWOOD 16 SPORTS 24 SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
Vol.7 No. 30 November 22-28, 2014 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
ASTROLOGY 29
Washington: President Barack
Obama imposed the most sweeping
immigration reform in a generation
on Thursday, easing the threat of
deportation for some 4.7 millionundocumented immigrants and set-
ting up a clash with Republicans
who vow to fight his moves,
Reuters reported.
In a White House speech, Obama
rejected Republican arguments that
his decision to bypass Congress
and take executive action was tan-
tamount to amnesty for illegal
immigrants. It was his biggest use
of executive actions in a year in
which they have become hisObama speaking on immigration reform from White House.
Obama unveils immigration reform,setting up fight with GOP
Obama's plan would let some 4.4 million who are parents of US citizens and GreenCard holders remain in the country temporarily, without the threat of deportation.
Washington: SAALT (South Asian Americans Leading Together) has
welcomed the immigration relief provided in Presidents Executive
action. SAALT Executive Director Suman Raghunathan said in a state-
ment: "Our nation becomes stronger when aspiring Americans can
emerge from the shadows and live without fear. As an organization
deeply committed to fair, inclusive, and just immigration reform for
South Asians nationwide, we welcome President Obamas historic step
toward a longstanding, comprehensive solution to our nation's broken
immigration system. Today's proposed Executive Order could provide
relief for over 4 million undocumented aspiring Americans, including
tens of thousands - if not more - South Asians.
Coupled with proposals to expand available visas and address long
wait times for many immigrants, this relief is welcome news to South
Asians nationwide as we continue to work toward a legislative solu-
tion. The Asian American Legal Defense And
Asian Americans welcome immigration relief
Modis rock star turn in SydneyPrime Minister
Narendra Modis pro-
file and popularity
keeps growing glob-
ally as witnessed in
his recent 10-day
3-nation trip. He is on
the shortlist for Time
magazines Person of
the Year. In a replay
of the crowd & the
euphoria at New
York's MSG, he was
cheered lustily by
over 16,000 Indian
Australians at theAllphones Arena in
Sydney, where he
promised to fulfill
their expectations of
a resurgent India.
(Also see pages 12-14)
By Arun Kumar
Washington: Amiresh Ami
Bera, the lone Indian American
lawmaker in the US House of
Representatives, repeated history
as he edged out his Republican
opponent in a California race two
weeks after the elections.
Bera, who had won in a similar
fashion in 2012, trailed
Republican Doug Ose by more
than 3,000 votes at the close of
election night and steadily closedthe gap as election officials tal-
lied tens of thousands of remain-
ing ballots. He Wednesday led
Doug by 1,432 votes with nearly
all ballots counted in the seat
Lone Indian American CongressmanAmi-Bera stages comeback win
Ami Bera has wonCalifornias 7th
Congressional District race.Continued on page 4
Continued on page 4 Continued on page 4
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info November 22-28, 2014
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By Jinal Shah
New York: The Indian Consulate in
New York organized Tuesday the
first ever womens forum, which at-
tracted distinguished women to dis-
cuss issues relating to womens de-
velopment and their contribution to
India-US relations with Indias Lok
Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
Indian and Indian-American
women from government, banking,
medicine, performing arts, real es-
tate, media and more discussed is-
sues ranging from womens safety
to gender equality, from domestic
violence to girl education and how
they can contribute to the empow-
erment of women back home.
Addressing the forum, Mahajan
admitted that rise of ripe cases is a
huge issue but not exclusive to In-
dia. It is not that women are unsafe
or raped only in India, there are rapecases even in the US but Indians
and our media are highly sensitive
regarding the issue, she replied to
a question about womens safety
post-Nirbhaya case.
To empower women and girlchild in India, Mahajan listed
schemes launched by government
including Ladli Laxmi, which lays a
firm foundation of girls future
through improvement in her educa-
tional and economic status; BetiBachao, Beti Padhao, (save the girl
child and educate her scheme) and
Roshni, a skill development scheme
aimed at the rural youth. She urged
women to extend their support and
contribute in whatever way possi-
ble. Among those who attended the
forum, organized by Consul Gener-
al Amb. Dnyaneshwar Mulay, was
Meera Gandhi, head of The Giving
Back Foundation, Dr Farah Us-
mani, of UN Population Fund, and
Dr Uma Mysorekar, President, Hin-
du Temple Society of North Ameri-
ca. Mahajan, an 8-time BJP MP
from Madhya Pradesh, was in New
York for the second meeting of the
Preparatory Committee of the
Fourth World Conference of Speak-
ers of Parliaments at the United Na-
tions.
Earlier while addressing a session
on 'Mainstreaming gender equality'
at the preparatory committee meet-
ing of the Fourth World Conference
of Speakers of Parliaments in NewYork, Mahajan said, Mainstream-
ing gender equality is indeed central
to the ideal of development. Gender
equality and empowerment of
women have a critical role to play
in the development process, partic-
ularly through a multiplier effect."
She added "India is fully commit-
ted to the promotion of gender
equality and for utilizing enabling
technologies, particularly informa-
tion and communications technolo-
gy for the empowerment of
women."
At the luncheon organized in New
Jersey by the committee formed to
host a community reception for
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
September, Mahajan lauded the In-
dian-American community for their
achievements both here and back
home in India. Work is not over, a
lot needs to be done, especially in
education and healthcare she re-
minded the audience, and urged
them to help in the various new ini-tiatives undertaken by the Modi
government.
New York: U.S. Rep. Grace Meng
(D-NY), a member of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee, intro-
duced legislation Wednesday ask-
ing State Department to speed-up
the visa approval process for Indian
and Pakistani physicians who are
scheduled to work at hospitals in theUS.
The bill seeks to remedy the diffi-
culty that international physicians
especially doctors from India and
Pakistan have encountered in se-
curing J-1 visas from American
Embassies in their countries. The
problem has created major dilem-
mas for the physicians and the US
hospitals where they are set to
work. In many instances, the long
visa delays resulted in hospitals be-
ing forced to withdraw offers to the
physicians who had already accept-
ed, effectively preventing them
from entering the country at all.
Said Meng, The long waits not
only impact the plans and commit-
ments that these physicians have
made to U.S. hospitals but also af-
fect the millions of Americans who
depend on these facilities for critical
medical treatment, particularly in
communities where there is a short-
age of doctors. It is critical that this
inefficient approval process be
fixed, and my bill is a quick and
easy way to do it.
Under Mengs legislation, entitled
the Grant Residency for Additional
Doctors (GRAD) Act of 2014, a
designated State Department offi-
cial facilitate the expedited review
of J-1 visa applicants who are slat-
ed to travel to the U.S for graduate
medical education or training. The
J-1 is a temporary nonimmigrant
visa that international physicians
use to work in U.S. medical resi-
dency programs.
US has 450,000 illegalimmigrants from India
Washington: As President Obama
mulls executive action to give relief
from deportation to some of the 11.2
million illegal immigrants in the
US, a new report says that about
450,000 of them are from India.
In fact, India is the fourth top
source country of unauthorized im-
migrants after top-ranked Mexico,
according to the report based on the2012 census, released Tuesday by
the Pew Research Centre, a Wash-
ington think tank.
Ranking second, with consider-
ably fewer unauthorized immi-
grants than Mexico, is El Salvador
(675,000 in 2012), followed by
Guatemala (525,000), India
(450,000), Honduras (350,000),
China (300,000) and the Philippines
(200,000).
Republican leaders, who will con-
trol both houses of Congress next
year as a result of the November
elections, have warned Obama that
any executive action would torpedo
the chances for a bipartisan immi-gration reform bill.
India is the largest birth country of
unauthorized immigrants in New
Hampshire, the report said.
New Jersey had the biggest gain
in between 2009 and 2012, jumping
75,000 to 525,000 as many immi-
grants from India and Ecuador
crossed illegally into the state.
3November 22-28, 2014TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Forum discusses womens issues in India with Lok Sabha Speaker
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumita Mahajan speaking at another eventheld at Royal Alberts Palace in New Jersey.
(photo: Mohammed Jaffer/SnapsIndia)
Congresswoman Grace Meng
Rep. Mengs bill will expedite J1visas for Indian & Pakistani docs
Mineola, NY: Dozens protested
last Sunday in Mineola to oppose
Nassau County's controversial
school-zone speed cameras,
many holding signs with mes-
sages like "Scameras are revenueraisers not life savers" and "We
are not your ATM."
About 70 people gathered out-
side the Theodore Roosevelt Ex-
ecutive and Legislative Building.
"We want all the tickets dis-
missed, the ending of the pro-
gram and money returned,"
one of them demanded.
Earlier this month, Democrat
legislators called on the county to
halt the controversial school-
zone speed camera program, call-
ing it a "debacle" aimed more atmaking money than improving
safety.
The lawmakers held a news
conference to urge County Exec-
utive Edward Mangano to end or
suspend the 4-month-old pro-
gram until prominent warning
signs are installed at sites.
Residents protest Nassau'sschool zone speed cameras
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4 November 22-28, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoTURN PAGE
Obama unveils immigration...
Continued from page 1
signature way of working around congression-
al gridlock. "Amnesty is the immigration sys-
tem we have today, millions of people who
live here without paying their taxes or playingby the rules," he said.
Republicans pounced quickly, charging
Obama had overstepped his constitutional
powers a year after declaring he did not have
the authority to act on his own.
In a video released before Obama's televised
speech, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner
said: The president has said before that hes not king and
hes not an emperor, but he sure is acting like one."
With 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United
States, Obama's plan would let some 4.4 million who are
pare nts of U.S . citi zens and legal permanent resi dents
remain in the country temporarily, without the threat of
deportation. Those undocumented residents could apply
legally for jobs and join American society, but not vote or
qualify for insurance under the president's healthcare law.
The measure would apply to those who have been in theUnited States for at last five years. An additional 270,000
people would be eligible for relief under the expansion of a
2012 move by Obama to stop deporting people brought ille-
gally to the United States as children by their parents.
The president, speaking two weeks after he and his
Democrats were trounced in midterm elections, appeared
confident and determined at the White House podium.
Outside, pro-migrant demonstrators watched his speech on
their smartphones and chanted support for him.
"Si se puede (Yes we can)," they shouted and sang the
American national anthem. Obama urged Republicans not to
take steps against his plan that could lead to a government
shutdown, raising the specter of a crisis that some conserva-
tives would like to push but Republican leaders of Congress
want to avoid. Republicans were blamed for a shutdown over
spending a year ago and are seeking ways to deny funding
for his immigration steps without provoking a year-end
budget crisis. "Congress certainly shouldn't shut down our
government again just because we disagree on this," Obama
said. Obama's moves have ramifications for the campaign tosucceed him in 2016 by possibly solidifying Hispanic sup-
port behind Democrats. Republi can candidates may tread
carefully around the issue to avoid a Latino backlash. But
polls show many Americans would prefer Obama not to act
alone. Obama said trying to deport all 11 million people liv-
ing in the country illegally was not realistic. Obama said his
actions were the kinds of steps taken by Republican and
Democratic presidents for the past half century.
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New York: SIAEA (Society ofIndo American Engineers andArchitects) held its 34th Annual
Gala Dinner on November 15 atGrand Hyatt at Grand Central, NYattended by 880 guests and digni-
taries. Speaker of Lok Sabha inIndia, Sumitra Mahajan, gracedthe occasion, lauding the achieve-
ments of the Indian diaspora in herspeech. Consul General of India
Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay alsospoke. In his presidential address,
Mihir Patel stated that SIAEA hasopened its first chapter inPhiladelphia. We are planning toopen DC chapter this December
and Chicago chapter in March
2015. Our goal is to open threechapters every year, he said.
Other key speakers were
Dominick M Servedio, ExecutiveChairman, STV Group, Inc, andCarmen Bianco, President, NYCT.
2014 Achievements awards weregiven to Abhay Wadhwa, Ahmed
Shakir, Amil Patel, Mita Amin,Nayan Parikh, Nitin Patel, SharonLobo, Snehal Patel, Sunil Bald.
Young & Under 40 awards went toAlok Saksena and Manan Garg.
10 students of engineering andarchitecture were given scholar-ships of $2000 each. MC wasTrisha Guduru, Miss South Asia
International 2014.
SIAEA President Mihir Patel (5th from left), Lok Sabha SpeakerSumitra Mahajan (to his left), executive committee members,
and guests at the gala.
SIAEA holds its glittering 34th gala in NYC
Asian Americans welcome ...
Continued from page 1
Education Fund (AALDEF), said in a statement "We
welcome President Obama's use of executive authority
to provide relief from deportation to millions of
undocumented immigrants and their families. The
Asian American population nationwide is 19 million,
and close to 1.5 million Asian immigrants are undocu-
mented. Current deportation and detention policies
have separated Asian American families, harmed low-
wage workers, and created fear and mistrust of locallaw enforcement.
With the continued failure of Congress to enact com-
prehensive legislation, President Obama' s action to
delay the deportation of millions of undocumented
immigrants is long overdue. In our exit poll of 4,100
Asian American voters in the 2014 midterm elections,
65% expressed their support for executive action on
immigration. The measures announced tonight are an
important step in the right direction, in order to ensure
that the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws adheres
to human rights principles and reflects American val-
ues of fairness and family unity.
Lone Indian American ...
Continued from page 1
covering suburban Sacramento county, media report-
ed. Bera, the third Indian American House member
after Dalip Singh Saund and current Louisiana
Governor Bobby Jindal, had ousted then sitting
Republican House member Dan Lungren in 2012. Its
been my honor serving this community as a doctor for
the last 19 years and I am grateful I will have theopportunity to continue serving as the representative
for Californias 7th Congressional District in
Congress, Bera said in a statement. Ose congratulat-
ed Bera on the hard fought win saying he celebrates
the fact that our institutions and our laws provide us a
system whereby elections can be peacefully resolved.
The race was deemed the most expensive one with
both candidates spending at least $19.6 million in the
campaign, according to the Centre for Responsive
Politics. Former US president Bill Clinton too had
come to rally support for the embattled Bera.
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5November 22-28, 2014TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Washington, DC: Indian-Ameri-
can student Neha Gupta has won
the 2014 International Children's
Peace Prize Award for her excep-
tional work to raise money for un-
derprivileged children around the
world.
Netherlands King Willem-
Alexander, former archbishop and
Nobel Peace Prize winner
Desmond Tutu and Nobel Peace
Prize winner Malala Yousafzai
presented Gupta with her award
during a ceremony at The Hague,
Netherlands Tuesday.
A first-year Schreyer Honors
College scholar in the Eberly Col-lege of Science at Pennsylvania
State University, Gupta will be en-
tering the pre-medicine program,
according to a release from Uni-
versity.
Inspired by what she saw during
a visit to India with her grandpar-
ents, Gupta founded Empower
Orphans, an organization de-
signed to support orphaned and
abandoned children in India and
the US. Her work, which she start-
ed at age 9, has grown into a char-
ity that to date has raised over $1
million and has helped more than
25,000 children.
The list of projects includes
opening libraries, developing
paths to health care, and promot-
ing education. The award is wide-
ly accepted as the most presti-
gious international award a young
person can win.
Last year's winner, Malala
Youzafzai, a Pakistani activist for
female education, went on to be-
come the youngest recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize for 2014.
"Neha's leadership, vision and
work ethic have helped countless
orphaned, abandoned and impov-erished children, and most re-
markably she was just a child her-
self when she began this work,"
said Penn State President Eric
Barron. "We're very proud that
she has been recognized with the
2014 International Peace Prize,
and hope that this visibility will
inspire others to also pursue wor-
thy endeavors to benefit hu-
mankind." The International Chil-
dren's Peace Prize was created by
the Amsterdam-based children's
rights organization, KidsRights,
and is awarded to a child whose
work and actions have made a sig-
nificant, positive impact in im-
proving children's rights world-
wide.
The International Children's
Peace Prize isn't the first time
Gupta's work has been celebrated.
She won numerous awards in-
cluding the 2011 World of Chil-
dren Award, the President 's Volun-teer Service Award, the Congres-
sional Award, and also the nation-
al Prudential Spirit of Community
award.
Along with the prize, a 100,000
Euro grant will be given to proj-
ects closely associated with Gup-
ta's area of dedication.
East Rutherford, NJ: An Indo-
American Press Club (IAPC) has
been inaugurated in New Jersey to
be the voice of those who are work-
ing in the media world and strive to
be the conscience of the larger soci-
ety. The new club was inauguratedSaturday at the Homewood Suites
of Hilton, East Rutherford, New
Jersey with the lighting of the tradi-
tional lamp at an event attended by
nearly 200 media persons, corporate
and community leaders and spon-
sors.
In his inaugural address, Suneel
Hali, founder and publisher of Cin-
emaya Media emphasized the key
role being played by the media.
"Journalists are extraordinary peo-
ple dedicating their lives to an ex-
traordinary mission to serve the hu-
manity, and to be the conscience of
the society," he said. In his presi-
dential address, Ajay Ghosh, said
"IAPC was formed with the lofty
ideal of providing a common plat-form to journalists of Indian origin
living in the US, while fostering
closer bonds and cooperation
among an extensive network of
journalists across the nation."
Ginsmon Zacharia, chairman of
the Board of Trustees, said, "While
striving to have greater coordination
and networking among journalists,
our motto is to be the voice of the
community of Indian American
journalists."
Washington, DC: Under the lead-
ership of its new Indian-American
CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft has
overtaken oil giant Exxon Mobil tobecome the world's second most
valuable company after iPhone
maker Apple Inc. Nadella restruc-
tured Microsoft that has been
struggling with the declining mar-
ket in personal computers to focus
on cloud services and mobile tech-
nology while cutting jobs and com-
pany expenses, Tech Times report-
ed.
The effort has resulted in stock
surges with Microsoft now the sec-
ond most valuable company in the
world, it said. Exxon's stock cur-
rently has a market capitalization
of $402.66bn, down from
$483.1bn earlier this year. In May,
the total market value of Microsoft
was $343.8bn but it shares closed
at $49.58 on Nov 14, giving it a
corresponding market value of
$408.7 billion, exceeding that of
Exxon's which has fallen by more
than 6 percent because of plum-
meting oil prices.
Although Microsoft has obvious-
ly done better compared with other
tech stalwarts Oracle, IBM and
Hewlett-Packard, it continues to
face the challenges of Apple's
dominance, Tech Times said.
In the mobile industry, people re-
fer to the company's Surface
tablets as "iPads" and even "knock-
off iPads," it noted. Forbes latest
list of the world's most valuable
brand is dominated by tech giants
with tech companies Apple, Mi-
crosoft and Google getting the top
three spots followed by Coca-Cola
and IBM ranking fourth and fifth
respectively, Tech Times noted.
Under Satya Nadella Microsoftemerges as world's 2nd top firm
Jindal ranks third onPoliticos most likely to runfor presidential primary list
Washington, DC: Gov. Bobby Jin-
dal ranks third
on a list of
Republicans
most likely toenter the 2016
presidential
primary, ac-
cording to
Politico.
"Louisiana
Gov. Bobby Jindal ... is already act-
ing like a candidate, touting his ed-
ucation reforms, courting the evan-
gelical vote by hosting a huge pas-
tors' conference next January, and
attacking Hillary Clinton for being
partisan on Ebola," said Politico
about the governor. The online
publication claims that only Ken-
tucky Sen. Rand Paul and Texas
Sen. Ted Cruz are more likely to
enter the 2016 presidential primary
race than Jindal. The Louisiana
governor placed higher on the
"possible candidates" list than
Texas Gov. Rick Perry and New
Jersey Gov. Chris Christie -- two
people who have performed better
than Jindal in initial 2016 presiden-
tial primary polls. The Louisiana
governor will announce whether he
is running for president during the
first half of 2015.
Neha Gupta, Penn State student and founder of EmpowerOrphans received the award from Netherlands King
Willem-Alexander and Noble Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu
Suneel Hali, Founder and Publisher of Cinemaya Media lightingthe lamp at the inauguration. President of IAPC,
Ajay Gosh is seen on his right.
Neha Gupta wins 2014 International Children's Peace Prize
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella
Indo-American press clubinaugurated in NJ
Bobby Jindal
Community Pride
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6 November 22-28, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoTRISTATE COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
New York: The India Association of Long
Islands 19th Annual Diwali Food Drive re-
ception for the Interfaith Nutrition Network
(The INN) was held on November 15 in
Hempstead, Long Island at the Mary Bren-
nan soup kitchen.
Attending the reception were past presi-
dents of IALI, President Satnam Parhar, the
IALI Executive Committee and INN sup-
porter Mr. Peter Bheddah. Town of Hemp-
stead Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby also
graced the occasion with her presence.Aruna Saxena, IALI Food Drive Chairper-
son said, this year we are donating 55 box-
es of canned food and beverages as well as
$14,000 in monetary donations. She
thanked the community and volunteers and
said she is looking forward to next year,
which is the 20th year of the IALI Food
Drive. Diwali food drive donors included
many generous community members,
Hicksville merchants, IALI members and
religious temple goers. IALI members
sponsored, prepared and served a vegetari-
an meal with Indian desserts at the soup
kitchen for approximately 250 men, women
and children on November 5th said Aruna
Saxena. Physicians from the community
also donated more than $25,000 worth of
medicines and supplies to the non-profit or-
ganization, Rotocare, which provides free
medical care to people in need.
IALIs 19th Annual Food Drive does it again
New York: To celebrate Deepavali NewYork Tamil Sangam (NYTS) organized 2014-Deepavali program at PS 24Q in Flushingwhich ended in a grand success and amemorable one as well. The auditoriumwas filled to capacity about 400 peopleand the program content represented threebranches of the classical Tamil languagenamely: music, dance and drama.
The Kerala Center held its 22nd Annual Awards Banquet at the Worlds FairMarina in Flushing, New York city on November 15. Eight Indian American
Malaylees were honored at the banquet for their achievements in their fields orfor service to the community. (L to R): Dr. Thomas Abraham, Baby Uralil,
Suresh Nair, Abraham Pannikottu, Siby Vadakekkara, Thomas John Colacot, Dr.Gabriel Roy, Dr. Teresa Antony, Dr. Geeta Menon, Sreedhar Menon, Dilip
Varghese and Gopalan Nair. (Back row L to R): E,M. Stephen, Varghese Ninan,James Thottam, John Vazhapallil, Shaji Babyjohn, G. Mathai, Jayasankar Nair,
Thambi Thalapppillil, John Paul, Sunny Kulathakal, Abraham Thomas, K.V.Varghese, Abraham Philip, Jimmy John, Manohar Thomas and Alex Esthappan.
Gufa Shiv Baba Balaknathji Temple organized Grand 8th Diwali Celebration onOct 19 at Maniben Mistri Auditorium, Gujarati Samaj, Horace Harding Express,
New York. New York Senator Tony Avella was honored with OutstandingCommunity Service Award by the temple committee members, Shri Sarpalji,
Rajji, Kumarji, Vijayji, Satpalji, Bakhshishji, Satpalji, Deepak Bhardwaj.
New York: The spirit of Diwalicelebration continued with Greater
New York Seniors Diwali Dinner
on November 7 at 5 Star Banquet
Hall, Long Island City. The event
was hosted by Greater New York
Seniors leaders Shashikant Pa-
tel/Gopi Udeshi.
The idea was to unite 15 different
associations from Queens to Long
Island. Delegates came together for
benefit of senior activities in New
York.
The program commenced with
American/Indian National An-
thems sang by Kirtiben Shukla and
Virendra Banker, followed by
lighting of diva by Queens Bor-ough Community coordinator Mo-
hamed Hack along with Gopi
Udeshi, Shashikant Patel and other
members.Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz presented citation
by Community Coordinator Mo-
hamed Hack to Shashikant Patel
for his leadership role in the com-
munity.
New York State reelected Gov-
ernor Andrew M. Cuomo and
House of Representative Grace
Mengs messages were read by
Gopi Udeshi and Gujarat Chief
Minister Mrs. Anandiben Patels
message was read by Shashikant
Patel.
Professional singer Rakesh Raj
rocked the stage with Bollywood
songs and his humor. Singinglegend of Hindi music industry
Bappi Lahiris presence made the
event spectacular.
Greater New York Seniors celebrate Diwali in grand style
(L to R): Manikant Patel, Jyotindra Patel, Mohammed Hack, Shashikant Patel, Bappi Lahiri, SureshUdeshi, Gopi Udeshi, Dr ND, Ajit Vora, Dr Shukla and Labhubhai Upadhyay
L to R: Aruna Saxena, KishoreKuncham, Peter Bheddah
& Suda Sharma
New York Tamil Sangam celebrates Deepavali
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7November 22-28, 2014TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Seattle: A Seattle City Council
member was among four people
arrested late on Wednesday outside
Alaska Airlines offices in the sub-urb of SeaTac during a protest over
what organizers say was the carri-
er's opposition to a voter-backed
$15 minimum wage.
Kshama Sawant, who champi-
oned what she said were "anti-cor-
por ate " causes dur ing her cam-
paign last November, was among
about 100 airport workers and
community members at the rally,
labor group Working Washington
said in a statement.
The U.S. carrier has its primary
hub at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport,
in SeaTac.
"After a year of Alaska's lawsuits, delays,
and political shenanigans, workers and com-munity members have had enough," Working
Washington said in a statement.
The group said the four arrested were
"engaged in civil disobedience" and had
declined to follow police orders to clear a
boulevard near the company offices.
Nine days earlier, Airlines for America, a
trade group that represents major air carriers,
including Alaska Air Group, sued the Port of
Seattle to block planned pay increases for air-
port workers, arguing that wage hikes con-
flict with state and federal law and labor
agreements.
The suit marked the latest legal battle over
efforts to better compensate workers in a
state with the highest minimum wage in the
country.
Voters in SeaTac approved an initiative last
year, enacting a $15 minimum wage for
many workers, but airport employees were
later excluded by a court order.
Images local broadcasters posted on
Twitter showed Sawant with her hands
clasped behind her back, leaning on a police
car.
"It's not about me. It's about the workers
who have been fighting for $15 per hour,"
local media quoted her as saying.
Washington, DC: After three years of
decline, the number of Indian students at
US campuses increased by six percent to
102,673 in the 2013-14 academic year,
according to a new report on International
Educational Exchange.
The number of international students at
colleges and universities in the US
increased by eight percent to a record high
of 886,052 students in the 2013-14 aca-
demic year, the 2014 Open Doors Report
released Monday found.
The overall number of international stu-
dents in the US has grown by 72 percent
since the first International Education
Week briefing was held in 2000, it noted.
There are five times as many Chinese stu-
dents on US campuses as were reported in
Open Doors 2000; almost two-and-a-half
times as many Indian students; seven-and-a-half times as many Vietnamese students;
and more than 10 times as many Saudi stu-
dents. In 2013-14, there were 66,408 more
international students enrolled in US higher
education compared to the previous year.
While students from China and Saudi
Arabia together account for 73 percent of
the growth, a wider range of countries con-
tributed to the increase, with India, Brazil,
Iran and Kuwait together accounting for an
additional 18 percent of growth, the report
found.
The number of Indian students increased
by 6 percent to 102,673, reversing a three-
year trend of declining numbers of Indian
students at US campuses. The increase was
driven by enrollment at the graduate level.
Students from the top three places of ori-
gin -- China, India, and South Korea -- now
represent approximately 50 percent of the
total enrollment of international students in
the US, with the number from China and
India increasing, and the numbers from
South Korea declining.International students' spending in all 50
states contributed more than $27 billion to
the US economy in 2013, according to the
US Department of Commerce.
New York: In what seems as an apparent
rift in the Global Organization of People of
Indian Origin (GOPIO) several members
have started a campaign to rescind the deci-
sion of the GOPIO Executive Council to
cancel GOPIO meeting in conjunction with
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
In a letter issued to Inder Singh,
Chairman, GOPIO International, the mem-
bers from the US and abroad said that they
were very disappointed to learn that he had
cancelled the Annual GOPIO International
Meeting to be held in conjunction with
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2015 since many
of them attend the PBD, that has provided
them an opportunity to meet and interactwith other GOPIO members from around
the world. In such meetings, we were also
able to bring our friends to join us at the
GOPIO Dinner and convince them to join
GOPIO. We demand that GOPIO
International meeting must be held on
January 6th 2015 and GOPIO dinner be
held on Jan. 6th 2015 evening.
The members reminded the top leader-
ship that GOPIO has reached out to the
new govt. headed by Prime Minister
Na re nd ra Modi an d th e Modi
Administration and the MOIA have in turn
be en work in g cl os el y wi th GO PI O.
GOPIO has already developed a goodwill
with Modi Administration when it brought
a Special Supplement to welcome Prime
Minister Narendra Modi to the USA.Cancellation of GOPIO meeting will con-
vey a negative signal of our cooperation
with the new government, especially when
they are going out all the way to welcome
us to the PBD, the members said.
Several prominent Gujarati community
members said that they feel insulted that
GOPIO is cancelling its meeting when the
venue is Ahmedabad/Gandhi Nagar.
Extending their support to the Gujarati
members several other signatories of the
letter said: We have had GOPIO meetings
in Delhi and outside New Delhi and at the
following places, Mumbai, Hyderabad,
Chennai, Jaipur and Kochi. The issue of
additional expenses to travel to these cities
did not occur for any of these places. In fact
people would like to travel to a different
city in India for PBD rather than attend
meeting only in Delhi.
When SATimes approached GOPIOchairman Inder Singh for comments he
said, "GOPIO Executive Committee in
their recent meeting had decided not to
organize another conference in January as
three have already been organized this year,
one in New Delhi in January, another in
Trinidad in May and the third one in
London in October. It is a major undertak-
ing to organize an international conference.
GOPIO members have option to attend a
conference or not. The executives, all vol-
unteers, spend their own money on travel
and hotel stay.
They also have to raise funds and spend
time to organize the conference. Some key
executives are obligated to attend the con-
ferences. I know that some GOPIO mem-
be rs ar e no t ha pp y wi th th e Ex ec .Committee decision and are asking for
reconsideration. In the next meeting,
already scheduled for next week, the issue
shall be revisited. The majority decision
shall prevail."
Cancellation of the meet, held in conjunction with Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is
seen as noncooperation with new govt. and insult of Gujarati members
Kshama Sawant, champion of minimum wageraise, was released later.
GOPIO members oppose top leadershipsdecision to cancel annual meet
Indian students rediscover USas education destination
Seattle city council member KshamaSawant arrested in wage-hike protest
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8 November 22-28, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoNATIONAL COMMUNITY
United Nations: Calling the UN Security
Council an anachronism, Indian Parliament
speaker Sumitra Mahajan has urged the inter-
national community to take early action to
reform it in order to shore up the legitimacy
of the world body itself.The Security Council is, undoubtedly, one
of the most important institutions of global
governance, Mahajan, speaker of the Lok
Sabha, the lower house of parliament, stated.
If its legitimacy is in doubt then so would be
the legitimacy of the United Nations. And, in
fact, of the notion of global governance
itself.
She was speaking Tuesday at a session of
the Preparatory Committee for the Fourth
World Conference of Speakers of
Parliaments on the subject of key challenges
to world peace and democracy.
She pointed out that the Councils composi-
tion was based on UNs structure in 1945 and
she asked in a series of rhetorical questions to
drive her point home, Is that composition
still representative of the international com-
munity? The United Nations then had 51
members. The figure now is 193.
At the founding of the UN, there were only
three African members, including South
African apartheid regime, Mahajan pointedout. Today it has 54, she said. How many
permanent members of the Security Council
are from Africa?
After a briefing by Liechtenstein
Ambassador Christian Wenaweser on the
work of the Accountability, Coherence and
Transparency Group, which brings together
22 nations working on UN reform, Mahajan
said she would like to know what it proposes
to do to bring more legitimacy to the perma-
nent membership of the Council.
Pressing the case for changing the compo-
sition of the Council, she asked, While
improvement in working methods, or a code
of conduct on use of the veto, are important,
can they substitute for reform of the compo-
sition? Can improvement in working meth-
ods legitimize a structure that is not legiti-
mate? To say that is anachronistic is only anunderstatement.
In 2010 during the 65th Anniversary of the
United Nations, world leaders had committed
themselves to the early reform of the
Council. She asked, When would early be?
Although the membership of the Council was
increased from 11 to 15 in 1965 with addition
of four elected members, permanent mem-
bership continues to be restricted to the origi-
nal five who wield veto powers.
In any expansion of the permanent mem-
bership, India, Germany, Brazil, Japan and an
African nation would be the top contenders.
Washington, DC: American Indian
Foundation (AIF) raised $300,000 at its
annual gala here attended by who's who
of the community from the US Capital
and its neighborhood
Senator Tim Kaine and Assistant
Secretary of State for South and Central
Asia, Nisha Biswal, were felicitated
during the event for their inspiring
leadership and philanthropic commit-
ment to support AIF's mission to helpdisadvantaged Indians.
Kaine is the current Chairman of the
Senate Subcommittee on the Near East,
South and Central Asian Affairs, over-
seeing American foreign policy in this
critical region, from Morocco to
Bangladesh.
Praising the role of Indian-Americans
in nation building and improving bilat-
eral ties between the two countries,
Kaine said the talent pool of the Indian-
American community is so strong and
so diverse that if one is just putting
together a team on the aristocracy of
merit, this community will be at the
forefront.
"That is an aspect of life in this coun-
try that makes the Indian-American
moment in the relationship between our
nations so fruitful right now," Kaine
said.
Biswal said Indian-Americans have a
key role to play in the bilateral India-
US relationship.
"As the Indian Prime Minister talks
about his agenda for transforming Indiaand his vision for the US-India partner-
ship to be a part of that transformation,
the Indian-American community has a
very important role to play," Biswal
said.
"Transformation is not just 'G to G'
(government to government), it's not
about PPPs, (public-private- partner-
ships). Those are very important equa-
tions ? but it is fundamentally also
about 'people to people' ties," she said.
"The US-India relationship is not
going to reach its full potential until the
full potential of our 'people to people'
ties is reached," Biswal said.
Washington, DC: More than one-quarter of
students between the ages of 12 and 18
reported being bullied at school during the
2010-11 school year nearly 7 million stu-
dents. Some Asian American and Pacific
Islander (AAPI) students face bullying and
harassment based on their immigration status,
such as Micronesian students whose families
have recently immigrated to the continent
and Hawaii. Others are bullied for the way
they look, such as turbaned Sikh youth, or for
their English language skills.
Students who are bullied dont feel safe,
and students who dont feel safe cant learn.
Students involved in bullying are more likely
to have challenges in school, to abuse drugs
and alcohol, and to have physical and mental
health issues. Being bullied endangers stu-
dents academic achievement and ultimately
their college and career readiness. And in
some areas, bullying of AAPI students is
rampant. For example, one 2014 study found
that over two-thirds of turbaned Sikh youth in
Fresno, California reported experiencing bul-
lying and harassment. And another recent
study found that half of the 163 Asian
American New York City public school stu-
dents reported experiencing some kind of
bias-based harassment in a 2012 survey, com-pared with only 27 percent in 2009.
Earlier this month, on the fifth anniversary
of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr.
Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the White
House announced several efforts to address
hate crimes, including a new Interagency
Initiative on Hate Crimes. As a part of these
efforts, WHIAAPI, in partnership with the
U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S.
Department of Education, and the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services,
is launching the AAPI Bullying Prevention
Task Force to proactively address bullying in
the AAPI community. In the wake of increas-
ing concerns about the high rates of bullying
among Sikh youth and incidents such as the
attacks on as many as 30 Asian American stu-dents at South Philadelphia High School in
December 2009, the AAPI Task Force will
help ensure that the AAPI community is
aware of federal resources and remedies
available to them.
The AAPI Task Force brings together fed-
eral experts in civil rights, language access,
education, community relations, public
health, mental health, and data to find cre-
ative solutions to help the AAPI community.
These experts will coordinate the efforts of
their federal agencies to work closely togeth-
er with stakeholders to better understand the
impediments to seeking relief and support,
analyze data regarding the prevalence of bul-
lying in the AAPI community, improve out-
reach, develop training and toolkits forschools, students, and parents, and explore
and recommend policies to address the AAPI
communitys growing concerns about bully-
ing of AAPI youth.
India calls for early action to reform anachronistic UN Security Council
Bullying Prevention Task Force launched to strengthen AAPI community
Senator Kaine and NishaBiswal felicitated at AIF gala
New York: Anu Duggal, an Indian-
American founder of seed capital fund
Female Founders Fund, or F Cubed, last
week completed raising $5 million to invest
in women-led startups, the Economic Times
reported.
There being a huge gap in early-stage
funding for women Duggal sees a great
opportunity to get good returns on invest-
ments. "Almost every single woman entre-
preneur I've spoken to said 'thank you somuch for starting this fund'," Duggal told
ET, who has so far invested $60,000-
$150,000 for 1 per cent-2 per cent stake in
11 companies.
Duggal's is among several recent initia-
tives in Silicon Valley to help women entre-
preneurs in the early days of their entrepre-
neurial journey. Others include San
Francisco based Astia, AOL's 'Built By Girls'
Fund and Isabella Capital.
Anu Duggal's F Cubed plans to fund 15
more female-led companies. Besides F
Cubed, Duggal, 35, also runs Doonya, a
Bollywood dance-inspired fitness and media
company. Four-years-ago, she co-founded
Exclusively. in, an e-commerce fashion, jew-
elry and home decor company featuring
Indian brands and designers. She also advis-
es companies such as India Internet Group,
Classtivity. com, LittleBorrowedDress and
Lover.ly.
F Cubed founder Anu Duggal raises$5 M for women-led startups
Anu Duggal
Indian Parliament SpeakerSumitra Mahajan
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Washington: Republicans were
divided Wednesday over how to
respond to President Barack Oba-
mas plan to unilaterally change
the immigration system, splitting
over whether to force a fight dur-ing the lame-duck session or wait
until next year when they control
both chambers of Congress.
Obama is expected to announce
Thursday night changes to protect
more than four million people
from deportation and expand a
program that gives safe harbor
from deportation to young people
brought into the U.S. illegally as
children.
Some conservative Republicans
are clamoring to use a December
budget deadline as leverage in the
immigration fight, by tying a roll-
back of Obamas new policies to
continuing government funding
beyond its Dec. 11 expiration.
That risks a potential government
shutdown, which GOP leaders
have vowed to avoid.
We should use every budgetary
means at our disposal to prevent
the president from disobeying the
law, said Rep. Mo Brooks (R.,
Ala.), who also said impeachment
proceedings against the president
should be considered.
Other Republicans acknowl-edged the Senate, under Demo-
cratic control until January, is un-
likely to approve a spending bill
with language seeking to roll back
Obamas immigration plans.
Weve been trying to figure out
what leverage we have and were
finding it difficult to actually stop
the president here in the next two
months, said Rep. Marlin Stutz-
man (R., Ind.)
One route Republicans could
pursue is to pass a bill funding al-
most all of the government
through September 2015 but ex-
tend the programs affected by
Obamas action only through early
2015. That would set up a fight
next year just on that sliver of the
government without the threat of a
broader shutdown.We have a dispute over immi-
gration. Thats no reason to shut
the Department of Defense down,
said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.,
S.C.).
Democrats have said they hope
to pass a spending bill tying to-
gether 12 individual, tailored ap-
propriations bills, rather than just
extending the governments cur-
rent funding across-the-board. The
Senate and Mr. Obama also might
balk at separating the immigration
funding and having it expire at a
different time.
US AFFAIRS 9November 22-28, 2014TheSouthAsianTimes.info
New York: In the twilight of a
long and celebrated career, Bill
Cosby was experiencing the kind
of comeback few longtime per-
formers enjoy.
A new biography described his
life and accomplishments. A stand-
up comedy special on Netflix,
commemorating his 77th birthday,
was set for next week. His collec-
tion of African-American art be-
came part of an exhibition at the
Smithsonian this month. And NBC
was exploring a project that wouldbring him back to prime time,
where in the 1980s he became
Americas pre-eminent TV star
with The Cosby Show.
But in recent weeks, his tri-
umphant return to the national
stage has fallen apart in the face of
a wave of accusations by women
who say Cosby drugged and raped
them decades ago. On Wednesday,
NBC said it was canceling the pi-
lot project, and the cable network
TV Land quietly stopped showing
repeats of The Cosby Show.
Less than 24 hours earlier, Netflix
said it was postponing the debut of
the comedy special. Other sched-
uled appearances by Cosby on
David Lettermans late-night show
and Queen Latifahs daytime talk
show have also been canceled.
Mr. Cosbys lawyers have vigor-
ously denied the accusations in re-
cent days, and he has never facedcriminal charges. But the troubles
have put the stars comeback in
limbo and created awkward situa-
tions as he seeks to burnish his
legacy.
One-time day timecomedy star Bill Cosby
Ferguson, Mo: The grand jury
hearing evidence about Officer
Darren Wilson is poised to meet for
what many believe is its final ses-
sion as tension and worry build
that the decision will generate vio-
lence in and around the Ferguson
community.
The decision on whether or not to
charge Officer Wilson in the shoot-ing death of Michael Brown, 18,
could come Friday, when the grand
jury gathers once again. But prose-
cutors have said they are going to
give law enforcement agents a 48-
hour, heads-up on the decision,
CNN reported. The public an-
nouncement, then, could come as
early as Sunday. And case watchers
around the nation are predicting
protests that could very well turn vi-
olent. The FBI has warned law en-
forcement to be ready, Missouris
Gov. Jay Nixon has activated the
National Guard, and shopkeepers
who sell firearms report their sup-
plies are flying off the shelves.
St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dot-son said his outfit is ready.
Weve had three months to pre-
pare, he said, CNN reported. Acts
of violence will not be tolerated.
Our intelligence is good. Our tactics
are good. We can protect lawsuit
people and at the same time arrest
criminals.
A pro-immigration reform rally
Ferguson Protesters Stage Die-in Aheadof Grand Jury Announcement
GOP split on how to respond to Obamas momentous immigration move
Ferguson grand jury heads to finalsession, as community tenses
Tallahassee, Fla.: Three stu-
dents were shot and wounded
when a gunman opened fire in-
side a Florida State University li-
brary early on Thursday, and
campus police shot the suspect
dead, officials said.
Officers confronted the attack-
er outside the university's Strozi-
er Library soon after midnight,
ordered him to drop his weapon,
then shot him when he fired on
them, police said.
Officers found three victims
with gunshot wounds, Tallahas-
see Police spokesman David
Northway said. A spokeswoman
at Tallahassee Memorial Health-
Care hospital said one victim
was in critical condition, and the
other was stable.
Police estimated the library
was packed with between 300
and 400 students at the time,
many studying for upcoming fi-
nal exams.
Further details on the identities
of the shooter and the victims
were not immediately released.
Police said the gunman acted
alone and no further threat was
posed to the campus. But classes
were canceled Thursday.
Three students injured, gunman killed inFlorida university
Comeback by Bill Cosby aborted as rape claims Re-emerge
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The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
10 November 22-28, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoOP-ED
By Robert Golomb
New York State Governor
Democrat Andrew
Cuomo's defeat of
Westchester County Executive
Republican Rob Astorino in the
General Election by 13% rather
than the 30% expected as of ten
months ago is widely seen as not
good news for the Governor.
Making matters even worse for
Cuomo, to gain that disappointing
13% victory he spent a whopping
$45 million to Astorinos $4.8 mil-
lion, painting an embarrassing
Goliath beats David portrait to his
victory.
It has been no secret that Cuomo,
a nationally known political figure,
saw a victory somewhere in the
30% range as the first giant step in
his plan to insert himself as a seri-
ous candidate for the Democratic
Nomination for President in 2016
or, by latest, 2020.
Cuomos plan was said to be
based on the possibi lity tha t the
current presumptive 2016 nominee
Hillary Clinton would decide not to
run for the presidency, opening thepolitical door for Cuomo - with a
2014, 30% election victory in a
large, key northeastern state under
his belt - to run.
Such a decision by the former
first lady, it was so speculated,
would be associated with her past
health issues (she was successfully
treated for a blood clot to the brain
in December 2013 and her age (she
will be 69 years old in 2016).
Yet even if Clinton does run in
2016, as is still widely assumed,
Cuomo's future in national poli-
tics, right up to the end of 2013,
seemed to be bright - with the very
real possibility that if Clinton ranin 2016, she could very possibly be
defeated by a Republican, leaving
Cuomo as the immediate front
runner for the Democratic
Presidential nomination in 2020.
However, the talk of a future
President Cuomo began to steadily
recede as the year went on, culmi-
nating with his less than hoped for
13% victory. And for that, it can be
argued, Cuomo has only himself to
blame.
The Governors first major politi-
cal blunder occurred on January 2,
2014 during an interview held by a
local Albany radio station.
Criticizing the members of the con-
servative wing of the RepublicanParty, the Governor stated, Are
they the extreme conservatives
who are right to life, pro assault
weapon, anti gay? Is that who they
are? Because if thats who they are,
theyre the extreme conservatives
and have no place in the state.
In that one interview, which
quickly became part of the
Republican anti-Cuomo fodder, the
governor, who while later watering
down his remarks, alienated count-
less pro-life, pro-traditional family
and pro-second amendment NewYorkers - many of whom also hap-
pe n to be De mo cr at s or
Independents.
If his first major mistake could
be attributed to a slip of the tongue,
his second might be attributed to a
lapse in understanding the mood of
the public. Cuomo, whose Lets
clean up Albany message helped
sweep him into office 4 years ago,
created the Moreland Commission
in July 2014. Granted the power to
issue subpoenas, and staffed with
seasoned prosecutors, the role of
the 25 member bi-partisan com-
mission was to investigate govern-
ment corruption in the StateCapital - a problem polls indicated
were on the minds of many voters.
According to Cuomo at the time,
he had the authority to investigate
the lieutenant governor, the comp-
troller, any senator, any assembly-
man as well as even Cuomo him-
self. Then in March 2014, Cuomo
suddenly terminated the commis-
sion, even as a major Albany news-
paper was reporting that Moreland
investigators were in the middle of
the process of probing 15 lawmak-
ers for alleged criminal wrongdo-
ings.
In the face of extremely harsh
criticism coming from the media,
from Republicans and even fromsome members of his own
Democratic Party, Cuomo attempt-
ed to explain the reasoning behind
his controversial action: Because,
he argued, the State Senate and
Assembly had agreed to pass a
series of new ethic reforms that he
would sign into law, the commis-
sion was no longer needed. The
problem of offic ial corruption in
NYS, Cuomos remarks suggested,
had been all but solved.
When that explanation seemed
neither to satisfy the majority ofvoters nor quiet his political foes,
Cuomo told a news reporter ques-
tioning him about the controversy,
Its not a legal question. Its my
commission. My subpoena power.
I can appoint it. I can disband it. I
cant interfere with it, because its
mine. It is controlled by me.
Not surpr ising ly, t hese remarks
created a political firestorm for the
Governor. While Cuomo continued
to maintain most of his lead over
Astorino in the governors race,
according to a Quinnipiac Poll
taken in late May, more than 75%
of New Yorkers believed that his
decision to shut down theMoreland Commission was based
on a political deal, and slightly
less than 50% offered favorable
opinions on his performance as
governor, a record low number in
that category for him.
The closing of the Moreland
Commission continued to bring
ba d ne ws to Cu om o. Ci ti ng
Cuomos closing of the Moreland
Commission as one of her major
reasons for running, Zephyr
Teachout, a Fordham University
Law Professor and liberal activist,
announced in the summer that she
would challenge Cuomo in the
September 9th Democratic
Primary. And here is whereCuomos last major mistake of
2013 occurred. Rather than waging
a strong active campaign against
Teachout, the Cuomo campaign
largely sat back, saying it was sav-
ing its resources for the then
upcoming battle against Astorino.
Reflecting the thoughts of the
Governors campaign, one Cuomo
election official was quoted as say-
ing at the time, Any protest candi-
date {Teachout} is going to get in
the low to mid-high 20s.
Unfortunately for Cuomo, his
Democratic challenger far sur-
passed those numbers. After the
final votes were tallied on that pri-
mary election night, it was deter-
mined that Teachout, a political
neophyte who had run with a bare
to the bones campaign chest, had
garnered an incredible 34% of the
vote.
And this poor showing by
Cuomo coupled with his unimpres-
sive victory over Astorino, accord-
ing to many pundits, could make it
very unlikely that he will be elect-
ed president one day.
Yet Mark Twains famous utter-
ance that the report of his death
was greatly exaggerated still could
apply to Cuomos future as a presi-dential candidate. Cuomos victory,
despite the disappointing final
count, gives him the opportunity to
build on the same successes of his
governorship that made him so
popular prior to this year.
Those successes which were well
publicized throughout the state and
even captured some national media
attention included: delivering the
state budget on time for four con-
secutive years, an accomplishment
not witnessed in Albany in three
decades; producing in response to
the Newton Connecticut Sandy
Hook Elementary School mas-
sacre, the passage of the NY SAFEACT, which among other provi-
sions, mandates background
checks for all gun sales; creating
more than one half million private
sector jobs and reducing the state
unemployment rate from the 8.2 %
when he took office to its current
level of 5.6%. These were accom-
pli shmen ts tha t impre sse d even
some Republicans, including pow-
erful Nassau County Executive Ed
Mangano, who wound up endors-
ing Cuomos reelection bid.
In addition, Cuomos victory
gives him the chance to address the
states remaining major economic
problem. The economies of dozens
of upstate New York counties con-tinue to remain stagnant and many
suffer from unemployment rates
that hover above the 10% mark.
As of two years ago, Cuomos
strategy to stimulate the upstate
economy was predicated upon his
plan to lift the then two old year
ban on hydro- fracking and allow
oil companies to explore the
Marcellus Shale Formation (an
enormous area located across
dozens of counties in upstate New
York, including Steuben, Chemung
and Allegany) said to contain 489
trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
In the 34 states currently employ-
ing this controversial method of
drilling for natural gas thousands
of feet beneath the ground (which
notably include Pennsylvania
which shares some of the land in
the Marcelus Shale with NYS),
such hydro fracking has resulted in
major boosts to their economies.
Pro hydro fracking activists (com-
posed primarily of business, energy
industry and organized labor lead-
ers) reportedly convinced Cuomo
that hydro fracking in upper NYS
would provide a similar stimulus to
the upstate economy - without,
they contended, causing any harm
to the environment.However, once the politically
powerful envi ronmenta list s, who
contend that hydro fracking can
cause deadly harm to humans and
irreparable damage to the environ-
ment, became aware of Cuomos
plans, they quickly informed him
that if he decided to go through
with his original plans, he would
risk losing their political support-
both in the then upcoming gover-
nors race, as well as any future
national office he might choose to
seek.
Thus came Cuomos decision to
put off his determination until after
the election. True to that promise,Cuomo recently pledged that he
would announce his decision by
the end of this year.
If in formulating that decision
Cuomo somehow discovers a way
of offering a compromise found
acceptable by both the pro and anti
hydro fracking forces, he would
have performed a tremendous
political miracle. And such a mira-
cle will probably go a long way in
placing his name back on the top of
the list of future presidential con-
tenders - despite the wounds he
inflicted upon himself in 2014.
Ro be rt Go lo mb(M rB ob 34 7
@aol.com) is a nationally pub-
lished columnist. He can also be
fo ll ow ed on
Twitter@RobertGolomb
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) celebrated his Nov 4 victory with his father,who served three terms (1983-1994) as Governor of New York State.
Still a good chance for a Cuomo presidential
run despite 2014 mistakesPundits argue that Gov Cuomos poor showing against his Primary rival and unimpressive victory over RepublicanAstorino could make his chances of being elected President one day bleak. Yet, a second term gives him the
opportunity to build on the same successes of his governorship that made him so popular prior to this year.
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8/10/2019 Vol 7 Issue 30 - Nov 22-28, 2014
11/32
Chandigarh: Haryana Police finally
arrested elusive self-styled godman
Rampal from his fortified Satlok Ashram
near Barwala in Haryana. At least six
people lost their lives in the stand-off as
Rampal eluded the police, while many ofhis key aides and around 450 supporters
were also arrested. Later, the Punjab and
Haryana High Court canceled the bail
granted to controversial sect leader
Rampal in a 2006 murder case.
Taking up hearing of his bail case, a
division bench of the high court can-
celled the bail which was granted to the
self-styled godman in April 2008.
Haryana's Advocate General B.R.
Mahajan informed the court that Rampal
had been arrested and sought permission
to advance his hearing in the contempt of
court matter against the sect leader.
The court had issued fresh non-bailable
warrants against Rampal on November
17 and directed that he be produced
before the court by all means Friday.Rampal, who remained elusive on
health grounds, was finally arrested by
the Haryana Police from his Satlok
Ashram near Barwala town in Haryana,
210 km from here.
He was brought to the Sector 6 General
Hospital in Panchkula, adjoining
Chandigarh, where he was medically
examined. All his health parameters were
found normal by doctors.
Rampal has been slapped with fresh
cases of sedition, attempt to murder, riot-
ing, illegal detention and others under the
Arms Act.
Supporters of Rampal clashed with
security forces to prevent them from
entering the ashram premises. They fired
at police, lobbed petrol bombs and acidpouches, bes ide s hur lin g sto nes and
bricks. The sect leader had been avoiding
arrest and failed to appear before the
Punjab and Haryana High Court although
non-bailable warrants were issued
against him Nov 5.
Rampal's supporters had indulged in
vandalism in a court in Hisar in July
when he was going there in connection
with the 2006 murder case. The high
court took suo motu notice of the inci-
dent and summoned Rampal.
INDIA 11November 22-28, 2014TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Haryana's self-styled godmen sent to jail
Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385
718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.Com
After much ruckus, self-styled godman Rampal was arrested from the fortifiedSatlok Ashram near Barwala in Haryana.
New Delhi: In a rap to CBI
Director Ranjit Sinha, the
Supreme Court directed him not
to interfere in the 2G spectrum
case and recuse himself from its
investigation and prosecution.
An apex court bench headed by
Chief Justice H.L. Dattu said that
the senior-most officer heading
the investigation team probing the
2G case will take over the overall
investigations. Holding as "terrible" the alle-
gations of interference by Sinha
in the 2G spectrum case, the
court recalled its Sep 15 order
directing NGO CPIS to reveal
the identity of the whistleblower
who gave information on
Sinha's alleged interference.
The court while not passing a
detailed order with reasons said
that it was doing so as it would
effect and hurt the image of the
premier investigation agency.
Mumbai: The Bombay High
Court has rejected a plea by the
CBI to remove the name of for-
mer chief minister Ashok
Chavan from the list of accused
in the Adarsh Society scam
case.
Justice M.L. Tahiliyani gave
the ruling on the revision appli-
cation of the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) after the
agency's earlier plea on the
same was rejected by a Special
CBI Court in January, said Ashish Mehta, a
lawyer who had earlier represented the peti-
tioner in the case.The ruling could prove to be a major setback
to Chavan as he will have to face trial as an
accused, and there are indications that he is
likely to appeal against it in the Supreme
Court, Mehta added.
Earlier, former Maharashtra
governor K. Sankaranarayanan
refused sanction to prosecute
Chavan for want of evidence
against him.
The CBI contended before the
court that since the governor
refused to grant sanction, and it
has no material to prosecute
Chavan, the agency hould be
allowed to discharge Chavan from
the case.
Chavan was charged with providing addi-
tional FSI to the Adarsh Soiety allegedly in
return for flats for his relations in the poshbuilding in south Mumbai.
Chavan resigned as chief minister after the
Adarsh Society scam was exposed in 2010 and
was replaced by Prithviraj Chavan.
SC directs CBI chief to recuse
himself from 2G case
Adarsh scam: Court rejects plea to drop Chavan
Islam will prosper if werule Kashmir: BJP
Srinagar: The BJP said it
was confident Islam will
pr ospe r in Ja mm u and
Kashmir if it got to rule the
state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) also said that it won't
press for the abrogation of
article 370 of the constitu-
tion, which gives special sta-
tus to Jammu and Kashmir, if
people of the state want it to
stay.
BJP state vice president
Ramesh Arora, who is also in
charge of the party's Kashmir
affairs, said Kashmiris would
feel more secure if the BJP
was voted to power in the
country's only Muslim-majority state.
"Kashmiris need to vote en
masse for the BJP. This con-
tention is wrong that the BJP
is a communal party.
Kashmir is a land of Sufi
saints. Islam will grow better
during our regime," he said.
"The state as such has no
religion but we (BJP) respect
all religions and pledge reli-
gious freedom to all as guar-
anteed in the Indian constitu-
tion.
"Those who say the BJP
would be a threat to
Kashmiriyat ... are wrong.
"The actual threat is to
those who say so. Our party
will end administrative,
po li ce , bu re aucr at ic an d
political injustice in Jammu
and Kashmir."
Trying to play down the
controversy over article 370,
Arora said the BJP favoured
a debate and discussion on
the issue.
"We will take people into
confidence and assess its
merits and demerits to thestate and proceed according-
ly." Arora said a debate over
this provision was a "serious
issue and we (BJP) won't
take any vague decision.
The BJP has traditionally
opposed article 370, saying it
was coming in the way of
Jammu and Kashmir's com-
plete integration with the rest
of India.
Former Maharashtrachief minister Ashok
Chavan
CBI DirectorRanjit Sinha
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8/10/2019 Vol 7 Issue 30 - Nov 22-28, 2014
12/32
12 November 22-28, 2014 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoINDIA
Canberra/Melbourne: India and Australia
have marked a new synergy in bilateral rela-
tions as they agreed on a framework for secu-
rity cooperation to boost defense, civil nuclear
and economic ties even as Prime Minister
Narendra Modi ended a hectic five-day, four-
city visit.
The two countries signed five agreements,
including one on exchange of sentenced pris-
oners, while Modi also addressed the
Australian parliament, the first Indian prime
minister to do so.
The distinctive feature in Modi's speeches
was that he spoke in English - to the media in
Canberra after talks with his Australian coun-
terpart Tony Abbott, in parliament, while
addressing business honchos in Melbourne,
and at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Modi is the first Indian prime minister to
visit Australia in 28 years -- after Rajiv
Gandhi's 1986 trip.
Modi ended his tour of Australia - he went
to Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne- after a dinner hosted by Abbott at the MCG
where former Indian cricket greats Kapil Dev,
Sunil Gavaskar and V.V.S. Lakshman were
present.
Earlier, after talks with Abbot in Canberra,
Modi said both countries agreed to seek early
closure on their civil nuclear agreement and to
speed up negotiations on a bilateral trade pact.
India and Australia also agreed on a frame-
work for security cooperation to reaffirm the
bilateral strategic partnership.It calls for annual prime ministerial meet-
ings, regular defence ministers' meetings and
annual defence policy talks, and regular bilat-
eral maritime exercises.
Both sides will cooperate in counter-terror-
ism. Australia will support Indian membership
of the export control regimes. It also calls for
"early operationalization of civil nuclear ener-
gy cooperation and Australia's support for
strengthening India's energy security by sup-
ply of uranium for India's safeguarded nuclearreactors".
Modi said the two countries had agreed to
speed up negotiations on a Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement.
He sought easier access for Indian business
to the Australian market and quicker invest-
ment approvals. Modi began his 25-minute
address to parliament on a lighter note, bring-
ing smiles and laughter among the members.
"I am the third head of government you are
listening to this week! I don't know how you
are doing this! May be, this is Prime Minister
Abbott's way of shirt fronting you!" Modi said
both sides need to strengthen their security
cooperation to combat terrorism and cooper-
ate closely in international fora like the East
Asia Summit, the G20 and the Indian Ocean
association.
Abbott said after the bilateral talks that
Australia "will export uranium to India under
suitable safeguards, of course".
In a take-off on their close sporting links,
Abbott referred to the BJP government's
strong majority in parliament: "Modi has the
runs on the ball for getting the bureaucracy
working (to get any job done)."
In Melbourne, Modi addressed business
honchos in English without a prepared text.
He told the CEOs, including mining mag-
nate Gina Rinehart, BHP chief Andrew
Mackenzie, Lindsay Fox and Visy Industries
chairman Anthony Pratt, that his governmentwas undertaking reforms to enhance the ease
of doing business in India.
Modi said before his government took over
in May, economic growth had slowed down
over the last few years. "My government is
making all efforts to ensure faster, all round
inclusive growth to revive economy, to create
policy environment that is conducive, trans-
parent and fair."
Melbourne: Indian
Prime Minister
Na re nd ra Modi
Tuesday wooed
Australian industry
leaders telling them
"this is the best time
to be in India" and
pr om is ed th em an
investor-friendly and
conducive environ-
ment for doing busi-
ness in India.
Speaking in English
without a preparedtext, Modi told the
top CEOs that his
government was
undertaking reforms to enhance ease of
doing business. Meeting mining magnate
Gina Rinehart, BHP chief Andrew
Mackenzie, trucking magnate Lindsay Fox
and Visy Industries chairman Anthony Pratt
besides many others, Modi said that before
his government took over in May, econom-
ic growth had slowed down over the last
few years.
"My government is making all efforts to
ensure faster, all round inclusive growth to
revive the economy, to create policy envi-
ronment that is conducive, transparent and
fair," he said."Our economic growth had slowed down
in the last few years. But my government is
working hard to create an environment to
foster growth. The results have been
encouraging, the economy registered 5.7
percent growth, one percent more than last
year," he said.
"Want to draw your attention to one
thing: the opportunities in tourism.
Immense scope for investing in tourism
infrastructure as well," he said, according to
tweets posted by the Prime Minister's
Office.
"Personally committed to environmental
issues. We want to move to gas-based econ-
omy. That tells you how many LNG termi-
nals we would need," he said, according to
a tweet. "Democratic values connect us.Want to hear from you all," he said.
At the CEOs Roundtable, Modi and the
industry leaders discussed education, serv-
ices, energy, banking and IT.
Best time to be in India, Modi
tells business honchos
Prime Minister Narendra Modi shaking hands with the Parliamentarians afteraddressing joint session of Australian Parliament.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meetinginstitutional investors in Melbourne.
Suva: India sought to "renew an old relation-
ship" with Fiji and forge closer ties with
small South Pacific island nations as Prime
Minister Narendra Modi announced steps to
boost closer ties with the geo-strategically
important region.
Modi became the second Indian prime
minister in 33 years - after Indira Gandhi - to
visit the Fijian capital Suva.
He later departed for home, ending a 10-
day tour that earlier took him to Myanmar
and Australia.
The Fiji visit underlined the growing geo-
strategic importance of the 14 South Pacific
islands that lie at the centre of a key mar-itime route rich in resources. The islands dot
the ocean east of Australia, over 11,500 km
from India.
The Fiji government accorded Modi a cer-
emonial welcome. Prime Minister Voreqe
Bainimarama received him at the airport.
Modi's visit comes ahead of Chinese
President Xi Jinping's three-day trip to Fiji
from Friday. China has been busy forging
close relations with the island nations and
has set up diplomatic missions in almost all
the islands. The 14 islands, although small,
have a vote each in international fora. They
hold strategic weight for New Delhi as it
seeks to increasingly play a larger interna-
tional role. Modi held talks with Prime
Minister Bainimarama, presided over thesigning of three MoUs, addressed the Fijian
parliament, becoming the first foreign leader
to do so, attended the first India-South
Pacific Island nation meet and later spoke at
the Fiji National University.
Modi admitted that the India-Fiji relations
had "at times been adrift, and that our coop-
eration should be much stronger than it is".
He said he saw his visit as an opportunity
to renew an old relationship - and lay the
foundation for a strong future partnership.
The three MoUs were for the exchange of
land for a new chancery building in New
Delhi, on diplomatic exchanges to allow
Fijian diplomats to train in India, and on
project financing for an electricity co-gener-
ation plant funded through the Exim Bank of
India.
Prime Minister Bainimarama said some 15
more agreements were in the works -- onagriculture, trade, health, water and sports.
"We are pleased that our relationship with
India is growing and we are proud to have
India as a partner in Fiji's future," he said.
India seeks closer ties with
Fiji, South Pacific Islands
Prime Minister Narendra Modiaddressing the Parliament of Fiji in
Suva on November 19.
India, Australia agree on new security cooperation framework
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8/10/2019 Vol 7 Issue 30 - Nov 22-28, 2014
13/32
13November 22-28, 2014TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
Sonia Gandhi recalls NehruNew Delhi: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has
been prov ided 'Z' category security by the
central government in view of threats to him,
official sources said.
The home ministry gave the order after
receiving inputs from security agencies, the
sources said. "Ramdev was entitled to 'Z' cat-
egory security only within Uttarakhand. Now,
he will be given the fac