The cover story dedicated to Mahinda Rajapaksa will surprise many in India but we have done it to inspire next-generation leadership of South Asia for standing firm on the critical decision that can alter the course of history for any nation. To describe Sri Lanka as Sri Rajapaksa may be just apt for the leader who changed the destiny of the island country. After becoming President of Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa reshuffled the cabinet and took the portfolios of Defence and Finance in the new cabinet, which was sworn in on 23 November 2005. Immediately following his election in 2005, Rajapaksa extended the term of the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Sarath Fonseka, less than a month before he was scheduled to retire. Over the next three and a half years Fonseka and Rajapaksa’s brother and Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa led the country’s armed forces in their battle against the LTTE, ultimately defeating the Tigers and killing their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. It was the most grueling battle that the world has witnessed in recent times and it made Mahinda Rajapaksa a national hero and international leader of repute.

There are few international leaders in the contemporary global polity that have successfully changed the war-torn country into a vibrant progressive democracy in their lifetime. The charismatic leader accelerated the pace of development of the island country by pushing various infrastructure projects that transformed the growth rate and GDP of the country from 2009 onwards. The Sri Lanka government declared total victory on 18 May 2009. On 19 May 2009 President Mahinda Rajapaksa delivered a victory address to the Parliament and declared that Sri Lanka is liberated from terrorism. It was a near miracle achieved by the Rajapaksa-led team and instantly he became a national hero and darling of the masses in Sri Lanka. Mahinda Rajapaksa launched “Mahinda Chinthana” for good governance for all. He drafted it to incorporate the desire of every section of society in the political mainstream so that nobody is left unattended. His concept is rooted in the soil, the governance that springs from the bottom of the pyramid. The concept has made him the darling of the masses in Sri Lanka and an iconic figure that transformed the country into one of the best-governed countries in South Asia.

In domestic politics, the Rafale deal has made everyone corrupt except Ambani. Both Congress and BJP are accusing each other of serious charges of corruption, but Anil Ambani is spared due to reasons known to them. In fact, Anil Ambani benefited during UPA1 & UPA2 governments in power, coal and telecom sectors courtesy of Chidambaram, SK Shinde and Ahmed Patel extensively. The same person was instrumental in Narendra Modi’s quest for power in 2014. Arun Jaitley, Piyush Goyal, Ex AG Mukul Rahatagi are reportedly with him. Rahul Gandhi is aimlessly targeting Anil Ambani without realizing that Chidambaram and Ahmed Patel can defuse the Rafale bomb anytime. In India, nobody can dare to touch Ambani, so both Congress and BJP are playing a friendly match. Unfortunately, India’s global position has been dented by the mudslinging of our immature neta’s. This [the selection of Reliance] is Dassault Aviation’s choice. This partnership has led to the creation of the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) joint venture in February 2017; Anil Ambani has always denied any wrongdoing in the deal.

The Congress party has also accused Modi of compromising national security and destroying state-run defense manufacturing firms. It’s a reality that India is facing a severe shortage of fighter jets. It would need 42 squadrons in the scenario of a two-front war with China and Pakistan. But its squadron strength has depleted to 31 largely owing to aging Russian aircraft. But this realisation is not new. The BJP government in 2000 decided to buy new fighter jets. Its successor Congress continued the process and issued tenders in 2008 to buy 126 jets. Dassault was finalised as a supplier in 2012, and the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was selected as a partner to produce 108 jets in India. The Indian government says it decided to buy the 36 jets in “fly-away” condition to quickly address the problem of the air force’s depleting strength. Both the national parties are interested in politics rather than addressing the issue with honest intent, the wild accusations have made the country a laughing stock in front of the world.

Prashant Tewari, Editor-in-Chief

Read More – October Edition of Opinion Express Magazine

The cover story dedicated to Mahinda Rajapaksa will surprise many in India but we have done it to inspire next-generation leadership of South Asia for standing firm on the critical decision that can alter the course of history for any nation. To describe Sri Lanka as Sri Rajapaksa may be just apt for the leader who changed the destiny of the island country. After becoming President of Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa reshuffled the cabinet and took the portfolios of Defence and Finance in the new cabinet, which was sworn in on 23 November 2005. Immediately following his election in 2005, Rajapaksa extended the term of the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Sarath Fonseka, less than a month before he was scheduled to retire. Over the next three and a half years Fonseka and Rajapaksa’s brother and Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa led the country’s armed forces in their battle against the LTTE, ultimately defeating the Tigers and killing their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. It was the most grueling battle that the world has witnessed in recent times and it made Mahinda Rajapaksa a national hero and international leader of repute.

There are few international leaders in the contemporary global polity that have successfully changed the war-torn country into a vibrant progressive democracy in their lifetime. The charismatic leader accelerated the pace of development of the island country by pushing various infrastructure projects that transformed the growth rate and GDP of the country from 2009 onwards. The Sri Lanka government declared total victory on 18 May 2009. On 19 May 2009 President Mahinda Rajapaksa delivered a victory address to the Parliament and declared that Sri Lanka is liberated from terrorism. It was a near miracle achieved by the Rajapaksa-led team and instantly he became a national hero and darling of the masses in Sri Lanka. Mahinda Rajapaksa launched “Mahinda Chinthana” for good governance for all. He drafted it to incorporate the desire of every section of society in the political mainstream so that nobody is left unattended. His concept is rooted in the soil, the governance that springs from the bottom of the pyramid. The concept has made him the darling of the masses in Sri Lanka and an iconic figure that transformed the country into one of the best-governed countries in South Asia.

In domestic politics, the Rafale deal has made everyone corrupt except Ambani. Both Congress and BJP are accusing each other of serious charges of corruption, but Anil Ambani is spared due to reasons known to them. In fact, Anil Ambani benefited during UPA1 & UPA2 governments in power, coal and telecom sectors courtesy of Chidambaram, SK Shinde and Ahmed Patel extensively. The same person was instrumental in Narendra Modi’s quest for power in 2014. Arun Jaitley, Piyush Goyal, Ex AG Mukul Rahatagi are reportedly with him. Rahul Gandhi is aimlessly targeting Anil Ambani without realizing that Chidambaram and Ahmed Patel can defuse the Rafale bomb anytime. In India, nobody can dare to touch Ambani, so both Congress and BJP are playing a friendly match. Unfortunately, India’s global position has been dented by the mudslinging of our immature neta’s. This [the selection of Reliance] is Dassault Aviation’s choice. This partnership has led to the creation of the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) joint venture in February 2017; Anil Ambani has always denied any wrongdoing in the deal.

The Congress party has also accused Modi of compromising national security and destroying state-run defense manufacturing firms. It’s a reality that India is facing a severe shortage of fighter jets. It would need 42 squadrons in the scenario of a two-front war with China and Pakistan. But its squadron strength has depleted to 31 largely owing to aging Russian aircraft. But this realisation is not new. The BJP government in 2000 decided to buy new fighter jets. Its successor Congress continued the process and issued tenders in 2008 to buy 126 jets. Dassault was finalised as a supplier in 2012, and the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was selected as a partner to produce 108 jets in India. The Indian government says it decided to buy the 36 jets in “fly-away” condition to quickly address the problem of the air force’s depleting strength. Both the national parties are interested in politics rather than addressing the issue with honest intent, the wild accusations have made the country a laughing stock in front of the world.

Prashant Tewari, Editor-in-Chief

Read More – October Edition of Opinion Express Magazine