India seeks expeditious extradition of Mallya, Nirav Modi from UK
London: India has strongly underlined its interest in the expeditious extradition of former Kingfisher Airlines chief Vijay Mallya, who has completed all the legal processes related to extradition from the UK, during talks between Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and UK Home Secretary Priti Patel in London.
On the last leg of his three-nation Europe tour, Shringla has been holding discussions in London with several UK ministers and officials and during his interactions with Patel and UK Foreign Office Minister for South Asia, Lord Tariq Ahmad, on Tuesday, the issue of economic offenders being extradited to face the Indian judicial system was among the issues raised.
We strongly underlined our interest in seeing the early, expeditious extradition of Vijay Mallya, who is an economic offender who has completed all extradition procedures in the UK. We would like him to return to India as soon as possible, said Shringla.
Also, Nirav Modi. I raised this with both Lord Ahmad and the Home Secretary, and both took very careful note of our priority and sentiments in that regard, he said.
Mallya wanted in India over fraud and money laundering charges in relation to loans taken out by his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines from state-owned Indian banks, has been found to have a case to answer in India by the UK courts. He is currently on bail, undergoing a confidential legal issue before Priti Patel can consider signing off on his extradition order.
On the other hand, Nirav Modi, the fugitive diamond merchant accused of fraud and money laundering in relation to the state-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB), is currently lodged in Wandsworth Prison in London as he fights his extradition to India at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Shringla arrived in London following visits to Paris and Berlin on Tuesday and has held a series of meetings to cover a wide range of issues, including the India-UK vaccine partnership in a post-coronavirus world and climate change as well as highlighting India's outlook on the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific region.
On India-UK bilateral ties, the Foreign Secretary noted the backdrop of Britain's exit from the European Union (EU) paving the way for a reset in the relationship both with the UK and the EU.
We are looking at early harvest deals, which would bring benefits to both our countries, followed by a more detailed, either preferential trade agreement or a free trade agreement," said Shringla.
"Obviously, a limited deal means we work on those areas on which both sides can immediately agree to. We need more time to conclude a more comprehensive trade agreement but our ministers are in touch and will work on trying to close such a deal, he said.
We are also looking at a similar deal at the EU level, but the bilateral agreement is always different from an agreement with a group, he added.
The Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar, highlighted the five priority areas of food and drink, life sciences, information and communications technology (ICT), chemicals and services that have been narrowed down by both sides, with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss set to take stock of the level of movement in these areas during talks scheduled for November 9.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Prime Minister Boris Johnson are among the high-level visits from the UK to India scheduled for 2021, depending on the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown situation.
Foreign Secretary Shringla noted that with the UK currently undertaking an Integrated Review of its policy framework, the Indo-Pacific region is expected to play a key part in the transformational relationship that Raab has previously made reference to vis- -vis India.
We believe in the vision of free, open, transparent, and inclusive Indo-Pacific stakeholders; we believe in multi-polarity. The framework is there in France and Germany and we see it in the UK also, though it is yet to be articulated in the policy framework. It (the Indo-Pacific) has become more significant, relevant, and topical, said Shringla.
Besides his ministerial-level and official talks, the foreign secretary also conducted a host of discussions with leading business chiefs and CEOs and is scheduled to interact with representatives of the Indian diaspora later on Wednesday before he heads back to India at the end of his European tour.
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Sharad Pawar's 'merger with Cong' remark shows it's difficult for him to run his party,says Fadnavis
Mumbai, May 8: NCP founder Sharad Pawar's remark on regional parties' possible merger with the Congress shows it has become difficult for him to manage his own party, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde latched on to Pawar's comment to target Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, saying the latter has already become "Congress-minded".
Another leader of the ruling 'Mahayuti' in Maharashtra said Pawar's remarks reflect that ground was slipping from under his feet in his home turf Baramati and the only option before him was merging his party with the Congress.
In an interview to The Indian Express, Pawar said that in the next couple of years, several regional parties will associate more closely with the Congress or may look at the option of merger with it if they believe that is best for their party.
To a question if that applied to his own party, Pawar told the newspaper that he doesn't see any difference between the Congress and his party because both belong to the Gandhi, Nehru line of thinking.
Pawar made it clear that any decision on strategy or the next step will be taken collectively. He also said that his party is close to the Congress ideologically and that Uddhav Thackeray is positive about working together with like-minded parties.
Asked about Pawar's remark, Shinde said the Shiv Sena (UBT) has already become Congress-minded.
"Pawar is a big leader and he makes such statements. But the Sena (UBT) faction has already become Congress as they speak the language of the Congress and Pakistan," Shinde, who heads the ruling Shiv Sena, said.
"Just the formality (of merger between them) is remaining," he added.
Fadnavis said that through his remark, Pawar might be suggesting that it was difficult for him to run his party and hence he may opt to merge it with the Congress.
"It is nothing new because Pawar has formed new parties and later merged them with the Congress," he said.
Former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who recently rejoined the ruling Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde, said Pawar has been thinking about merging his party with the Congress for a long time and even the Congress had given the proposal to this effect to him.
"But Congress rejected the proposal to entrust the leadership to Supriya Sule. Pawar's fresh comment suggests that the ground is slipping from under his feet in Baramati. Even if that is not the case, he has no option but merge his party with Congress which will be seen as a merger of two loss-making companies," the former MP said.
BJP leader Prasad Lad asked whether the Sena (UBT) will merge with the Congress along with the Sharad Pawar-led party.
"Uddhav Thackeray has stopped saying 'My Hindu brothers and sisters' at the outset of his speeches. He has become friends with those who criticise Veer Savarkar. Only time will tell whether Thackeray will merge his party with Congress," he said.
NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule said her father made a generic statement.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly and senior Congress leader Vijay Waddetiwar said there was truth in what Pawar said.
"He has a long-term vision. People are fed up with the dictatorial regime and want a change of guard," he said, targeting the BJP-led government.
Chhagan Bhujbal of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP said he doesn't think regional parties will merge with the Congress.
"They are strong in their respective states and have formed governments in West Bengal and Odisha," he said, referring to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
The NCP founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999 split in July 2023 after his nephew Ajit Pawar rebelled against him and joined the Eknath Shinde-led government. The Election Commission and assembly speaker later recognised the Ajit Pawar-led faction as the "real NCP" and allotted the clock symbol to it, while the NCP (SP) group was given 'man blowing turha' as the symbol.
