On Jan. 12, 2011, storm clouds were gathering and a majornor'easter was set to hit Long Island and Lower Manhattan with a vengeance.Hardly anyone was expected to attend the downtown Manhattan rally against gunviolence because of the storm, remembers Jeanne Wilcke, president of theDowntown Independent Democrats. But Jenifer Rajkumar, Democratic district leader for the65 th Assembly District, was there. “She was a real trouper and I wasreally impressed with her," Wilcke said . She also noted how“immaculately” turned out Rajkumar was despite the storm warning. That issomething no one can ignore. The young and beautiful Indian American candidate,still single, would make heads turn anywhere. She told Desi Talk she “wouldlove to get married some time – when I meet the right person.” She side-tracks talkabout her appearance, instead saying, “There is a whole new generation of youngwomen that is interested in making a difference through politics.

One of the more striking facts about Edward Snowden, the Booz Allen Hamilton contractor who recently disclosed details concerning the National Security Agency’s various domestic surveillance programs, is that he is apparently a successful autodidact. After dropping out of high school, Snowden developed a very rigorous academic curriculum for himself, drawing on community college courses, online education programs and self-directed reading and programming. The fruit of these efforts was a lucrative job with an elite consulting firm, and a top secret clearance that gave him access to a treasure trove of state secrets. Leaving aside the merits of Snowden’s decision to leak sensitive information to the press, his idiosyncratic educational experience points, however improbably, to a much brighter future for all young Americans, and indeed for anyone around the world hungry for knowledge.

The Supreme Court on Monday struck down an Arizona state law that requires people registering to vote in federal elections to show proof of citizenship. In a 7-2 vote, the court said the voter registration provision of the 2004 state law, known as Proposition 200, was trumped by a federal law, the 1993 National Voter Registration Act. The federal law requires prospective voters to provide one of several possible forms of identification, such as a driver's license or a passport, but no proof of citizenship is needed. Would-be voters simply sign a statement saying they are citizens. In the majority opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia said the state law was preempted by language in the federal statute saying that states must "accept and use" a federal registration form. The state law ordered officials to reject the form if there was no accompanying proof of citizenship. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito were the two dissenters.

(Reuters) - Powerful regional party Janata Dal (United) pulled out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Sunday, a split that could hobble the rise of controversial Hindu nationalist leader Narendra Modi who hopes to oust the ruling Congress party in elections due by May 2014. The Janata Dal (United) party or JD(U) , based in Bihar, announced it would end a 17-year-old alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the BJP promoted firebrand leader Narendra Modi to lead its election campaign. The exit could hamper the chances of the Hindu nationalist BJP finding enough allies to mount a convincing challenge to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's administration, whose second term has been plagued by scandals and a worsening economy. It could also encourage a rag-tag of regional parties - with fickle leaders and diverse local agendas - to form their own so-called third front coalition, which, if they were successful, could present a risk for Asia's third-largest economy.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s election of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as leader June 11, has set off speculation about what a new government under the leadership of a Hindu ideologue –cum-economic pragmatist will look like if his party wins the 2014 general election. A lightning rod for controversy Modi has garnered strong likes and dislikes both around him and among distant observers of his rise living in America. Gujarati-Americans have over the years, been Modi’s staunch supporters almost universally endorsing his candidature and bestowing him with a close to mythic quality. Many Hindu-Americans who do not hail from Gujarat also venerate Modi as the savior of the “injured majority” accusing the Congress Party of pandering to Muslims then there are Hindu Americans who consider themselves politically secular and skeptical about Modi’s role during the 2002 riots in Gujarat that killed close to 2,000 people, mostly Muslims.

Maoist rebels attacked a passenger train in Bihar on Thursday, killing three people in a daring assault just weeks after the rebels ambushed a convoy of Congress politicians in Chhattisgarh. "Three people are dead including one RPF (Railway Protection Force) staff and two passengers," Amitabh Prabhakar, the railway spokesman for the region, told Reuters by telephone. "Five people are injured all are civilians," said Shashikant Tiwary, district magistrate for Jamui, where the attack took place. Media reports said up to 100 armed Maoists, including women, held up the intercity express between Jamui and Bhalui stations for more than an hour. Tiwary told Reuters the Maoists snatched three firearms, including an AK-47 rifle, from the guards on the train. There were up to 150 passengers on board when the attack took place, Prabhakar said.

The government is considering calling a special session of parliament to pass a $24 billion welfare scheme to give cheap food to the poor, the finance minister said on Thursday, a move clearly aimed at public opinion ahead of a general election. Mired in corruption scandals that have paralysed parliament, the Congress party-led ruling coalition earlier flirted with the idea of introducing an executive order to implement the programme, aimed at providing ultra-cheap food to about 800 million people. The food security law is a pet project of Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, who led the party to victory in the last two elections on the back of similar populist programmes, such as a rural jobs plan and a $12.5 billion farmer loan waiver passed just before the 2009 general election. "Our intention is to get it passed in a special session of parliament and we are making one more effort to ask the opposition parties to support us," Finance Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters.

Veteran politician Lal Krishna Advani on Tuesday backtracked on his decision to quit senior posts in the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a move that may convince potential partners to stick with the BJP in upcoming elections. The BJP has been crippled by infighting among its leaders, several of whom harbour ambitions to become India's next prime minister. They include Advani, at 85 the BJP's patriarch who played a key role in turning it into a national opposition force, and Narendra Modi, whose promotion to run the BJP's election campaign appeared to have triggered Monday's shock resignation. Advani stepped down from positions he held on the party's national executive group, parliamentary board and election committee before reversing the decision. Senior leaders moved quickly to appease Advani and encourage him to think again, including Modi himself and Mohan Bhagwat, leader of the BJP's ideological parent, the religious organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

It's the economy, stupid. As New York City looks to electa new mayor Nov. 5, South Asians in the Big Apple, like their fellow residents,are also concerned about the city's finances and cuts to services and benefits.In addition, many are also concerned about personal security and communitymembers being targeted in hate crimes. Areas such as Curry Hill in the East 20s in Manhattan andJackson Heights in Queens are home to several South Asian businesses that dependupon the city's economic fortunes for their survival. Many community members stillremember the hardships and challenges of being new immigrants in the UnitedStates and starting from scratch. While many shy away from making politicalcomments on the record, all feel Mayor Michael Bloomberg has done a great jobrunning the city but it’s time for change after three terms of his administration.Overall, the feeling is whoever reaches out and  supports the South Asian communitywill get their vote.

Veteran politician Lal Krishna Advani resigned on Monday from top positions in the main opposition party a day after the selection of controversial leader Narendra Modi to head its election campaign exposed deep rifts in the party. The Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been crippled by infighting among leaders, with several, including Advani, harbouring ambitions to become India's next prime minister. But analysts say the party is in such disarray it will struggle to seize back power from the ruling Congress party, even though the latter is beset by corruption scandals and accusations of poor economic management. "For some time I have been finding it difficult to reconcile either with the current functioning of the party, or the direction in which it is going," Advani wrote in his surprise resignation letter seen by Reuters.

(Reuters) - Acrimony over the selection on Sunday of Narendra Modi to head the opposition's campaign in India's coming election exposed rifts within the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Several senior leaders of BJP stayed away from the meeting at which Modi was appointed as standard-bearer for elections due by next May, a position that could make him the party's candidate for Prime Minister. Under India's parliamentary system, parties do not always formally announce a candidate before a general election but usually project one figure as the likely person to form the government should the party win. "It's broadly analogous to a primary in a U.S. political party. It will clearly establish Modi as first among equals in the BJP," Sadanand Dhume, of Washington-based think-tank the American Enterprise Institute, told Reuters.

(Reuters) - A U.S. drone strike killed nine people in northwest Pakistan, security officials said, prompting newly sworn-in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to summon America's envoy on Saturday to protest against such attacks. The missile strike, on a compound near the Afghan border in the North Waziristan region late on Friday, was the first U.S. drone attack in Pakistan since Sharif was sworn in on Wednesday. There was no information about the victims. In his inaugural address, Sharif called for an immediate end to the U.S. drone strikes. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the demand for an immediate halt to the attacks was repeated on Saturday. "It was conveyed to the U.S. charge d' affaires that the government of Pakistan strongly condemns the drone strikes, which are a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the ministry said in a statement. "The importance of bringing an immediate end to drone strikes was emphasized.

The Democratic candidates for Virginia lieutenant governor faced off Sunday in Springfield, nine days ahead of the party’s primary, each trying to distinguish himself from the Republican ticket and to create distance between each other on issues such as gun rights and climate change. While candidates Aneesh Chopra and state Sen. Ralph Northam (Norfolk) were in agreement about their vision for the state’s second-highest office — from Medicaid expansion and equal rights for gay citizens to women’s health care — Chopra said Northam’s voting record does not reflect a commitment to strengthening gun laws. Northam challenged that assertion, touting his D rating from the National Rifle Association. “They’re not a big fan of mine,” Northam said, referring to the NRA. “They don’t even bother coming through my door. I have a good record on gun violence and I will continue to be outspoken.

Republicans on Capitol Hill are abuzz with the possibility that the scandal at the Internal Revenue Service will lead to tax reform. Media strategist Frank Luntz is advising them to harness public outrage to reach this goal. This path will dead-end. Republican tax-reform plans remain vague, because that’s the way they stay popular. And the leading Republican tax-reform ideas have no real relation to the facts of the scandal. Republicans generally want to broaden the tax base, lower rates and reduce the number of brackets. The IRS could have harassed conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status -- the core of the current scandal -- even if we did all of these things with a flat tax. Conservatives disliked it when Democrats responded to the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, by proposing gun regulations that wouldn’t have done anything to stop it, and that disconnection is one reason the regulations didn’t have enough political momentum to pass.

In a dramatic career turnaround, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice will be appointed Barack Obama's national security advisor Wednesday, just six months after withdrawing her name from consideration as secretary of state amid intense political pressure. Rice's promotion places her at the epicenter of foreign-policy decision making in a senior-level White House position that is arguably more influential than secretary of state, given its close proximity to the president. She replaces Tom Donilon, a cautious realist who has amassed immense influence over Obama's foreign policy in his 2 1/2 years on the job. The promotion highlights Obama's willingness to stand by Rice despite intense Republican criticism of her role in disseminating information in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi, Libya, that ultimately proved misleading. In his first press conference after winning re-election in November, Obama tore into Rice's Republican critics.

AgustaWestland has asked India to pay the sums due in a 560 million euros helicopter deal, a spokesman for the company said, seeking to speed up decisions on a purchase which has been tainted by allegations of corruption. AgustaWestland, a division of Italian defence group Finmeccanica (SIFI.MI), faces allegations of paying bribes to win the deal to supply 12 VIP AW101 helicopters. India froze payments to the company in February as the scandal unfolded. AgustaWestland denies the allegations. A company spokesman said AgustaWestland had asked India's defence ministry and more recently the finance ministry to pay the sums due under the contract. It was not immediately clear what sums were due and what had already been paid. A source familiar with the company's position said AgustaWestland had told the finance ministry in a letter that its initial contract with the Indian government was still valid and India was liable to pay the remaining amount because the allegations had not been proven.

Shanti Dhariwal, Rajasthan’s minister for urban development and housing, on May 25 inaugurated the state chapter of Indian National Overseas Congress(I) at Mint restaurant in Garden City, N.Y.   Dhariwal said Rajasthan has been making all-round progress in many fields under the leadership of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. He said the Congress Party is sure to return to power in view of numerous people-welfare measures undertaken by the government, according to a press release issued by INOC(I). He also stressed the importance of active participation by nonresident Rajasthanis in the socioeconomic development of the state and gave an update of the government’s policies and achievements, specially the Jaipur Metro Project, Ghhat ki   Guni tunnel and other infrastructure projects, the release said.   Tom Suozzi, former executive of Nassau County, in his remarks, praised the role of Indian-Americans in making the county a better place to live with their hard work and dedication.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who will officially take office on June 5, and other newly elected members of Pakistan's National Assembly were sworn in on Saturday, marking the first time power has been transferred between two democratically elected civilian governments (ET, Guardian).   While this is Sharif's third turn as prime minister, almost two-thirds of the legislators are first-time assembly members.   The new government, dominated by members of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, faces many challenges including an ailing economy, massive energy shortages, and ongoing militant activity that has killed thousands.   Elsewhere in politics, after the poor showing of the Pakistan People's Party in the recent parliamentary elections, current President Asif Ali Zardari confirmed that he will not run for another term when his presidency expires in September (ET).

(Reuters) - India's No. 2 IT services firm  Infosys   Ltd ( INFY.NS ), grappling with disappointing results and loss of market share, has recalled founder and former chairman N.R. Narayana Murthy to act as executive chairman for five years. He replaces current chairman K.V. Kamath, who will become lead independent director. Current co-chairman S. Gopalakrishnan will become executive vice chairman, while CEO S.D. Shibulal remains in his position, Infosys said. "The board has taken this step keeping in mind the challenges that the technology industry and the company faces," Kamath said in a statement on Saturday, also acknowledging calls from shareholders to strengthen leadership of the company. Infosys, for years an investor favourite for exceeding its earnings targets, has struggled in the past two years as big customers in the United States and Europe cut costs and rivals such as  Tata Consultancy   Services ( TCS.NS ) and HCL Technologies Ltd ( HCLT.

President Obama is scheduled to attend a fundraising dinner at the home of the most famous Indian American venture capitalist of Silicon Valley, Vinod Khosla. According to the Washington Post, Khosla and his wife  Neeru are hosting a $32,400 dollar per- person fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee at the ir Portola Valley, Calif., home June  6. Known as America’s first ‘Nerd President,’ who ran the most tech savvy campaign ever for office both in 2008 and 2012, Obama has courted the tech sector not just for winning elections but in almost every sphere of his administration. One of the first steps he took even before stepping into the White  House,   was to appoint the country’s first Chief Technology Officer, an Indian American, Aneesh Chopra and the first Chief Information Officer, yet another Indian American, Vivek Kundra.

Pakistan's new government plans to sell $5 billion in treasury bills to pay off a chain of debt choking the country's power sector and its economy and boost electricity output by a quarter - all within its first 100 days in power. The incoming administration of Prime Minister-elect Nawaz Sharif has identified widespread blackouts that last up to 20 hours a day in some areas as its top political and economic challenge. The deepening power shortages have sparked violent protests and cost hundreds of thousands of jobs in a country already beset by high unemployment, a failing economy, widespread poverty, sectarian bloodshed and a Taliban insurgency. Several key members of the incoming government's energy team interviewed by Reuters over the past few days said that out of a long list of challenges ranging from lack of investment to electricity theft, plugging a 500 billion rupee financing hole was the most pressing task.

(Reuters) - It wasn't a typical photo opportunity for cricketer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth as he stood outside a New Delhi court in a pair of faded jeans and a dark blue full-sleeve tee-shirt. Flanked by two policemen and his face covered with a black cloth, one of the most recognisable sportsmen in India kept his head bowed as newspaper photographers clicked away. The slim, 30-year old, who can hurl the ball at speeds of up to 145 km per hour (90 mph) at opposing batsmen, was arrested ten days ago, police said, for receiving 4 million rupees from bookies for underperforming in a match in the multi-billion dollar Indian Premier League (IPL), the sport's richest tournament. He and two other players were provisionally charged with cheating, fraud and breach of trust. In a statement to media through his lawyer, Sreesanth denied any wrongdoing and said he was confident he would be proven innocent "and my honour and dignity will be vindicated and restored".

(Reuters) - Suspected Maoist rebels killed at least 19 people in Chhattisgarh when they ambushed a convoy carrying regional leaders from the ruling Congress party in dense forest on Saturday, officials said, one of the deadliest such attacks in recent years. The rebels felled trees to block the 20-car convoy and then detonated a landmine and raked the vehicles with gunfire, Indian media reported. Among those killed was Mahendra Karma, a senior Congress leader from Chhattisgarh who founded an anti-Maoist group and was believed to be the main target of the attack. The state's Congress party leader and his son were also killed. Senior Chhattisgarh police official Mukesh Gupta told Reuters by telephone six policemen were among the dead and that 35 people were also wounded in the ambush. Police had earlier put the death toll as high as 27 but that had been revised down, Gupta said.

– CHICAGO, Ill. About 300 Indian-Americans from 20 cities across the United States gathered at Waterford Banquet and Convention Center in Elmhurst, Ill., on May 18 to show their support for the Aam Aadmi Party led by Indian activist Arvind Kejriwal. The event was billed as the party’s first convention and was followed by volunteer workshop attended by 75 people. A resolution issued at the convention by Munish Raizada said: “We NRIs and PIOs look with great interest at this political experiment and extend full support to Aam Aadmi Party that wants to change the culture of politics in India.”  Addressing the supporters through a live video conference, Kejriwal spoke about his party’s role in India’s growth and the role that NRIs can play in furthering this cause, a press release issued by the Aam Aadmi Party said.  Kejriwal said he believes the party could be the catalyst for change in India by redefining the rules of politics.

A Pakistani court on Monday granted bail to former army chief and president Pervez Musharraf who has been under house arrest on charges of failing to provide adequate security for former prime minister Benazir Bhutto before her 2007 assassination. Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup, returned to Pakistan in March after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest a May 11 general election, but he was disqualified from standing because of pending court cases. The election was won by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of Nawaz Sharif, the prime minister Musharraf ousted in his coup 14 years ago. Musharraf became the first former army chief to be arrested, breaking an unwritten rule that the top ranks of the military are untouchable, even after they have retired. But the current army chief has suggested the military is unhappy with how authorities have treated Musharraf.