Obama's India visit: Bowing a bit for a date with the Mahatma

MUMBAI: Barack Obama is big on symbolisms. His critics, whose ranks seem to swell with each passing day, contend that Brand Obama stands on the pillars of hollow rhetoric and symbolisms.

For a man who smugly rode into Washington DC in a vintage train car trying to enact a truncated version of Abraham Lincoln’s own 1861 train journey as president-designate, a visit to India, the land of Mahatma Gandhi and non-violent freedom movement, is fertile territory for symbolisms, empty or otherwise.

One of his early engagements in India on Saturday is a visit to the modest Mani Bhavan in Mumbai’s Laburnum Road that played host to the Mahatma for 17 long years. The 6’1” President will have to bow his head a bit to enter through the smallish twin-paneled front doors of Mani Bhavan.

Office-bearers here expect Barack Obama to take about 40 minutes to complete his tryst with Mahatma Gandhi’s former residence. And if the President cares to read earlier entries while signing the visitor’s book, he could see what "American Gandhi" Martin Luther King wrote about his visit to Mani Bhavan on May 28, 1959. "I had the opportunity of sleeping in the house where Gandhiji slept. It is an experience that I’ll never forget," King had penned.

The President and the First Lady will be greeted by a smorgasbord of pleasing fragrance, thanks to the dozen sandalwood and incense sticks that are permanent fixtures near the bust. The small and simple one-time residence of Mahatma Gandhi begins with this front room whose walls bear sepia tinted photos of prominent freedom movement leaders, his contemporaries and events such as the defiant burning of “Manchester silk”.

The first couple will also get to see the letters penned by Mohandas Gandhi to his wife Kasturba and her letters to the couple’s estranged son Harilal. The letters mostly written in thick running hand using dark blue ink provide a glimpse of the tensions within a family that’s headlong into a national cause that demanded utter selflessness.

The letter written by Gandhi from his prison cell in South Africa advising his seriously ill wife Kasturba to keep courage is particularly touching.

The letter, dated November 9, 1908, reads, "It cuts my heart... I can come only if I pay the fine, which I must not...If, however, my ill luck so has it that you pass away, I should only say that there would be nothing wrong in your doing so in your separation from me while I am still alive. I love you so dearly that even if you are dead, you will be alive to me."

The Obamas will find themselves in the company of 50,000 neatly-shelved books about the life of the Mahatma. If the President decides to go to the first floor, through a flight of wooden stairs with brass tacks, he’ll get a chance to see photographic posters depicting important events, Gandhiji’s correspondence with writer and friend Leo Tolstoy and few replicas of Bapu’s personal belongings.

(source:indiatimes.com)

Say no to American dairy products: CPI-M

New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) Ahead of US President Barack Obama's visit to India, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Thursday said India should not accept the US demand for allowing import of its dairy and agricultural products.

'There is a threat that this will further weaken our agricultural sector,' said CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechury.

'If India becomes a big market for the US to get out of its own economic crisis, it will pose a threat to our markets,' he said.

About the scheduled address of Obama to MPs, Yechury said: 'While we listen to Obama in parliament, he is also obliged to listen to the people of India.'

Obama will visit India Nov 6-9. He will arrive in Delhi Nov 7.

(source:sify.com)

Ahead of Obama's India visit, US slaps sanctions

Washington: On the eve of President Barack Obama's maiden visit to India, the US slapped sanctions on Pakistan-based terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e Mohammad, besides targeting LeT commander Azam Cheema, a key operational figure in the 26/11 attacks.

The Treasury Department took action against Cheema, who helped train operatives for the 26/11 attacks and was the "mastermind" behind the July 2006 Mumbai train bombings, an official statement said.

Washington's action comes hours before Obama leaves on four-day visit to India, which has been pressing the US to lean on Pakistan to take strong and transparent action against the terror groups operating from its territory.

Obama's first halt will be Mumbai where he will stay at Taj hotel, the scene of audacious attacks by LeT terrorists in 2008. The attacks at Taj and other places in Mumbai had left 166 people dead and over 300 injured.

The department targeted financial and support network of the two terror groups. It also acted against Hafiz Abdul Rahman Makki, head of LeT's political affairs department, for acting for or on behalf of LeT.

The US also targeted Al Rehmat Trust, an operational front for JeM and the group's top leader Mohammed Masood Azhar Alvi.

"LeT and JeM have proven both their willingness and ability to execute attacks against innocent civilians," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey.

"Today's action including the designation of Azam Cheema, one of LeT's leading commanders who was involved in the 2008 and 2006 Mumbai attacks is an important step in incapacitating the operational and financial networks of these deadly organizations," he said.

Cheema is a key commander in the operations of LeT which has been held responsible for the November 26, 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The group has been closely associated with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

LeT was designated as a terrorist outfit in May 2005.

Cheema has also been described as LeT's surveillance or intelligence chief and has been involved in LeT's training activities, specifically training LeT members in bomb making and skills needed to infiltrate India.

The terrorists who carried out the Mumbai attacks received some of their training from Cheema. He is also reported to have been involved in the July 2006 Mumbai train bombings perpetrated by LeT.

In July 2006, a series of coordinated bombings of trains in Mumbai killed nearly 200 people.

In 2008, Cheema was appointed as an operations advisor to LeT senior leader Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi, who was also previously designated by the UN Committee.

As of 2004, Cheema was identified as being responsible for LeT's external operational planning.

As of late 2008, Hafiz Makki was reported to be head of LeT's political affairs department and served as head of LET's foreign relations department.

Makki has also played a role in raising funds for LeT. In early 2007, he gave approximately USD 248,000 to a LeT training camp and approximately USD 165,000 to a LeT-affiliated madrassa, the Treasury department said.

It said after JeM was banned in Pakistan in 2002, it began using al Rehmat Trust as a front for its operations.

The Trust has provided support for militant activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including financial and logistical support to foreign fighters operating in both countries.

In early 2009, several prominent members of the Trust were recruiting students for terrorist activities in Afghanistan.

The Trust has also been involved in fundraising for JeM, including for militant training and indoctrination at its mosques and madrassas.

As of early 2009, the Trust had initiated a donation program in Pakistan to help support families of militants who had been arrested or killed. And in early 2007, it was raising funds on behalf of Khudam-ul Islam, an alias for JeM.

The Trust has also provided financial support and other services to the Taliban, including financial support to wounded Taliban fighters from Afghanistan.

Mohammed Masood Azhar Alvi founded JeM in 2000 and is the head of al Rehmat Trust. He is also a former leader of the terrorist group Harakat al Mujahadin, also known as Harakat ul-Ansar; most of these groups' members subsequently joined JeM under Azhar's leadership.

In 2008, JeM recruitment posters in Pakistan contained a call from Azhar for volunteers to join the fight in Afghanistan against Western forces.

(source:ndtv.com)

Obama: People Saw "Overreach" in My Actions

President Obama said at a press conference Wednesday that the results of yesterday's midterm elections - in which his party lost Control of the House as well as Senate seats and governorships - "underscores for me that I've got to do a better job."

"I won the election in 2008, one of the reasons, I think, that people were excited about the campaign was the prospect that we would change how business is done in Washington," he said. "And we were in such a hurry to get things done that we didn't change how things got done. And I think that frustrated people."

He also placed the blame for the outcome of the midterms on that "very tough decisions" made by his administration during his first two years in office on the stimulus package, the bank bailouts (which were first passed under President Bush) and the auto bailouts.

"I think people started looking at all this and it felt as if government was getting much more intrusive into people's lives than they were accustomed to," he said. "Now, the reason was, it was an emergency situation. But I think it's understandable that folks said to themselves, 'You know, maybe this is the agenda as opposed to a response to an emergency.'"

Continued the president: "And that's something that I think, you know, everybody in the White House understood was a danger. We thought it was necessary. But, you know, I'm sympathetic to folks who looked at it and said, 'This is looking like potential overreach.'"

(source:cbsnews.com)

India to collaborate on innovations in agriculture sector

WASHINGTON: India and the United States will collaborate in the areas of agricultural innovation, during President Barack Obama's visit to the country, which will increase food security for Indians and help bring green revolution in Africa, the White House has said.

" agriculture would be one of the main focus areas of the presidential trip to India. The trip would discuss how innovation can support the kind of agriculture that allows people to have a broader food base," Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication said in response to questions at "Tuesday Talks", a live web cast from the White House on the President's 10-day Asia trip.

"That's the kind of cooperation we are going to announce in the course of the trip," he said, adding that USAID administrator Raj Shah and Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack were going on the trip.

In Mumbai, they would have a roundtable with some of their counterparts and some Indian farmers to discuss ways in which technology and innovation can help to increase food security for Indians.

"That includes things like technologies... that allow you to predict the weather so you can gear your crops towards more efficient use of your efforts and predict the kinds of weather that will allow you to enhance your food security; the kinds of technologies that will help farmers get their products to the market," Rhodes said.

"So there's a whole host of innovations and technologies that we want to focus on in the area of agricultural cooperation."

President Obama , in addition to roundtable, may likely to visit an expo where some Indian farmers would be highlighting these technologies.

"One additional exciting component of this is the high level of cooperation between the US and India can support continued efforts in India to lift people out of poverty, but they can also help people around the world," he noted.

"US has been part of Food Security Initiative in Africa, where we are trying to apply technology, innovation, capacity building to help African farmers lift their countries and their peoples into a higher standard of living.

"We see great potential for the US and India to cooperate, not just within India but in African countries as well, to apply the extraordinary lessons learned within India and the extraordinary innovations made by Indians to support development in other parts of the world," he said.

"So it's an exciting collaboration, both in terms of extending the progress that's been made within India and also extending that progress into parts of Africa that, of course, are in bad need of development," Rhodes said.

(source:indiatimes.com)

Obama’s Post-election Trip: The One flees town for India

“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”

–John Adams, Founding Father, 2nd US President

Obama's trip an opportunity to highlight Kashmir issue: Syed Ali Shah Geelani

Hardline Hurriyat Conference, led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, today said US President Barack Obama's visit to India provided it an opportunity to highlight the Kashmir issue.

The entire world attention would be focused on the visit and this would give the amalgam an opportunity to highlight the Kashmir issue, Geelani said in a statement here.

The Hurriyat hawk had given a call for a three-day shutdown in Kashmir Valley beginning November 6, coinciding with Obama's visit.

Obama India Trip 2010 Includes Challenges During 'Strategic' Visit

Following a colossal dip in U.S. public support, President Barack Obama will touch down in India on Saturday for a four-day trip that promises to be simultaneously challenging and significant.

Following his arrival in Mumbai Nov. 6, he is expected to meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and address a joint session of the Indian Parliament, reports Reuters. Among the varied topics Obama will reportedly discuss: lifting a 1998 ban on U.S. exports of dual-use technology, which can be used for both civilian and military purposes, to India. "Our teams continue to work hard to reach an agreement that strengthens the international non-proliferation system while treating India in a manner that is consistent with our strategic partnership," he is quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying.

While describing India as a "cornerstone" of American engagement in Asia, Obama acknowledged difficulty in supporting India's long-standing bid for a permanent place on the U.N. Security Council. "I do...expect to discuss India's role on the global stage during my visit," he told Reuters.

As two of the world's largest global democracies, the U.S. and India share a natural affinity and many of the same core values, according to Indian Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Prithviraj Chavan. In addition, Obama faces a somewhat unique challenge in visiting India, a country known for its unusually warm stance toward former U.S. President George W. Bush, says the New York Daily News.

(source:huffingtonpost.com)

Obama Appeals for 'Common Ground' After Democrats Lose House

President Obama, reflecting on the Democrats' historic losses in Congress in the midterm election, appealed Wednesday for both parties to find "common ground" while continuing to stand by his administration's policies.

Though those policies were used to tarnish Democrats in races across the country, Obama described his decisions to date as "tough" but "right." But as he faces down a new landscape in Congress starting in January, the president said he must take "direct responsibility" for the frustration over the economy that led to those changes and pledged to do more to reach "consensus" with Republicans.

"No party has a monopoly on wisdom," the president said. "I want to engage both Democrats and Republicans. ... I do believe there is hope for civility. I do believe there's hope for progress."

The news conference in Washington gave Obama his first opportunity to explain what his approach will be to a split Congress, with Republicans decisively in charge of the House and cutting deep into the Democrats' majority in the Senate.

Pressed for specifics, Obama suggested he'd be open to joining Republicans in calling for a moratorium on earmarks and taking a second look at a controversial provision in the health care law that requires businesses to file 1099 tax forms for large purchases. Republican leaders, in a series of speeches since Tuesday night's victories, have called on Obama to move toward the center. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, calling the election a "referendum" on Obama's policies, pointedly said Wednesday that the Democrats can either "work with us" or face another "change" election in 2012.

Obama on Wednesday directly attributed GOP gains to frustration over the economy, declining to sign on to claims that it was a referendum on his policies.

"Some election nights are more fun than others. Some are exhilarating. Some are humbling," Obama said. "Yesterday's vote confirmed what I've heard from folks all across America. People are frustrated, they're deeply frustrated with the pace of our economic recovery."

Republicans are projected to pick up about 65 seats in the House of Representatives, surpassing the gains they made in the 1994 election. They will not take the majority in the Senate but so far have snatched six seats away from Democrats.

(source:foxnews.com)

President Obama Urges Youth To Vote On Ryan Seacrest Radio Show

If you were driving around listening to "On-Air With Ryan Seacrest" on Tuesday morning (November 2), and you thought you heard him say he was about to talk to President Obama in between reports on Demi Lovato, the traffic and weather, you weren't mistaken.

In the final push to get out the vote as midterm election balloting got under way across the nation, the president made a number of pre-taped appearances on mainstream morning radio shows, dropping in to chat with "American Idol" host Seacrest as well as popular urban radio personalities Russ Parr and Steve Harvey.

"This is such a critical election, because we're living in a huge moment of change in this country," the president said of the past two years, which he called the toughest since the Great Depression. "Despite that, I am optimistic about this country because of young people. Because of their energy, because of their enthusiasm, because of their ideas. But none of that will make a difference if they're not participating."

With pundits predicting that the Democratic Party could lose control of one, perhaps both, houses of Congress, the president steered clear of any partisan rhetoric while chatting with Seacrest, instead focusing on big picture topics like immigration reform, jobs, terrorism and his role as First Father while urging the wave of young voters who helped him get elected in 2008 not to stay home on election day.

"I just want to make sure that everybody who's listening understands we need that same enthusiasm and interest on the part of young people in 2010," he said. "Because of the issues of war and peace, the issues of the economy, making sure that we have good opportunity for young people. That they can afford to go to college, that they can find good jobs. Those issues are still on the table, and we're going to need to make sure that we keep on making progress in the years to come."

After being criticized last week for becoming the first sitting president to appear on Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show," which is considered by some Washington pundits as a lightweight entertainment show, Obama again faced barbs from the right for the broad pop-culture reach of his election-day radio messaging.

Rather than ask about Justin Bieber or Snooki, though, Seacrest kept the 10-minute chat mostly topical, quizzing the president about the negative tone of campaign ads and the revelation over the weekend that two bombs were found on cargo planes in what appears to have been an attempted terror attack.

In speaking to a young audience, Obama stressed the positive work his administration has done providing Pell Grants to students and encouraging them to make sure they do everything they can to maximize their education. "We live in a competitive global environment and the more we have the best trained young people in the world, not only will that be good for them, that will be good for the whole country," he said.

And though he touched on the attempted plane bombings and urged citizens to remain alert to prevent terror attacks, Obama also faced a few lighter questions about being a dad in the White House.

"The truth is the girls are thriving," Obama said about daughters Sasha and Malia. Because the press have kept up their promise to leave the first daughters alone, the president said his kids have adjusted well to school, made friends and are able to go to the mall, have sleepovers and go to the movies just like other grade-schoolers. They even got to go trick-or-treating on Sunday, with Malia dressing as a Sour Patch girl and Sasha donning a turkey costume.

The president also admitted that he never gets to hit the snooze button because of his hectic work schedule. When he tries, the White House operator has been instructed to keep calling until he wakes up. He also said he'd been called "much worse" than "dude," which is how Stewart referred to him at one point last week during their interview.

"The main thing I want everyone to remember is you can't shape your future if you don't participate," the president said. "Young people all across this country, they're the ones who are going to make the difference, not just now but in the future."

(source:mtv.com)

Things to watch on Election Day

Against the backdrop of a bitterly divided Congress and an angry and frustrated electorate, the most expensive midterm election in history finally comes to a climax Tuesday as America votes on 37 Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives.

Here are five things to watch as the day plays out:

218 is the number: Republicans need a net gain of 39 seats to reach the 218-seat majority needed to control the House. While most experts believe they'll win control of the chamber, it remains to be seen how big a margin they might have when the new Congress is sworn in next year.

What happens if GOP wins control of the House?

Republicans are also expected to make gains in the Senate but come up short of the 10 seats they need to win control there.

What's at stake in the Senate

If Republicans gain control of the House, look for them to take steps to try to roll back portions of health care reform; extend the Bush-era tax cuts, if the current Congress doesn't when it returns after the election; write legislation for targeted tax credits for small businesses, which they believe will spur job growth; and trim the federal budget by as much as $150 billion.

But without control of the Senate, they'll need Democrats there to vote with them to get bills passed. And then they'll need the signature of President Obama, who opposes at least parts of that agenda.

CNN pundits predict the 2010 vote

Turning out the vote: Polls show Republicans more energized than Democrats, which suggests a higher turnout of GOP voters. While Americans aren't happy with either party, they tend to vote against the one in power.Obama has drawn large crowds lately in a series of rallies at college campuses to try to energize young voters, a key segment that helped elect him two years ago. The question is whether they'll come out to vote on Tuesday.

Midterm election at a glance

The year of the outsider: With so much frustration focused on Washington, incumbents began to fall in the primaries, and that wave is expected to continue Tuesday.

The insurgent Tea Party has had a major influence on the Republican Party and has some Democrats in close races distancing themselves from Obama and Democratic leaders in an effort to save their political careers.

While the number of winning "outsider" candidates will be determined Tuesday, the larger question won't be addressed until January, when the new Congress takes their seats: Will their influence in the House and Senate change Washington and will it further polarize it? Most analysts say an insurgent voting bloc will create an even more partisan Congress.

And how frustrated will voters be by the next time they get to select their legislative leaders?

What the Twitterverse is saying about the election

Speaking of 2012... The next presidential race begins with these midterms -- although if you live in an early-voting or key battleground state, you would have sworn that it's been going on for months, based on the number of visits by potential Republican candidates.

The early favorite among those who seek to unseat Obama will be the person who can make political capital out of the chits he or she has collected through endorsements and fundraising for winning House and Senate candidates.

2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has gotten much attention for endorsing Tea Party candidates in a number of high-profile races. But South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint has emerged as a GOP kingmaker, with a string of underdog candidates whom he backed winning unlikely victories.

Palin is already looked on by the party establishment as unelectable, because she's a polarizing figure outside of the party's conservative base. But DeMint could take the blame if the GOP fails to win the Senate.

DeMint's candidates -- most notably Delaware's Christine O'Donnell -- beat establishment-backed Republicans in primaries, but are expected to have a tougher time in the general election.

When might we know the outcome? Several key races in the eastern half of the country could give a good indication of how the House will go. But with key Senate races in states out west -- including Alaska, where the polls don't close until 1 a.m. Eastern time -- some races won't be decided until Wednesday morning, if then. Alaska's Republican primary wasn't decided until incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski conceded a week after the vote, while absentee ballots were still being counted.

Now running as a write-in candidate, Murkowski is in a tight race with Tea Party-backed Joe Miller, who beat her in the primary, and Democrat Scott McAdams.

And remember, the last Senate race in 2008 wasn't decided until after an eight-month court battle gave the seat to Democrat Al Franken.

(source:cnn.com)

Rs150-crore security system to keep watch on Obama

world’s most sophisticated surveillance system will be used for the security of US president Barack Obama when he visits Delhi.

The system, codenamed C4Eye, has been imported from Israel at a cost of approximately Rs150 crores. It had a bit of a rough run at the beginning — flopping on debut at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on October 3. This caused a flutter and angered Union home minister P Chidambaram. Later, the system did its job at all important venues during the Games.

The security apparatus has the capacity to ‘Command-Control-Communicate-Coordinate’ 36 surveillance cameras at the same time. These cameras can be installed at various places of strategic importance and can be monitored from control rooms at the Delhi police headquarters.

However, the Obama visit will be an acid test for the C4Eye system, since it has never been used during VVIP visits, let alone a US president.

The cameras have been installed in consultation with top American officials who have been taking care of the minutest security details of Obama’s trip. The US president’s security team has been on the job in Delhi for the past three months, leaving nothing in the hands of Delhi Police or other agencies.

More than 1,500 security personnel have been flown in from the US to be deployed during Obama’s visit to Mumbai and Delhi. This will be in addition to thousands of security personnel from Delhi Police and paramilitary forces who will provide peripheral, traffic and other security arrangements.

US securitymen will take over Taj Hotel in Mumbai a week before Obama lands there. They will be at the ITC Maurya Sheraton from November 2. Obama’s staff will bring food items and chefs from the US to make sure everything is fool-proof.

An officer connected with Obama’s security said it’s now part of the US president’s travel mandate that everything is brought in special jets wherever he travels in the world. Obama’s contingent will be largest ever and will fill up only Maurya but neighbouring Taj too. The president will travel in Air Force One. His contingent, comprising US businessmen and officials, will come in two jumbo jets.

Plus, there will be four cargo planes and two security jets. The president will travel in cars specially flown from the US and specially-designed keeping his security needs in mind. When Obama is in Mumbai, ships and vessels from the Indian Navy, the US Navy and the Coast Guard will patrol up to 330km of the seashore to prevent any attack.

(source:dnaindia.com)

Obama visit: India, US to partner in Africa anti-poverty drive

Next week president of United States Barack Obama sits down for talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh next week, India and the US will look to joining hands in spurring a green revolution and health uplift in Africa - a partnership that has the potential to counter China's growing clout in the oil-rich continent.

"India and the US will explore the principles and parameters of jointly working together in Africa," a senior Indian official told IANS, adding that collaborating in Africa figured prominently in recent high-level discussions between the two sides.

"The US appreciates the Indian experience of working in Africa in human resource development and food security. The US too has vital stakes in these areas," said the official.

Obama is expected to flag off these areas of cooperation during his address to top corporate honchos in Mumbai Nov 6 and later when he meets Manmohan Singh for official talks in New Delhi Nov 8.

Africa will also figure in the discussions when the two leaders will discuss maritime security and piracy, part of a larger collaboration on counter-terrorism.

The key areas of collaboration that are being discussed include pooling together resources and research to spawn a second green revolution and developing a coordinated strategy for combating HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, said officials.

The two sides also plan to collaborate in the development of non-conventional sources of energy such as solar and wind energy and sharing their experience in e-learning and the India-aided Pan Africa e-network that brings the benefits of tele-education and tele-medicine to Africans.

Poverty eradication in Africa is high on the global agenda of Obama, the first African American president of the US who was born to a Kenyan father. In his whirlwind visit to African countries last year, Obama described himself as having "Africa in his blood" as he spoke of the possibilities of the continent's emancipation from the scourge of poverty and disease.

With his deep admiration for Mahatma Gandhi and for India's experience in poverty reduction, Obama is open to constructive partnerships with likeminded countries like India in this area, said a US official.

Although the two sides officially deny competition with China as a motive animating their partnership, R.K. Bhatia, India's former high commissioner to South Africa, said the Americans often voiced apprehensions about Beijing's activities in Africa during his interactions with US envoys posted in African capitals.

"They definitely will be talking about how the two large democracies can spread the arc of democracy and economic growth," Bhatia told IANS.

Against the backdrop of the surging Chinese influence in Africa, the US and some of the Western powers find themselves drawn to the cost-effective and transformational model of India's engagement with Africa that hinges on trade, technology transfer, human resource development and lines of credit for African-owned infrastructure projects.

On the other hand, China's $108-billion bilateral trade, billions of dollars in aid, the practice of befriending dictatorial regimes and its focus on extractive resources have aroused much concern in key Western capitals.

It's not the US alone but its key ally Japan also held a maiden dialogue with India early in October on exploring cooperation in Africa. The Indian side was led by Gurjit Singh, joint secretary in charge of west and south Africa. The dialogue focused on sharing experiences of working in Africa, specially in areas of developmental cooperation, an official said. 

(source:indiatimes.com)