The Evening Wrap: PM Modi arrives in U.S. for Quad summit

This is the latest version of today’s Evening Wrap. Please ignore the earlier version that was indvertently triggered from the system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the U.S. on a three-day visit to “further strengthen India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership”, attend the Quad summit and address a key conclave at the United Nations. Modi will also hold separate bilateral meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders on the margins of the Quad summit in Wilmington, Delaware, and the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the UN General Assembly in New York. At the Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania State, he was greeted by a large gathering of the Indian diaspora. Modi greeted the group of people dressed in their traditional wear with many of them holding the Indian tri-colour. He walked along the fenced area, signed autographs for some of them and shook hands with some others. “PM @narendramodi arrives in the historic city of Philadelphia. An action packed day with engagements in bilateral and Quad formats in Wilmington, Delaware lies ahead. Stay tuned!” the Ministry of External Affairs posted on X along with a few photos. “Welcoming PM @narendramodi for a special visit to the USA to further strengthen India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership! During the visit, PM will meet @Potus for bilateral discussions, participate in the 6th Quad Leaders’ Summit, address the United Nations ‘Summit of the Future,’ and hold several other substantive engagements, including with the top tech CEOs and the Indian diaspora,” the Indian Embassy in the U.S. posted on X. The annual Quad summit at Wilmington, which is President Biden’s hometown, is expected to roll out a series of new initiatives to boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and explore ways to find peaceful solutions to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. The Prime Minister’s other engagements include joining an Indian diaspora event at Long Island and participating in a round table with CEOs of American firms working on cutting-edge technologies such as AI, quantum computing and semiconductors. In his departure statement at New Delhi, Modi said he looked forward to joining his colleagues President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for the Quad Summit. “The forum has emerged as a key group of like-minded countries to work for peace, progress and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” he added. The four-member Quad, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, advocates upholding a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific. Beijing sees it as an ant-China grouping. The Quad leaders are also set to unveil a “milestone” initiative to prevent, detect, treat and alleviate the impact of cancer on patients and their families. Rahul Gandhi defends his comments on Sikhs, accuses BJP of spreading lies Breaking his silence on the controversy over his statements in the U.S., Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has accused the BJP of spreading lies and accused the ruling party of trying to silence him from speaking the truth. In a post on X, Mr. Gandhi shared a video clip, which runs for one minute and 50 seconds, and asked Sikhs whether there was anything wrong in what he had said and if India should not be a country where every Indian could practise their religion without fear. “The BJP has been spreading lies about my remarks in America. I want to ask every Sikh brother and sister in India and abroad – is there anything wrong in what I have said? Shouldn’t India be a country where every Sikh – and every Indian – can freely practise their religion without fear,” he asked. “As usual, the BJP is resorting to lies. They are desperate to silence me because they cannot stand the truth. But I will always speak up for the values that define India: our unity in diversity, equality, and love,” Mr. Gandhi added. Meanwhile, the BJP, citing a joint statement of several Sikh and gurdwara management bodies, asked Gandhi to withdraw his remarks made in the U.S. Atishi takes oath as Delhi Chief Minister Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi on Saturday took oath as the eighth Chief Minister of Delhi after AAP’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal resigned from the post on September 17 and declared that he will not sit on the Chief Minister’s chair until the people of Delhi give him a “certificate of honesty” and vote him back to power. Ms. Atishi, the third woman to hold the post, is likely to have a four-month term as Chief Minister as the Delhi Assembly election is scheduled for February 2025. In her first press conference after taking oath, Ms. Atishi said that it was an emotional day for her as Mr. Kejriwal will not be the Chief Minister of Delhi and blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party for hatching a conspiracy against him by “implicating him in a false case”. “My job for the next four months is to ensure that those people of Delhi who have been troubled due to the conspiracies of the BJP get the facilities promised to them,” Ms. Atishi said. She appealed to the people of the national capital to ensure that Mr. Kejriwal becomes the Chief Minister again so that the free services like free electricity and water continue and the BJP does not get an opportunity to stop them. “Now that Mr. Kejriwal is out of jail, he will work for the people of Delhi and not let the BJP stop any of the facilities they have been enjoying,” Ms. Atishi added. Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena who administered the on oath of office and secrecy to Ms. Atishi at a ceremony at Raj Bhawan also swore in her new Council of Ministers, comprising the old guard of Saurabh Bharadwaj, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, and Imran Hussain as well as Mukesh Ahlawat who is a new face. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Kejriwal former deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta, BJP MPs, including Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra, and Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora. The LG also approved the distribution of portfolios among the ministers with Ms. Atishi continuing to head 13 departments of the Delhi Government in addition to being the Chief Minister. Bengal junior doctors partially resume work after 42 days of protest Junior doctors partially resumed work in government hospitals in West Bengal on Saturday after 42 days of protests following the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH) in Kolkata on August 9. They have returned to only emergency duties and not in-patient or out-patientdepartments. A protesting postgraduate female trainee doctor at Medical College, Kolkata, Dr. Gauri Seth, who completed 24 hours of Emergency duty on Saturday morning, said that going back to work was filled with mixed feelings and that she felt dissociated for the first few hours since she returned to work after 42 days. She told The Hindu, “We were all women on duty last night (Friday, September 20), we were all a little uncomfortable though we were not vocal about it. My seniors kept telling me not to get out of the room if I felt threatened.” Dr. Seth said the doctors are now looking out for each other more than before since they have not yet recovered from the trauma of losing their peer at RGKMCH to rape and murder. “Only essential services have resumed. These services differ for each department. All departments have been instructed to produce an SOP (standard operating procedure) for work until all the services resume,” said Dr. Hassan Mustaq, a postgraduate doctor from RGKMCH. Patients flocked in huge numbers to the emergency, trauma, and OPD buildings of the RGKMCH as the hospital and its doctors picked up the pieces from the aftermath of the rape and murder. Resident doctors from the government medical colleges have also started Abhaya Clinics in the flood-affected areas of West Bengal, where they are giving medical advice for free. They also distribute food, water, and other essential items, which they received from civil societies, to the flood-affected people. In the meantime, the slogans and graffiti on the roads in front of Swastha Bhawan, headquarters of the State Health Department, where the doctors held a 10-day long sit-in demonstration, were being removed. Fresh coatings of colour have been given to the streets and walls to cover the remains of the protest. The protesting doctors said, “They can remove our slogans from the roads and walls, but they will never be able to remove the cause from our hearts.” In Brief: Sri Lankans gave their mandate to the country’s next leader in a peacefully held Presidential election on Saturday. The outcome of the critical election, expected on Sunday, is watched closely as the island nation navigates a challenging phase of economic recovery following a crushing crisis two years ago. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 21 September 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( PM Modi arrives in U.S. for Quad summit This is the latest version of today’s Evening Wrap. Please ignore the earlier version that was indvertently triggered from the system. Prime Minister [Narendra Modi arrived in the U.S.]( on a three-day visit to “further strengthen India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership”, attend the Quad summit and address a key conclave at the United Nations. Modi will also hold separate bilateral meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders on the margins of the Quad summit in Wilmington, Delaware, and the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the UN General Assembly in New York. At the Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania State, he was greeted by a large gathering of the Indian diaspora. Modi greeted the group of people dressed in their traditional wear with many of them holding the Indian tri-colour. He walked along the fenced area, signed autographs for some of them and shook hands with some others. “PM @narendramodi arrives in the historic city of Philadelphia. An action packed day with engagements in bilateral and Quad formats in Wilmington, Delaware lies ahead. Stay tuned!” the Ministry of External Affairs posted on X along with a few photos. “Welcoming PM @narendramodi for a special visit to the USA to further strengthen India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership! During the visit, PM will meet @Potus for bilateral discussions, participate in the 6th Quad Leaders’ Summit, address the United Nations ‘Summit of the Future,’ and hold several other substantive engagements, including with the top tech CEOs and the Indian diaspora,” the Indian Embassy in the U.S. posted on X. The annual Quad summit at Wilmington, which is President Biden’s hometown, is expected to roll out a series of new initiatives to boost cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and explore ways to find peaceful solutions to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. The Prime Minister’s other engagements include joining an Indian diaspora event at Long Island and participating in a round table with CEOs of American firms working on cutting-edge technologies such as AI, quantum computing and semiconductors. In his departure statement at New Delhi, Modi said he looked forward to joining his colleagues President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for the Quad Summit. “The forum has emerged as a key group of like-minded countries to work for peace, progress and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” he added. The four-member Quad, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, advocates upholding a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific. Beijing sees it as an ant-China grouping. The Quad leaders are also set to unveil a “milestone” initiative to prevent, detect, treat and alleviate the impact of cancer on patients and their families. Rahul Gandhi defends his comments on Sikhs, accuses BJP of spreading lies Breaking his silence on the controversy over his statements in the U.S., Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha [Rahul Gandhi has accused the BJP of spreading lies]( and accused the ruling party of trying to silence him from speaking the truth. In a post on X, Mr. Gandhi shared a video clip, which runs for one minute and 50 seconds, and asked Sikhs whether there was anything wrong in what he had said and if India should not be a country where every Indian could practise their religion without fear. “The BJP has been spreading lies about my remarks in America. I want to ask every Sikh brother and sister in India and abroad – is there anything wrong in what I have said? Shouldn’t India be a country where every Sikh – and every Indian – can freely practise their religion without fear,” he asked. “As usual, the BJP is resorting to lies. They are desperate to silence me because they cannot stand the truth. But I will always speak up for the values that define India: our unity in diversity, equality, and love,” Mr. Gandhi added. Meanwhile, the BJP, citing a joint statement of several Sikh and gurdwara management bodies, [asked Gandhi to withdraw his remarks]( made in the U.S. Atishi takes oath as Delhi Chief Minister Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader [Atishi on Saturday took oath as the eighth Chief Minister of Delhi]( after AAP’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal resigned from the post on September 17 and declared that he will not sit on the Chief Minister’s chair until the people of Delhi give him a “certificate of honesty” and vote him back to power. Ms. Atishi, the third woman to hold the post, is likely to have a four-month term as Chief Minister as the Delhi Assembly election is scheduled for February 2025. In her first press conference after taking oath, Ms. Atishi said that it was an emotional day for her as Mr. Kejriwal will not be the Chief Minister of Delhi and blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party for hatching a conspiracy against him by “implicating him in a false case”. “My job for the next four months is to ensure that those people of Delhi who have been troubled due to the conspiracies of the BJP get the facilities promised to them,” Ms. Atishi said. She appealed to the people of the national capital to ensure that Mr. Kejriwal becomes the Chief Minister again so that the free services like free electricity and water continue and the BJP does not get an opportunity to stop them. “Now that Mr. Kejriwal is out of jail, he will work for the people of Delhi and not let the BJP stop any of the facilities they have been enjoying,” Ms. Atishi added. Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena who administered the on oath of office and secrecy to Ms. Atishi at a ceremony at Raj Bhawan also swore in her new Council of Ministers, comprising the old guard of Saurabh Bharadwaj, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gahlot, and Imran Hussain as well as Mukesh Ahlawat who is a new face. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Kejriwal former deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta, BJP MPs, including Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra, and Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora. The LG also approved the distribution of portfolios among the ministers with Ms. Atishi continuing to head 13 departments of the Delhi Government in addition to being the Chief Minister. Bengal junior doctors partially resume work after 42 days of protest [Junior doctors partially resumed work in government hospitals in West Bengal]( on Saturday after 42 days of protests following the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH) in Kolkata on August 9. They have returned to only emergency duties and not in-patient or out-patientdepartments. A protesting postgraduate female trainee doctor at Medical College, Kolkata, Dr. Gauri Seth, who completed 24 hours of Emergency duty on Saturday morning, said that going back to work was filled with mixed feelings and that she felt dissociated for the first few hours since she returned to work after 42 days. She told The Hindu, “We were all women on duty last night (Friday, September 20), we were all a little uncomfortable though we were not vocal about it. My seniors kept telling me not to get out of the room if I felt threatened.” Dr. Seth said the doctors are now looking out for each other more than before since they have not yet recovered from the trauma of losing their peer at RGKMCH to rape and murder. “Only essential services have resumed. These services differ for each department. All departments have been instructed to produce an SOP (standard operating procedure) for work until all the services resume,” said Dr. Hassan Mustaq, a postgraduate doctor from RGKMCH. Patients flocked in huge numbers to the emergency, trauma, and OPD buildings of the RGKMCH as the hospital and its doctors picked up the pieces from the aftermath of the rape and murder. Resident doctors from the government medical colleges have also started Abhaya Clinics in the flood-affected areas of West Bengal, where they are giving medical advice for free. They also distribute food, water, and other essential items, which they received from civil societies, to the flood-affected people. In the meantime, the slogans and graffiti on the roads in front of Swastha Bhawan, headquarters of the State Health Department, where the doctors held a 10-day long sit-in demonstration, were being removed. Fresh coatings of colour have been given to the streets and walls to cover the remains of the protest. The protesting doctors said, “They can remove our slogans from the roads and walls, but they will never be able to remove the cause from our hearts.” In Brief: Sri Lankans gave their mandate to the country’s next leader in [a peacefully held Presidential election]( on Saturday. The outcome of the critical election, expected on Sunday, is watched closely as the island nation navigates a challenging phase of economic recovery following a crushing crisis two years ago. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Today’s Top Picks [[How Kolkata grew its spine over R.G. Kar rape and murder protests] How Kolkata grew its spine over R.G. 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