British jailed Gandhi, Nehru in same prisons: Modi told May on Mallya

India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru has been much pilloried over the past four years. As it turns out, Nehru came to Modi's rescue when the latter met UK Prime Minister Theresa May earlier this year on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj shared that after disgraced industrialist Vijay Mallya complained that Indian jails were in poor condition, a British court suggested a team would inspect them. 

The issue came up for discussion during May's meeting with Modi. According to Swaraj, Modi told May that these were the same jails where the British had imprisoned Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and others. “For your courts to question the conditions in these same jails is therefore not correct," Modi, according to Swaraj, told May.

Waiting for Rahul

In the past, Congress President Rahul Gandhi has been criticised for leaving the country, particularly during the summer heat, unannounced. And Congress spokespersons have struggled to answer questions on Gandhi's absence. But on Sunday evening Gandhi tweeted that he would be travelling out of the country. 

"Will be out of India for a few days, accompanying Soniaji to her annual medical check up. To my friends in the BJP social media troll army: don’t get too worked up... I'll be back soon!" he tweeted. Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh are hopeful that their party president would return by the first week of June. The Madhya Pradesh unit of the Congress, together with some other Opposition parties, are planning to mark the first anniversary of Mandsaur police firing in June. Gandhi is scheduled to attend the event at a village near Mandsaur.

Against all odds

Being a spokesperson of the Congress, Abhishek Manu Singhvi is usually at odds with Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party. However, a recent hearing before the Bombay High Court brought the senior Congress leader and lawyer on the same page as Modi. 

Appearing on behalf of the National Stock Exchange in its plea against the Singapore Exchange, Singhvi heaped praise on GIFT (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City), India's first international financial services centre, near Gandhinagar, and said overseas investors looking at an India exposure can use that platform instead of trading on a foreign bourse. GIFT is a pet project of PM Modi.