British prime minister garlands Gandhi statue

September 6th, 2009 LONDON - The grand daughter of Mahatma Gandhi's Irish friend Emma Harker is set to auction a bronze statue of a seated Buddhist deity gifted by Father of the Nation at Bonhams sale of Asian art. The 13-inch-high statue, being said to be that of the Bodhisattva of compassion Avalokitesvara, may fetch 3,000-5,000 pounds.

August 20th, 2009 PARIS - French anti-war campaigners have desecrated a statue of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on the anniversary of Paris's liberation from Nazi rule. The red paint attack on the bronze hands of the 250, 000 pound statue took place at night, The Telegraph reports.

June 27th, 2009 LEICESTER - A large statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled in this southeastern English city on Friday by British Home Secretary Alan Johnson amid tight security after internet protesters warned it could be defaced. Around 1,000 people, including a large number ethnic Indians, turned up to watch the unveiling by Johnson and Hindu spiritual leader Swami Satyamitrananda of Hardwar.

June 26th, 2009 LONDON - A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled Friday in the southeast British city of Leicester known as Little India for its Indian-origin population. Though locals were opposing the installation of the statue, no protest was made during the unveiling of the seven-foot icon, sitting on a five-foot plinth, of India's independence hero.

June 26th, 2009 LEICESTER - A large statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled in this southeastern English city Friday by the British home minister amid tight security after internet protesters warned it could be defaced. Around 1,000 people, including a large number ethnic Indians, turned up to watch the unveiling by Home Minister Alan Johnson and Hindu spiritual leader Swami Satyamitrananda of Hardwar.

June 24th, 2009 LONDON - British Home Secretary Alan Johnson will join Hindu spiritual leader Swami Satyamitranand at the unveiling of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the city of Leicester in southeast England Friday, the local MP said Wednesday. Keith Vaz, the longest-serving ethnic Indian MP in Britain, said the statue is to be placed in Belgrave Road - home to the city's thriving Indian business community.

May 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday reiterated that Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has all the qualities to be a good prime minister and said he would prefer 'at some stage' in his possible second term to hand over power to someone younger than himself. Speaking to CNN-IBN news channel, the prime minister also said that in 2004, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had informed him just 48 before he was sworn in prime minister that he was the man selected.

April 25th, 2009 KOLKATA - Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said here Saturday that he would refuse the prime minister's post if the offer was made to him now because he was busy revamping the party and lacked the experience to take the top job. 'I would refuse...for two reasons.

April 13th, 2009 KOCHI - Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Monday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was youthful and had the vision for the future unlike his opponent who lived in the past without a plan for the years to come. 'A young person looks to the future, the old looks to the past.

March 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday disclosed that he wanted Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, the son of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, to be a minister in the cabinet, but Rahul refused. 'I always wanted Rahul Gandhi to be a minister, but he refused,' Manmohan Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a defence investiture function at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

March 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Congress president Sonia Gandhi asserted Tuesday that she had no desire to be the prime minister of India. Asked at a press conference if she would change her mind on the subject, Gandhi replied: 'My position is the same, my position is not going to change.

February 14th, 2009 BHOPAL - A Youth Congress worker in Indore town of Madhya Pradesh Sunday attempted to commit suicide but was stopped by the police before he could set himself on fire, the police said. The incident occurred a little before a function the Congress' Indore unit organised to mark the unveiling of the late prime minister Indira Gandhi's statue.

February 13th, 2009 SURAT - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be the prime ministerial candidate of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in the Lok Sabha elections, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said Saturday. 'I have answered this question so many times in the past.

January 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Saturday said his statement about Congress MP Rahul Gandhi being a prime ministerial candidate was a general remark, though the party general secretary had the potential to occupy the office. The senior Congress leader, who had Thursday said Rahul Gandhi was set to walk in the footsteps of his father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, clarified that it was a general comment.

January 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress Friday said that Rahul Gandhi has all the qualities to become the prime minister of India as he represents the aspirations of young India. 'Rahulji possesses all the qualities to become the prime minister of India.