Forbes names Sonia 6th most powerful woman
Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi was on Wednesday ranked the sixth most powerful woman in the world, ahead of US First Lady Michelle Obama, by Forbes magazine in its list of 100 influential women, which was topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Mrs Gandhi, 65, is among the five Indian women who have been named in the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” list released by Forbes on Wednesday.
The UPA chairperson was ranked 7th in 2011.
Giving Mrs Gandhi company is chairman and CEO, PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi who was ranked 12th followed by Cisco Systems chief technology and strategy officer Padmasree Warrior at 58th place, ICICI Bank managing director and CEO Chanda Kochhar at 59th and Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw at 80th rank.
Forbes said Mr Gandhi, the “one-time heir to the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty”, successfully underwent a surgery last year and was “back in fighting spirit last month when she publicly reprimanded a fellow parliamentarian during session who had criticised her party’s handling of this summer’s rioting in Assam”. The longest serving chief in the Congress’ history, Mrs Gandhi has had to defend herself and the party after a spate of key Assembly elections in 2012, blaming the drubbing on weak candidates and state party organisations.
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Pranab never held BIET post, reveals rti
Age Correspondent
New Delhi, Aug. 22
Putting to rest the allegations of P.A. Sangma, who had alleged Pranab Mukherjee’s was associated with the Birbhum Institute of Engineering and Technology (BIET), a RTI has revealed that the President never held any post and in fact never applied in BIET.
Earlier, the Sangma campaign had raised objections to UPA presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee’s candidature, alleging his responsibilities at BIET.
Former BJP MP Satyapal Jain and Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy had in July 2012 claimed that Mr Mukherjee continued to hold offices of profit as vice-president of BIET, violating office of profit rules.
In a meeting with CEC V.S. Sampath, Mr Sangma’s representatives had even demanded scrutiny of Mr Mukherjee’s nomination on the grounds that the information strengthened the case for his disqualification. However, in response to the RTI filed by a noted RTI activist, it has been revealed that “Pranab Mukherjee never applied for any post in BIET as its member and nobody proposed and seconding his application,” said the reply.
It further added that Mr Mukherjee, as alleged, never held the post of vice-president of BIET sometime in June /July 2012.
Then too the allegations were rebutted by parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Bansal who had said, “This only proves the campaign for the highest office in the country is being vitiated,” Mr Bansal said.
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