AFTER the ascension of Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba as Prime Minister following a Supreme Court ruling, political instability in Nepal is likely to subside. Mr. Deuba has raised hopes of a stable government by winning the confidence vote in the Parliament to succeed Mr. K P Sharma Oli. Now, with Mr. Deuba firmly in the saddle New Delhi can expect improvement in relations with Kathmandu after the murky ride in the last few years. Nepal’s cartographical misadventure and ouster PM Mr. Oli’s open tilt towards China had soured relations between the two traditional neighbours though things had started to change in the post-COVID world. Mr. Deuba can certainly help in changing the picture given his cordial relations with India in previous stints. The 75-year-old had kept India in the loop in his last regime on important matters unlike the obsitnate stand adopted by Mr. Oli. Having cordial and good relations with Nepal is important for India to counter China’s growing influence. Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s call to Mr. Deuba is a fine start to iron out strains in the relations. The possibility of a new dynamic with the Himalayan nation is quite encouraging.

 

 

INDIAN tennis has continued its tango with controversy after fresh round of sparring between the All India Tennis Association (AITA) and players. This time the topic for a new row is men’s team entry in Olympics. Top star Rohan Bopanna has accused the AITA of misleading the players over a possible chance to make the Olympics. Bopanna has blamed the AITA for the mess it created by approaching the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for a last-minute change in the Tokyo-bound tennis team. It had sought help in pairing Bopanna with Sumit Nagal and went on telling the player that he would be going to the Olympics. In reality, the ITF had clearly refused any change in the team after the July 16 deadline. The confusion created by the letter has sparked the latest controversy as women’s top star Sania Mirza too jumped into the issue by holding AITA responsible for losing out on a medal chance. The AITA rebuttal and slamming of the two players looks perfect given the words both chose to air their views in the social media. AITA was only making a last-minute effort to effect a change in the team but the players had no business in questioning the attempt. The row is needless and must end now.