Editorial

INDI annoyance

FACTUALLY, the Opposition-sponsored I.N.D.I. Alliance lasted far longer than its natural life-cycle. For, factually, this alliance never got started since its founding convener, Mr. Nitish Kumar, deserted it before even its formal launch. Later, with a clock-like regularity, this or that partner of the alliance kept straying out of the ambit for its own reasons. And even when the alliance held on to itself somehow, it was dogged by a half-open-half-silent leadership tussle. The INDI Alliance, thus, ..

Beginning of the end

TRINAMOOL Congress (TMC) has split -- as had been predicted by many a political observer. The developments in the TMC in the last 2-3 days show that its founder and chief Ms. Mamata Banerjee has lost control over the party that ruled West Bengal for a full fifteen years in a row. The developments also point to another fact that the TMC had no philosophical or spiritual bindings to keep the flock together. In other words, the TMC was a fully transactional organisatoion where everybody survived on the ..

Critical shift

THE proposed move of the Border Security Force (BSF) to relocate as many as 360 zero-line villages along the Bangladesh border to safer areas points to a critical shift in the overall security calculus of the country. Villagers themselves have pushed for such a relocation since those villages get almost totally cut off from any emergency services particularly during nights and that the common people have to be at the mercy of Bangladesh. The BSF has also favoured the relocation since it would help ..

Weight of its own sin

THE Trinamool Congress party (TMC) that lost the legislative elections after a 15-year rule last month is getting bogged down under the weight of its own sins. Though its leaders are accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of indulging in vendetta politics, Chief Minister Mr. Suvendu Adhikari has insisted -- with proof -- that the TMC is suffering from the fissures in its own ranks with its own members working at cross-purposes. The Chief Minister’s assertion gets proved by the fact that ..

ImmortAl voice

 INNUMERABLE followers of Indian music often confused her voice with that of the legendary Lata Mangeshkar. Such was the strength and charm of the voice of Suman Kalyanpur -- who passed away at age 89. Yet, in her own way, she created her tremendous..

FIELD WIDE OPEN

THE French Open Grand Slam is set to see a new champion this year with tournament favourite Janik Sinner and old warhorse Novak Djokovic bowing out quite early. Both title contenders were downed by upcoming and unknown players but more than that it was the searing heat that knocked them out. It was unexpected but then their defeat is set to change the French Open leaderboard after a long, long time. And to add to the drama, there is not a single player remaining in the draw on whom one can place a ..

Internal fissures

FOR record, Mr. Siddaramaiah has resigned as Chief Minister of Karnataka. For record, his deputy, Mr. D K Shivakumar would take his place for the remaining two years of the five-year term. For record, thus, the power tussle within the Congress party is over. So, for record, the State Government would now find time to devote to people’s issues. Despite this, nobody would ever be sure that the internal trouble in the party would really end. This is how the Congress party often functions -- in a fractious ..

Fully constitutional

 IN THE given political situation in the country, it is unfathomable to say definitively if the Opposition parties would accept the verdict of the honourable Supreme Court that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls is fully cons..

what a prediction ?

 THE statement by Congress leader Mr. Rahul Gandhi at a Congress party meet two days ago has naturally begun attracting barbed criticism all over the country. Though other Congress leaders are trying to express support to Mr. Gandhi’s statement..

Thaw in ties

 CLOSE on the heels of Foreign Secretary Mr. Vikram Misri’s visit to the United States, the four-day trip by US Secretary of State Mr. Marco Rubio to India completes the reset in the Indo-US relations which were under strain after the tariff bo..

Relief for vinesh

EVEN before the wrestling bout could begin, the Delhi High Court had to play referee in a match that was being contested without the spirit of sports. The HC handed a massive relief to woman wrestler Vinesh Phogat by overturning the selection guidelines framed by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and allowed the Olympian to compete in the Asian Games trials. The Delhi HC verdict hands Vinesh a major boost after remaining in the eye of the storm over the last two years...

most crucial move !

THE West Bengal Government’s move reported widely in media but not officially confirmed about the transfer of 120 acres of land in the core part of the strategically critical Siliguri Corridor or Chicken’s Neck to the Central Government needs to be understood realistically. It is true that the extremely narrow Siliguri Corridor needs to be protected at all costs since it is the only link of the country with its North-Eastern States. Because of its proximity with the international border, this corridor, ..

Control the strays

BY INVOKING Article 21 of the Constitution to deal with the stray dogs menace, the Supreme Court has put things in the right perspective as the right to live with dignity also includes the right to move freely in public spaces without fear of attack by stray animals. The apex court has wisely stressed that children, travellers and old age people cannot be left vulnerable while refusing to recall its earlier order on sterilisation of stray dogs. The firm stand by the Supreme Court should now put the ..

Correction begins

 THE newly-formed West Bengal Government led by Chief Minister Mr. Suvendu Adhikari has begun a massive but most welcome process of correction of various anomalies, irregularities, criminal acts and injustice that the State saw for the fifteen years..

European footprint

THOUGH the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) may be facing an acute distortion because of the conflict of interests of the Member-Nations on account of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, there should be no doubt that the grouping would reinvent itself in times to come. The current strain between the United States of America and NATO’s European Member-Nations would get sorted out in some time and a new NATO may emerge to redefine the world order. Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s current ..

invisible champs

MORE than the tremendous resilience India’s best doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty displayed in the Thailand Open, it was their comments made about lack of credit after their Thomas Cup bronze victory that created quite a buzz in Indian sporting arena. The duo was unfazed by the debate their comments had caused as they found their mojo in the tournament in Bangkok where the singles participants tasted early defeats. But their story and their lament captured the apathy towards ..

Critical diplomacy

PRIME Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s current five-nation tour of United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy is one of the most critical diplomatic campaigns he has undertaken in recent times. When the world is getting embroiled in the serious energy crisis following the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict, Mr. Modi has taken upon himself to open newer avenues of energy supplies to India and also build stronger strategic ties with more countries. Of course, he has visited all these five ..

Tentative handshake

THEIR respective self-interests appear to lord over the tentative handshake United States President Mr. Donald Trump and Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping have made possible at what Mr. Trump described as “the biggest summit ever”. No matter Mr. Trump’s another assertion that the two countries had a “fantastic future together”, Mr. Xi Jinping was reportedly stoic and did not miss mentioning the Chinese concern over the American stance on Taiwan in rather clear words. Though Mr. Trump reportedly avoided ..

No Politics, Please !

 IT IS time the Opposition avoided unnecessary criticism of the Government as it promotes austerity measures at all possible levels. Thanks to the worsening international situation due to the extended Middle East crisis, the Government has found it n..

Pure vitriol

OBVIOUSLY, the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) has not learned any right lessons from its defeat in the recent legislative elections in Tamil Nadu. Its leader, Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin -- also the Leader of Opposition in TN Assembly -- vomited pure vitriol against Sanatan Dharma in his speech on the floor of the House. Even as he expressed a positive attitude towards the C. Joseph Vijay Government, Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin stressed that Sanatan Dharma should be destroyed. Most unfortunately, Chief Minister ..

Austerity appeal

THE repeated appeals to people by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and his senior colleagues in the Government in favour of austere living in the current conditions need to be taken seriously by the larger Indian society. Though the Government insists that the country has enough crude oil and gas reserves, it has nevertheless urged the people to save every drop possible so as to be ready for tougher days in times to come. It has also urged the people not to undertake unnecessary foreign travels and ..

New ‘power centre’

Chandrasekharan Joseph Vijay’s ascent as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu marks a monumental departure from decades of Dravidian dominance. By shifting his base from the film industry to politics, he has successfully converted his loyal fanbase into an organised order under his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Long before any of his political endeavours, he had dropped several hints about interests to lead the State. At one of his film launch events, when asked if he would become the Chief Minister ..

NECESSARY STEP

T HE strongly-worded advisory issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) pulling up Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises for conduct and protocol violations is a necessary step to ensure discipline in the world’s biggest cricket league. IPL’s fame and the BCCI’s prestige needs to be protected by all the stakeholders and the Board has acted in time before its reputation could take a beating like it did during the dark fixing and betting scandal in the 2013 edition of the cash-rich ..

Sunshine in bengal

 EVEN as Mr. Suvendu Adhikari got sworn in as Chief Minister of West Bengal -- along with five of his colleagues as Ministers -- the State officially opened its doors for new era of people-oriented governance with a special impetus to development, th..

Fractured INDIA

  THEre were cracks in the Opposition I.N.D.I. Alliance right since its inception, but the Legislative election results in five States have shown that those cracks are widening every passing day. Every party -- without exception -- is showing s..

west bengal on edge

 WITHIN hours of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s stupendous victory in the legislative elections, West Bengal finds itself perched on the edge of post-poll violence -- symbolised most starkly by the killing of Mr. Chandranath Rath, a close aide of..

Immoral ‘Morality’

 OUSTED West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) founder Ms. Mamata Banerjee is following a clearly immoral morality. She is indulging in a sinful thought-process that is not just anti-democratic but also unconstitutional. Her statemen..

End of arrogance

IT WOULD have been a real surprise if Trinamool Congress supremo Ms. Mamata Banerjee had not lost her election from the Bhabanipur Legislative constituency to her arch rival Mr. Suvendu Adhikari by a big margin of 15,000-plus votes. Over the past 15 years..

On predicted lines

  THE outcomes of exit polls have almost fully matched the actual results of the legislative elections to four States and one Union Territory. As per the exit poll prediction, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has ousted the Trinamool Congress in..

Test of democracy

NO MATTER that the process for all elections is the same, the legislative elections to four States and one Union Territory have assumed an entirely different colouration. The counting of votes taking place today -- that is May 4, 2026 -- will decide not just the winners but also the future direction of India’s democracy. In a way, the outcome may prove to be critical turning points for the national political trajectory for the next some time. This is the importance of these elections -- and their ..

Time of reckoning

THE time of reckoning has come for India to deal squarely with the oil and gas and fuel prices. The Government has taken the step to introduce steep hike in the prices of commercial LPG cylinders along with a similar hike in the prices of 5-kg cylinders...

Mass vote Metaphor

 NO MATTER how different political parties would interpret the massive polling in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu -- in addition to that in other States -- it is important to understand this sudden surge in voting percentage as a new phenomenon in Indian..

AIRLINES’ SOS

HIDDEN costs of the continuing West Asia crisis are coming out in the open for all economies dependent upon oil imports from the Gulf countries. With fuel supplies severely impacted due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran after a battle-deadlock with the United States, many countries in Asia and other parts of the world are struggling with energy crisis. Fuel prices have already seen steep hikes in many economies lacking sufficient oil reserves and mechanisms to absorb losses. Hardly a ..

Awkward pause

 THOUGH momentarily, global attention has shifted towards the presumed attempt on United States President Mr. Donald Trump during the annual dinner of White House correspondents. The US President was safely escorted out of the venue and the Californi..

Trend & Tactics

THE amount of runs and the pace of scoring have already ensured that this edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to become the most explosive tournament. Steep targets are being demolished with total ease as batters have set the trend of making an opening statement to subdue the defending side. Trends are also being set by the established players who have matched the newcomers equally in showing their class. It has been a speciality of the IPL where the young and experience form a potent ..

DIRTY DISCOURSE

WITH just one last phase of voting remaining in West Bengal on April 29, the high-stakes elections in five States will come to an end but not without leaving a bad taste in the form of poor public discourse by all contesting parties. Electoral rhetoric often makes parties go overboard during high decibel campaigns. It is a trend that marks a democratic process of electioneering but things turn really sour when the narrative shifts to below-the-belt attacks on opponents and deliberate attempts to vitiate ..

Terse message

EVEN as the nation remembered with heavy heart the killing of innocent civilian male tourists at Pahalgam exactly one year ago, the Indian Army, true to its spirit, gave out a terse message to whosoever it may concern that “boundaries of humanity” should never be crossed, and that there would be a “decisive response” if the violation took place again. As the people knew about this message from the Army, they remembered the precision strikes the Indian Armed Forces conducted on Pakistani targets as ..

PRESSURE GROUP

SKEPTICISM still hovers over the planned round of peace talks between the United States and Iran in Pakistan. Conflicting reports are emerging over the status of delegations from both countries even as threats and mixed messages continue from Washington and Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz. A diplomatic breakthrough is eagerly awaited from the second round of talks though uncertainty still hangs over the ceasefire with continuation of US President Mr. Donald Trump’s histrionics. However, an important ..

Narrative war

 NO MATTER that the combined Opposition has managed to defeat the Constitution Amendment Bill of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in the Lok Sabha, it is now being made to face a much bigger, country-wide narrative war launched by the Bharatiya Janata Pa..

Of character

 THE remarkable comeback staged by the Indian women’s hockey team by drawing equal with host Argentina 2-2 has led skipper Navneet Kaur to say with a legitimate sense of pride that the team is “moving in the right direction”. Those..

AS EXPECTED

 T HE defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill (131st) seeking 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures came on expected lines. There is reason to believe that even the Government expected the Bill to fail the numbers test on the floor of t..

DMK’s Acid test

EVEN as it seeks to return to power in Tamil Nadu (TN), the Dravida Munetra Kazgham (DMK) must be conscious of the acid test it has to undergo in the legislative elections. Though most political observers do not give the alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazgham (AIADMK) a very bright chance to dislodge the DMK from Government. Yet, there are political pundits who expect a significant rise in the voting share for the alliance in general and the BJP ..

On verge of change

 NO MATTER the electoral rhetoric she is putting up in her own defence, West Bengal Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee (who also heads the Trinamool Congress -- TMC) is beginning to feel the real heat of the challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)..

New phase

WITH the emergence of Mr. Samrat Choudhary as the new Chief Minister of Bihar in the place of Mr. Nitish Kumar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a new phase in its political policy in the State in the post-Nitish era. Of course, for the past few years, Mr. Samrat Choudhary has been on the forefront of the BJP’s state politics -- first as President of the party’s Bihar unit and later as Deputy Chief Minister and also the Home Minister. Going by that trajectory, it was only expected that ..

TURBULENCE AHEAD

 A RAY of hope has emerged in the West Asia crisis with the possibility of another round of talks between representatives of the United States and Iran. Feelers about a possible meeting in Pakistan have come from both sides despite the rising tension..

LET HIM GROW

M ATCHING the speed of him scoring runs, comparisons with former greats have also started at the same pace for young talent Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The teenager has taken the world of cricket by storm with sterling performances in initial games of the Indian Premier League (IPL). His attacking innings against Mumbai Indians Royal Challengers Bengaluru and his treatment of ace bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood has been lapped up by cricket fans as they have started comparing ..

ON THIN ICE...

WITHIN hours of the two-week ceasefire announced by the United States and Iran, hostilities have resumed on the other side with Israel attacking Lebanon territories. It has resulted in over 300 casualties so far but the biggest casualty of these strikes is likely to the proposed peace talks between Washington and Tehran representatives scheduled in Islamabad. The US-Iran truce now hangs in balance with conflicting statements and developments clouding truth about the ceasefire. As the two-week pause ..

Relief, for now

FROM the brink of “killing whole civilisation”, the United States and Iran have stepped back to an agreed halt in military aggression for a brief period of 14 days, providing huge relief to the world. The ceasefire announced by the two countries after successful mediation attempts now opens a tricky path of negotiations given the rigid terms on the table from both Washington and Tehran. Yet, there seems to be a realisation of the futility of going ahead with a conflict for leadership in both the US ..

WELCOME RESET

AS RELATIONS between the United States and Iran as well as US allies sour further over the ongoing West Asia crisis, a silent reset is on in South Asia with India in firm focus. The last few days have seen US President Mr. Donald Trump heaping severe criticism on Iranian regime and pillorying American allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). At the same time, India was seriously engaged in diplomatic outreach to Governments in Bangladesh and Nepal with a view to rebuild strained relations ..

Towards isolation

THE frustrated rant by United States President Mr. Donald Trump against Iran in his social media post has now narrowed down the American goal of the unnecessary war to opening of the Strait of Hormuz. After all the raving, ranting and extravagant claims of victory, the American misadventure is now translating into a war of words over the maritime waterway even as Iran has refused to give in to Mr. Trump’s expletive-ridden threats on opening of the Strait. This leaves the war in a dangerous zone as ..