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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The United Democratic Front (UDF)’s attempt to wrest the political initiative has suffered a setback with Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullappally Ramachandran soring a political self-goal.

Bravado of Rahul Gandhi has neither helped boost his own personal stock and image nor instil confidence in the rank and file. Undeniably Rahul through his incisive questions has put Narendra Modi in an awkward situation on many occasions and forced him to look helpless but his winning the bout has certainly not made the people lose trust in Modi. He still continues to be indispensable.

The unlocking of the economy from the beginning of June following more than two months of complete lockdown in the country, has started showing some positive results in improving the employment rate in the country compared to the lockdown period. By June 22, most of the migrant workers impacted by the loss of jobs in their workplaces after March 25, have gone back to their respective villages but the unlocking process and the fact that there is possibility of little availability of commensurate work in their villages, have forced many of them to start coming back to their old workplaces which have opened. The Prime Minister's new scheme for the migrant workers totalling Rs. 50,000 crore promising jobs for 125 days in places near the villages, may not meet the requirements of those migrant labour who used to get much higher amount in their earlier jobs. But still, this scheme of PM, if properly implemented, will give temporary relief to multitude of labour who will like to work near their homes, even with lower income.

Nothing is pariah in politics for Narendra Modi. For him having complete control over the political system and apparatus is more important and precious than caring for the people and honouring their sentiment and feeling. And if resorting to lies is the cozy and convenient mechanism to achieve this goal, there is no harm for him to practice in full public view.

The recent escalation of tension between India and China started with two incidents in the border. On May 10, at Naku La in Sikkim, the Chinese troops crossed into what India considers to be indisputably Indian territory. No firearms were used. It was a hand-to-hand fighting which left many injured on both sides. About the same time, the Chinese objected to India’s construction of a strategically important border road in the Galwan Valley. Apparently, there was no cause of objection as the Indian side said the road was eight kilometers west of the border.

The Supreme Court has its image progressively being sullied for some years now. Things were never as bad as they have been during the tenures of three chief justices, including the incumbent.

About a year ago, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar said that “we are getting to know who our friends really are”. He was speaking in the context of the criticism which the government was facing because of the crackdown in Kashmir, agitations against the enacted and proposed citizenship initiatives and the Delhi riots. Since then, the number of India’s friends has become less.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s self-reliance mantra is most welcome at a time when the country’s economy is suffering from a discomfortably slow-to-negative growth, following the nationwide phased lockdown measures to restrict the spread of Covid-19, compressing industrial production, market and throwing tens of millions out of job. Modi used the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) platform earlier this month to assure the business community and investors that “you move two steps, and the government will support you by taking four steps forward….I stand by you … Trust me, getting growth back is not so difficult.” The prime minister said: “we need to invest in such a robust supply chain which will strengthen India’s participation in the global supply chain….. It is important that we manufacture products that are ‘Made-in-India’ and made for the world. Can we set new targets to reduce our imports?”

The toll of the pandemic corona virus in 75 day in India was moderate compared to America and other developed nations. However, it exposed the inapt handling in providing medical services to really affected persons and the total mismanagement in administering the available medical facilities more effectively also became apparent. One shuddered to think of consequences had the pandemic intensity reached the similar proportion to population as in America or European lands. Surprisingly private hospitals minted their mullah even with the health minister equipped with super power for intervention.

NDA Union Government is out to subvert the rule of law based system of democratic constitutional governance further in the country by formalizing inclusion of dissension against the government, people’s right to question/scrutinize the democratically elected government, urban naxals (intellectuals, academics, civil rights activists,NGOs), TukdeTukde gang (alluded to bright students in premier universities believing in freedom of speech, free debate, diversity/plurality of ideas, spirit of inquiry, open mindedness and opposition to imposition of Sangh ideology out to impose RSS agenda on education curricula), Khan Market gang (reference to select Lutyen’s Delhi based and like minded journalists who are conscientious within their professional norms to scrutinize the government), as anti-national crimes.