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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is gratifying to note that the unfortunate recurrence of the war of words between the CPI(M) and the CPI has been halted with the call for restraint by both the CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and his CPI counterpart Kanam Rajendran.

It is not often that a ruling political party’s jubilation over a by-election win is laced with a concern for the future. Yet that would be a fitting description of the mood in the Kolkata headquarters of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) following its predictable win at Contai (south) Assembly seat.

As of Thursday, April 13, 2017, India’s population, based on the latest United Nations estimates, was 1,339,040,095, only some 47 million more than China’s total population on that day. The UN estimate (Worldometers) records India’s population as 17.86 per cent of the total world population as against China’s 18.47 per cent. In 2016, India’s population grew by 1.20 per cent, compared to China’s 0.54 per cent despite the latter’s lately liberalised two-child-per-family population policy. Demographers have forecast that India may overtake China’s population as early as in 2022, that is five years from now. Currently, China ranks No.1 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population. India is No. 2.

BHOPAL: Though the Congress could retain Ater with a narrow margin of three digits it is being regarded as a trend setter for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled to be held next year sometime in the month of November.

It is extremely upsetting to watch live video footage in social media of teenagers beating, kicking and booing armed security forces on election duty in the Srinagar Lok Sabha byelection on April 12. While the security forces, including CRPF jawans, suffered the indignity passively, the stone pelting boys in Budgam district went ahead with the rampage unchecked.

Sometime in late 1960s, after a massive victory of the Congress in a election led by Indira Gandhi, the then Jana Sangh made allegation that elections were rigged. The Party President Balraj Madhok alleged that a special ink was brought from the then Soviet Union which could be easily erased after a voter casts his vote. He can, therefore, easily vote again. The allegation spread like wild fire and, it appeared, it was true. But when investigations were made, the allegation proved to be wrong, no erasable ink was brought from Soviet Union.

The future of the Bihar’s Grand Alliance government does not appear to be bright. As neither Lalu Yadav nor Nitish Kumar would take the blame for pulling down the government, it would continue to function but without a definite direction and dimension.

In theory, the choice before the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the centre could not be simpler: Should it fall in line with West Bengal in denying a share of the Teesta river waters to Bangladesh? Or should it accommodate Bangladesh’s interests to the extent possible, while compensating Bengal somehow, so that Kolkata does not feel shortchanged?

Trump-Xi Jinping summit has set the dust of uncertainty to handle the wide differences between the two economic superpowers, leaving aside their challenges to protectionism and globalization. This qualified for a good beginning. While Trump was seen exasperated with wide trade deficit, Xi Jinping acted as settler, agreeing to 100-day plan for trade negotiations to increase US export to China. Little parleys were made on Trump’s protectionism and Xi Jinping’s new leadership for globalization challenging protectionism.

A land-mark legislation aimed at securing a modicum of order in the country’s chaotic road traffic and encouraging some relief from egregiously unruly drivers is on the anvil when the Lok Sabha passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2016 on April 10. The well-intentioned amendments moved by a few responsible Opposition members were rejected as they lamentably lacked the legitimacy of numbers; still, the Bill, with the due sanctity of law after assent from the Upper House and the subsequent Presidential imprimatur, is poised to improve the road traffic situation.