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BHOPAL: The very fact of RSS holding three day conclave in Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) and Amit Shah visiting even small towns of the state indicate that the BJP is giving extraordinary importance to Madhya Pradesh in the context of forth coming Lok Sabha elections. The BJP holds 26 Lok Sabha seats of Madhya Pradesh. Thus it is upmost crucial for the ruling party to retain majority of the seats of Madhya Pradesh.

Alliances are being firmed up by both the Congress and the BJP in run up to Lok Sabha elections. This indicates that neither the Congress nor the BJP may get a majority and they have to depend on allies. Is the coalition era returning? If it returns, it is not good for the country because it means poor governance. One hopes in the event of a coalition, it should be a workable one and be able to rule effectively. The Centre cannot afford instability. A BJP leader said going solo in polls helps neither Congress nor BJP.

Time was when a newspaper and a spot of shade under a tree was all that was asked for in the name of luxury. Time itself was in no hurry. Lazy and languorous in the passing. But those were not the ‘Achche Din’ Narendra Modi held out to become Prime Minister. And we’re talking of the 1920s and 30s, not of an age lost in time. For sure, there were horrible things happening, but that did not affect the overall atmosphere of well-being. Jihad was a fine persuasion and people did not strap and bomb. Nor did Kashmiris get thrashed for selling dry fruits, pista and almond.

The war hysteria of words and cacophony through media advertisements of achievements of the last five years by the NaMo government clearly indicates that neither the Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor his cohorts have a clear idea of why the Indian electorate had given him a clear mandate. It was clearly a mandate to him and not to his party as his entire campaign in the last election was focused on seeking a vote for his government. He and his campaign managers do not realize that what has been delivered is of no consequences to the electorate. What matters is what has not been delivered or what new difficulties that have cropped up. The campaign ads mention only what has been delivered.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s formula of posting a single united opposition candidate against the BJP candidate in every single Lok Sabha seat seems to have no takers. The BSP-SP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh was first strike. Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav partitioned the 80 UP seats, leaving Rae Bareilly and Amethi to the Congress, one less than the three to Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal. Where did that leave Rahul Gandhi’s PM-aspiring party? As if granted a favour, two!

Workers are the producers of the wealth of Nation. As a class they are the harbingers of socio-political change. When the country stands at cross roads, it is the working class who shows the real path of advancement for the deprived and the oppressed. Througout the history and everywhere in the world this fact has been proved. That is why the capitalist class and their governments are eager to disarm the workers before they unleash any attack on the toiling masses.

India has shown to the world that it is able manage sanitation and waste disposal programme on a large scale. The test for this was in large traffic and crowd management plan and cleanliness drive at the recently concluded vast conclave of religious gathering, Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj in the country’s largest state, Uttar Pradesh.

The Attorney General of the Government of India K K Venugopal’s comments in the Supreme Court in the course of the hearing on the Rafale petition on March 6 pose a grave threat to the freedom of the press in the country at this moment when the hyper nationalism promoted by the ruling party and the government establishment, has already crippled the independent functioning of major part of the corporate led media in the name of national security.

India can neither afford to stave off, nor be immune to Trump’s protectionism. Flagged up by “America First” as the guiding principle, last year Trump administration waged tariff war and this year, it lofted GSP (Generalized Preference Scheme) war against developing nations, including India.

BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia is asked the question, “Are you (BJP) milking this (pre-emptive strikes)?” and he goes on a tangent: “I don’t think anybody in India doubts the armed forces. Our brave Indian Air Force pilots crossed a red line for the first time…” Hey, you’re digressing. ‘Is the BJP using the strikes to win the elections?’ is the question. Gaurav Bhatia will not answer, he’s a robot keyed not to answer such quibbles.