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LUCKNOW: Narendra Modi’s master stroke of picking up Ramnath Kovind as the NDA candidate for the presidential election is set to alter the very nature of UP politics, extracting a heavy price from Mayawati’s and Mulayam’s parties which so far drew sustenance from their dalit vote bank.

The standard explanation for the BJP’s choice of the virtually unknown Ramnath Kovind for the President’s post – a rerun of the 2007 “Pratibha who?” episode relating to Pratibha Patil – is his Dalit background.

BHOPAL: Relatives of the alleged activists of SIMI, being held as undertrials in the Bhopal Central Jail, have accused the jail authorities of torture of their kin and denial of basic human rights to them.

An economically sound and politically strong India is a perfect ally for the US to counter the growing hegemony of China in South Asia. India can claim to become economically sound and politically strong only by strengthening its bilateral relations with the US It is really strange that friends of America and precisely the American caucus, which has been defining the Indian policy and approach of India towards USA, have been harping on these issues.

The BJP chief, Amit Shah’s quip about the Mahatma being a chatur bania (wily trader) is not in the same league as Sarojini Naidu’s cheeky description of the Father of the Nation as Mickey Mouse because of his large ears and her dig at him for not knowing how much the Congress had to spend to keep him poor. While Naidu’s was the witticism of a friend, Shah belongs to what can be called the enemy camp which believes that Gandhi’s assassin, Nathuram Godse’s intention was good, but his methods were wrong. As the late RSS chief Rajendra Singh (1922-2003) explained, “Usne acche uddeshya ke liye galat method istemal kiya”.

The nature of India’s security concerns is undergoing a rapid change. China’s rise as a strong military and economic power, eager to spread its influence in countries of Asia and Africa, its implacable hostility to India, the veering away of Pakistan from the United States and its gravitating towards China, Russia’s growing proximity to China – all these have changed the security perspective for India, demanding urgent attention and countervailing measures.

HONGKONG: China's efforts to cool the property market continues to 'bite', with the growth in mortgage loans and money supply tightening, according to the latest data released this week by the People's Bank of China.

On the eve of Uttar Pradesh election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised if BJP wins, then farm loans will be waived off. BJP won and farmers in UP were gifted with farm loan waivers. In Maharashtra same thing happened. Now it is turn for Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, only for the farmers agitations to turn violent. But then waiving off farm loans are not going to help the Indian farmers in the long run. The real cause of their distress lies somewhere else.

Bihar governor Ramnath Kovind is the RSS candidate for the presidential election and the choice has to be made under severe political compulsions and constraints. Though the formal announcement was made by the BJP leaders, the decision was made by the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat himself. By selecting Kovind, the Sangh while wanted to put the opposition in the tight situation, more than that it desired to extend a helping hand towards the Dalits with the message; look here is a party which cares and committed to your welfare.

President Pranab Mukherjee retires on July 25 paving way for a new president to take over. The BJP is not keen to give him a second term and the President has also declared that he is not seeking one. The Rashatrapthi Bhavan will have a new tenant as the BJP has the adequate number to choose his successor.