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Undoubtedly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dazzled India and other parts of globe he is tirelessly going round, with a brand image of a doer, but a look-back on his first three years in office has little to show up on tangible outcomes to claim as major achievements for the ongoing frenzied trumpeting of BJP countrywide.

On the economic front, it has indeed been an eventful three years under the Modi-Shah-led BJP government in India. In the policy realm, there have been two marked trends. First, the rapid rush to liberalization, almost as if to prove that this government is more “reformist” than the UPA and Congress governments that were largely responsible for introducing and taking forward the liberalization agenda in the country. An unflinching commitment to fiscal deficit reduction, a relentless pursuit of the GST, the return to the policy of ‘strategic sale’ of public sector enterprises that offers management control through acquisition of a minority stake, and the baseless clamour for labour market flexibility, a,re all indicators of one-upmanship in the neoliberal reform area.

India boycotting the Belt and Road Forum (BARF) meet in Beijing has sent the message across that while doing so, India has isolated itself both regionally and globally. The BARF meet was attended by all the South Asian neighbours of India. Even the countries identified as India’s partners in resisting Chinese aggression in Asia and South East Asia having territorial disputes with China, as India has, did not abstain from the meet.

BHOPAL: Realizing that sand mining was posing a serious threat to the very existence of Narmada, which is regarded as a lifeline Madhya Pradesh, the government has banned sand mining in the river. The threat from sand mining was well-known, but the seriousness of the problem received unprecedented attention during the 148-day Narmada Sewa Yatra for which chief minister Shivraj Singh earned kudos from several quarters including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It seems the post-2014 NDA government is behaving as though it were perennially in an election mode. In one sense, this might reflect heightened consciousness about ultimate democratic accountability. Also that elections have to be a highly managed affair and the parties as election machines have to remain constantly on their toes. This might impact either the nature and thrust of the policies or might focus primarily on their popular projection by means of packaging and marketing. After all, the rulers want people to view their policies in a friendly colour, whatever the field outcomes.

Tamil Nadu remains mired in political chaos, into the sixth month since the death of AIADMK Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who had scripted victory for a second successive term in the May 2016 Assembly election, and was sworn on May 23 last year.

The Belt and Road Forum, hosted by China on May 14-15, for international cooperation evoked splendid response across the universe, despite New Delhi gratuitously choosing to opt out of this major infrastructure initiative launched by the Middle Kingdom. Even as the United States (US) shunned Beijing’s other big bid- Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) a few years ago, the Trump Administration, albeit all its trade reprisal threats against China for unfair trade practices, sent a high level delegation. Japan too, for all its ongoing altercations with China over the disputed islands in the East China Sea and simmering discontents for decades, sent a high level delegation.

There are probably two reasons why Narendra Modi is said to have sounded his party’s chief ministers about bringing the general election forward.

There are probably two reasons why Narendra Modi is said to have sounded his party’s chief ministers about bringing the general election forward.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Left Democratic Front(LDF) stormed into power a year ago with a promise to set everything right. One year into its rule, the LDF Government is firmly set on the path to implementing its people-friendly agenda, hiccups and glitches notwithstanding.