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It hasn’t taken long for the hollowness of the sermons from the RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat — on accommodating Muslims in an inclusive society — to be exposed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be setting over-ambitious targets on economic growth. First he said India would get back to double-digit annual growth soon. Lately he made a claim that India would become $5 trillion economy by 2022.

With Indian Rupee (INR) under continuous pressure due to shrinking hard currency reserves with the Reserve Bank, rising current account deficit and borrowings abroad, it may be high time that the government and the central bank take a relook at the liberalised rules on foreign spending by resident Indians, without any further delay. Foreign expenditure by deep-pocket, fun-loving Indians seems to be going through the roof in last five years. Lately, Indians emerged as only second to their counterparts from China, the world’s biggest dollar-rich country outside the United States, to seek permanent US residency visas by investing each half-a-million dollars or more there.

Britain is heading towards a full-blown political crisis in a matter of weeks. Even if the backdrop holds up at the Tory conference, their rancorous divisions are set to be on open display. One reason for the palpably rising political pressure is this week’s successful Labour Party conference.

The post-Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) era, steered ahead by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, confronts an opaque nebula of uncertainties afflicting the polity of a troubled state. High expectations about the romantic Naya Pakistan, promised by PTI chairman Imran Khan are halted by fault lines of toughening realities within weeks of his taking over as prime minister.

The Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government is in the eye of a raging storm over its decision to sanction three breweries and a distillery without the ‘approval’ of the Cabinet.

The majority verdict by the Supreme Court lifting a ban on women of menstrual age entering the Sabarimala temple as demanded by feminists seeking equality before law in matters of worship will open a Pandora’s box, leading to the questioning of rituals and practices in several temples, particularly of Kerala, where temple worship is highly ritualistic. As Justice Indu Malhotra pointed out in her dissenting judgment, notions of rationality cannot be brought into matters of religion or faith.

Having been exposed thoroughly on huge corruption and irregularities in the Rafale deal scam, the Narendra Modi government is resorting to its old tactics of side tracking the issue by raising sectarian, communal and caste issues as well as trying to confuse people with the misconceived ideas of nationalism. Ever since the revelations made by then French President Hollande that the government of India had proposed the Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence as off-shore partner and French government had no option in this, minister after minister of the Modi government are weaving different theories to hide its crime.

The 2019 Lok Sabha elections have been shaping as the battle of alliances. The most important player in battle of alliances is BSP supremo Mayawati. Also, on these alliances depend the future of the BSP leader. Seat sharing arrangement between Mayawati and Janata Congress, Chhattisgarh, floated by the Congress rebel, Ajit Jogi, raises the possibility of a triangular contest, which may be advantageous to the BJP. Ajit Jogi’s party, even in alliance, may not make much difference; his imagine is not good, and Mayawati’s party is virtually non-existent in the state. While Jogi’s exit has brought peace in the Congress, the party is still grappling because of the absence of a leader of Raman Singh stature. The entire leadership of the Congress, which included V C Shukla, was wiped out in a Naxal attack a few years ago.

The formation of political mind of Indian voters is complex and intricate. Even issues that appear to be insignificant can play havoc with calculations of all players in the ring. All politicians, their advisers and most political observers suffer a belief that money bags, muscle power, caste consideration or allurement of cheap goods and free services can and do influence even though evidence in five land slide verdict in five of 12 elections since 1971 knocks out the belief. The 1971 election gave ordinary voters the measure of power they have in election to bring about a change. That is the only time they can be kings and they do not waste and exercise their power in favour of who caught their imagination by putting it aflame. Indira Gandhi did it in 1971 and 43 years later, Narendra Modi performed the miracle.