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Those who say Modi and Shah failed big-time in post-poll machinations in Karnataka wait! Post-government formation, trouble is dogging the ruling Congress-Janata Dal (S) alliance. The slip is showing. The ladders on the Congress-JD (S) stockings are unravelling. Like silk usually does under stress.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh says that one unfortuate fallout of the Emergency was to bring the RSS into the national mainstream via its fraternal outfit, the Jan Sangh, the BJP’s predecessor, which resisted Indira Gandhi’s draconian rule and later merged into the ruling Janata Party.

Only a month has passed since the results of the Karnataka assembly elections were out on May 12, but for the Congress Party, this has been the period of great learning about the dynamics of coalition politics. Congress led by Rahul Gandhi has become more sober and practical in dealing with the regional parties as also the smaller parties whom the Congress leadership did not take into account earlier. Rahul Gandhi is certainly a changed man now and he has come to the conclusion that the Congress has to enter into alliance with the maximum number of anti-BJP parties to take on the might of saffrons led by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The summit of the century and all over the world it’s ‘We are live in Singapore’, TV news channels streaming pictures of Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump. Images of Kim and Trump shaking hands and sitting side by side, priceless additions to the world picture library. The only grouse some have is that Kim shouldn’t be treated like a celebrity, a rock-star! Of the two, Trump is the established celeb, a TV star who became President.

Lynching is mob action. A ‘group of people’ lynch. So the term ‘mob lynching’ is an oxymoron. Lynching is mostly out in the open. In town and village square. In the Wild West of America it was stringing from the nearest tree. A couple or more people cook up a lie over a rumour spread like wildfire. And the falsely accused is killed by the group without trial. The choice of weapons is left to the moron: Scythe, machete, club and spear. The long rope!

Fareed Zakaria’s documentary ‘Two Faces of Kim Jong Un’ was telecast Sunday night on CNN and being the Indian that he is/was, Zakaria wished, before the programme aired, that “hope President Trump watches so that he gets a better understanding of who he is going to talk to.” Needless to say, an Indian, even one who has taken American citizenship, is an arrogant dude.

The momentous victory of the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha election was neither the success of Hindutva nor a defeat of secularism. Consolidating their gains, the saffron brigade used the expansion to broad base its Hindutva outreach and agenda. They were in a mad rush to reach their goal.

Not many people in Bengal may have ever heard the name of a outfit called CPI-ML Red Star, not until it attacked a Power Grid Corporation’s (PGCIL) sub-station project, being built in co-operation with the West Bengal government, at fast developing Rajarhat in Kolkata’s outskirt. The central transmission utility had sought cooperation from all stakeholders for completion of the Rs. 800-crore Rajarhat sub-station project. “Considering advantages of the Rajarhat 400/220kV sub-station project, Power Grid Corp solicits cooperation from all stakeholders,” PGCIL had said in a statement while maintaining that land for the project was acquired at “market rates to adequately compensate locals”. It had also said that “GIS technology is safe, reliable and requires less maintenance…”

Indian Railways owns 458588.16 hectares of land. Out of this, a significant 47339.5 hectares (10.33 per cent) are not in use. 46408.75 hectares (10.2 per cent) is vacant and 930.75 hectares (0.21 per cent) under encroachment. Currently, 37,235 eviction orders by estate officers are pending for execution under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971 (PPE Act). However, a review by CAG reveals non-serious pursuance of encroachment cases under the PPE Act.

Three years after setting up of Niti Aayog and path-breaking award of 42 per cent devolution to states from the central pool of taxes by the 14th Finance Commission, the question is now asked whether fiscal federalism has really got a shot in the arm by these path-breaking steps. Has Prime Minister Narendra Modi achieved the much-touted promise of fiscal federalism? Modi as Gujarat chief minister was among several chief ministers critical of what they called over-centralisation and arm-twisting approach of the Planning commission.