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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Will the Congress-led UDF Government yield to the virtual ultimatum served on it by the Kerala Congress(M) president and Finance Minister K. M. Mani and come out with a report that gives a clean chit to him in the bar bribery case?

KOLKATA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Bangladesh in the first week of the next month will be very different from his predecessors’ visit in September, 2011. That visit was a disaster as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to accompany Manmohan Singh. She was dead against the signing of the Indo-Bangla Teesta river water-sharing treaty, which was to be the main item on the agenda for talks. In the teeth of Mamata’s opposition, the Chief Minister of the State concerned, Manmohan could not sign the agreement, much to the chagrin and disappointment of the leaders of both the countries.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) is headed by Japan and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will be headed by China. AIIB is expected to be in operation by the end of 2015. In ADB, Japan is the biggest contributor to the capital, accounting for 15.67 percent and in AIIB, China will be the major contributor, accounting for 30 percent initially. Given the Japan-China historical bitterness, AIIB is likely to stir up a new face-off between the two countries. Even though ADB embraces financing of multiple development projects and AIIB will finance infrastructure only, the political significance of AIIB will be more, given the China’s assertiveness to gain political leadership through financial muscle in Asia. AIIB is likely to escalate a new turf for power struggle in Asia.

The Narendra Modi Government has completed one year in office on May 26 this year and during this period, there have been enough moves by the NDA Government to remove corruption from the administration.. One of the 2014 Lok Sabha election promises was to root out corruption and bring back black money stashed abroad. Modi Government, in one year, certainly has not ended these two major evils that have been afflicting Indian economy right from independence, but the measures taken so far, have given enough confidence to the people that the new Government is serious in rooting out corruption from the administration..

What is common between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal? Apart from developing a personality cult around them, both came to power promising the moon. They are in complete control of their respective parties and governments. Both are now struggling to fulfill the huge expectations they had created. Both are seen as control freaks. Modi came with the slogan of “Achche Din” and Kejriwal with the slogan of “paanch saal Kejriwal”. Judging the Modi government in one year or in 100 days of Kejriwal may not be fair, as they have been elected for a full five-year term. However they are under microscopic scrutiny.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The simmering group rivalry within the Congress in the State is set to boil over on the issue of support to Finance Minister and Kerala Congress(M) president, K. M. Mani, who is in the eye of the bar bribery case storm.

What has been happening in Bihar; Lalu Prasad challenging the leadership of Nitish Kumar and virtually walking out of the JD(U) and RJD alliance, was inevitable. That Lalu Prasad would turn the prime enemy of Nitish Kumar replacing the BJP, had become explicit the day Nitish took as the chief minister for the fourth time in February this year, replacing the mahadalit incumbent Jitan Ram Manjhi.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s political fight against BJP may stay supreme in the state to maintain a strong presence in the state assembly as well as both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seizing most of the allotted seats, but that may not necessarily derail the Modi government’s two major pending bills – land acquisition and GST – in the next Parliament session as both are to the economic advantage of her state. The bills, as many in the government feel, will ultimately add substantially to state revenues after they are enacted.

Before NDA released any report card of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s one-year governance, media was on toe to diagnose Modi’s performance. Modi’s one-year report card grabbed the headlines of almost all the leading newspapers, magazines and TV channels. Ironically, Mr Modi’s visits to three nations, including China – the first ever visit by Mr Modi as Prime Minister and the most important country for Modi with which he has to rewrite the India’s foreign policy – found no place in the top stories. Sarcastically, it is said that Modi’s three-nation tour divulged no masala stories, which is the mainstay of the present Indian media.

When first-time MP Narendra Modi arrived in New Delhi to be sworn in as India’s Prime Minister, he flew in a private aircraft belonging to the Adani Group, although he could have taken a commercial flight or hired a chartered plane. On landing, Mr Modi was greeted raucously with the slogan Har Har Modi, patterned on communal-military lines.