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“It’s a great huge game of chess that’s being played—all over the world—if this is the world at all, you know.” – Lewis Carroll

For a chastened Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who could just manage to keep Gujarat for BJP by striking a parochial chord and thereafter claiming an “emotional victory”, 2018 would be full of challenges on all fronts, political, social, and in reshaping our foreign policy in a world order under dismantling with the revival of cold wars among military giants.

Tamil Nadu is back in focus again, this time in view of the surprising results of a by-election. They have raised a pertinent question whether corruption is an issue at all in this country. The results say no. Who would have thought that the people of the RK Nagar constituency held by the late J Jayalalithaa would elect a man with a perceived corrupt image? With the return of TTV Dinakaran, nephew of Sasikala, Jayalalithaa’s companion, the Mannargudi clan is back in the reckoning. Dinakaran fought as an Independent because the ruling AIADMK led by E Palaniswamy and O Panneerselvam had expelled him and his aunt from the party.

“Public perception has no place in judicial proceedings.” These are words from the 2G verdict that set free 17 accused.

With D-day approaching fast, Theresa May has gone from impassive prime minister to a recluse within her own party. If the party has been officially maintaining a passive silence about her future, a section of the law-makers of her party have nevertheless been quite impatient to remove her from the office.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in the habit of talking tall, and he wants us to believe. However, the dismal performance of his government with regards to tribal development runs contrary to the claims, causing disbelief even among the tribals. The money earmarked for tribal development is being utilized but only a little more than half.

The spectre of artificial intelligence (AI) eating away millions of jobs haunts India more than any other BPO destination in the world and has been agitating policy planners, trade unions and the country’s software and other industries. India’s dominance as the outsourcing hub, which is responsible for creating one of the most dynamic growth drivers for the country, hinges on the abundant availability of low-cost and low-skilled personnel. Many of these jobs are supposed to be made redundant by automation. All reports on the subject so far have raised a scare, some suggesting that up to 640,000 low-skilled job in the IT services industry are in danger due to automation by 2021.

Gujarat election results may be a zabardast jhatka (severe jolt) to the BJP but it is, paradoxically, a victory in defeat for the Congress. Gujarat poll was the first test for Rahul and he has done reasonably well by putting a new life into his party. A resurgent Congress will have to face challenge after challenge in 2018. If fact, it will be apt to call the new year an election year in run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha poll. Within months, the Karnataka elections are due and they are not less important than Gujarat. The southern state ruled by the Congress faces a serious challenge from the rival BJP and Chief Minister Siddarammaiah faces anti-incumbency.

When it comes to the formation of a national coalition of Opposition parties to fight the Narendra Modi-led NDA Government, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is sending out conflicting signals. Critics of the party in West Bengal feel that in practice, it is helping the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The National Medical Commission Bill has been cleared by the cabinet. It will soon be tabled in Parliament for debate. If passed, this will become an Act, which will replace Medical Council of India (MCI) and regulate the medical education in India. Till date the MCI has been the regulatory body, which decides about the admission process to the undergraduate as well as postgraduate classes; it sets basic minimum standards required to open a medical college and carries out regular inspections of the colleges to check the status of education. The MCI also has the power to derecognize any medical college, which does not fulfill the required standards. The MCI also decides the medical curriculum. It also maintains a registry of doctors, who have to get registered with their respective state medical councils, which in turn send the details to the MCI from time to time. Whereas the government-nominated members form majority in the MCI, it has elected members as well, which gives it a partial democratic structure. Unfortunately, the MCI has lost its reputation as there have been allegations of corruption against the higher-ups in the council.