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LUCKNOW: With former SC and ST Chairman P L Punia MP as main face, the Congress Party is playing aggressive dalit card to achieve success in Mission 2017 in polls in Uttar Pradesh to win over dalit community.

How does political scene look like after Jayalalithaa? It appears complicated. In the power struggle are three key players—the late Jayalalithaa’s confidant Sasikala Natranajan, present Chief Minister O.Pannerselvam and Deputy Lok Sabha Speaker Thambidurai. Of course, Sasikala is most influential and a serious contender for key post of AIADMK general secretary but she is likely to be challenged by Thambidurai. Having virtually emerged as Jayalalithaa’s successor, she is certain to be party’s general secretary.

The drama over West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Patna- Kolkata flight last week was entirely avoidable. Her party Trinamool Congress made a mountain of a molehill. The axe ultimately fell on six pilots of three airlines involved in the “incident”. They have been grounded by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the airlines regulatory body under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

One month is already over since Prime Minister Narendra Modi singlehandedly went for the gamble by demonetising the high value Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes from the midnight of November 8.The opposition parties have been paralysing the Parliament proceedings on the issue while hundreds of people are still queuing before the ATMs and the banks with a large majority failing to withdraw their own funds. It has been a total paralysis in the banking system and all seasoned economists are saying that the demo0netisation with the objective of unearthing black money, has been a thoroughly wrong step and the Prime Minister made a massive blunder by taking this unprecedented step without adequate preparations at the RBI and the commercial banks level.

J. Jayalalithaa, who was called the empress of Tamil Nadu, is dead but can her party survive? She has been a player not only in Tamil Nadu but also at the national level and her absence will have its own impact both at the state as well as the national level.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Central Government has ended up with egg on its face with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) giving a ‘clean chit’ to the district cooperative banks in Kerala.

National Herald established in Lucknow on September 9, 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru carried on its masthead: ‘Freedom is in Peril, Defend it with Your Might’. The clarion call made 78 years ago during the Independence Movement was a message to the people to fight against the British occupation of India. (The Daily which had ceased publication in 2008 due to financial problems was restarted in digital form last fortnight).

Considering 30 December as the deadline for exchanging old 500 and 1000 rupees notes, we are halfway through the days of demonetisation. Those in favour of demonetisation say this is a great move to unearth black money. Black money are disproportionately cornered by the rich and corrupt politicians. This demonetisation move will in fact bring back smile in face of the poor.

BHOPAL: A mega show was staged in Bhopal on Monday, December 5, 2016 obviously to celebrate 11 year rule of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. More than ten thousand buses were mobilised to bring about 5 lakh people to participate in the show. The show was organised by the government. Officials, party M.P.S. MLAs other party functionaries were given quota of persons they should bring them to Bhopal.

It is a paradox of the Indian social and political scene that in a country where female infanticide is not uncommon, there have been women leaders who have attained the status of goddesses. Indira Gandhi was one of them, who still comes out on top in popular polls on prime ministers. Now, Jayalalithaa will join the ranks of those who are revered for their achievements for decades.