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The thumping victory of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal assembly election , despite media bashing and goons’ indulging in violence to disrupt election process, reflected that people of West Bengal would continue to repose confidence in TMC and did not want to bring back the Left-Congress combine in the State. Their primary need is resurgence of West Bengal, spearheaded by development. They defied three decade’s left ideology and concept of complacency with smallness. They would like to taste the alternative to left, who can provide better living , not only for rural people, but also for Bhadralok and intellectuals in Kolkata.

What is the most important achievement of Narendra Modi’s government in two years of its rule? The answer is from sagging public image to a dramatic improvement in public perception. Defeat after defeat after spectacular performance in the Lok Sabha election brought down Prime Minister’s image and people started saying that he has lost his charisma. First the humiliating defeat in Delhi elections, followed by a setback in Bihar poll, where Modi campaigned himself, and Uttarakhand imbroglio, created the impression that the BJP under Modi’s leadership is going down hills. Then came the elections in five state and the BJP performed a miracle; its landslide victory in Assam, ousting the firmly entrenched Congress, restored Modi’s image.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government has got off to a good start, ushering a new era of hope, optimism and people-friendly government.

Crash landing of an ambulance aircraft more than 20 years old in the outskirts of Delhi city on May 24 following engine failure has once again highlighted the issue of air safety and maintenance. While aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered an enquiry into the accident, it is time the crucial issue of aircraft maintenance in overall air safety is revisited in earnest.

The forthcoming summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at Tashkent in June this year has big significance since for the first time in the last fifteen years, the SCO is being expanded with the proposal to admit India and Pakistan as full members, apart from the existing six member countries-Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. But this big opportunity seems to be not properly utilized as simmering differences among the permanent members are slowing the process of implementation of the developmental programmes and China, as the major country driving SCO, is putting some obstacle into the process of India’s immediate admission. China is still delaying the transfer of obligations draft to India and if this is not solved immediately, the admission of new members may not be possible next month.

The signing of the Indo-Iranian agreement on Chabahar port during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Iran this month is a major success of Indian diplomacy, in the backdrop of the growing rivalry between India and China for control of the oceans and sea-routes and extending their influence on the littoral countries in their neighbourhood.

After the excitement of the five state assembly elections this year, focus is already shifting towards the 2017 Assembly polls. Next year Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur, and Goa will be going for polls. Stakes are high for all the players including the BJP, Congress, SP, BSP, AAP and Akali Dal. There is bound to be some political realignment before that.

New Delhi: Parliamentary Standing Committee Chairman attached to the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, has urged state governments to extend full cooperation to Narendra Modi Government’s all round development plans for the country so that people reap full benefit of various schemes launched by the NDA government at the Centre.

It is a classic case of intolerance of the first order being practised by the ruling BJP. Manifestation of the BJP’s resentment and petty-mindedness has come in the wake of the spectacular election victory scored by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front(LDF) in Kerala.

The United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), the third largest party in the National Assembly of Nepal, has once again rechristened itself following its merger with the split-away section of Communist Party of Nepal - Revolutionary Maoist. The other party is CPN(Maoist), the mother party of Nepali Maoists, led by its chairman Matrika Yadav. The new party is Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center, which came into being last week.