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On January 23, Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma announced a decision of the state cabinet to begin a major statewide drive to curb child marriages in the state.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is embarking on his second walkathon, ‘Bharat Nyay Yatra', from Manipur in the north-east to Mumbai in western India, covering 14 states and 85 districts, beginning January 14. Rahul is undertaking this gruelling mission just after a year of the culmination of his first spirited walk, the Bharat Jodo Yatra, on January 30 in Kashmir.

Priyanka Gandhi, a severe critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is the latest political personality to be brought under the yoke of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a case of, what else, money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It is for the judiciary to decide the legitimacy of the case, but there is no doubt of a political impact on the fortunes of the Congress. Even PM Modi will feel the ramifications.

The Communist Party of India will be a century old in another year. The party was formed on December 26, 1925. In 1920, the All India Trade Union Congress was formed with strikes and struggles of working masses, in the textile mills in Bombay, jute mills in Kolkata, and many other places. Emancipation from the shackles of an exploitative system became a goal. India was at the time, a colony of British imperialism.

The heat of the flames of violence that flared up in Manipur in May this year quickly reached the Supreme Court of India. It all started on March 27, when the Manipur High Court directed the state government to consider the inclusion of the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes. The Order created new incisions in old fissures in a region fraught with inter-community conflicts.

Congress has come a long way from promising ‘NYAY’ (Nyuntam Aay Yojna) on the eve of Lok Sabha elections 2019 to ‘Bharat Nyay Yatra’, ahead of the 2024 general elections, from Manipur to Gujarat, beginning January 14, with focus on injustices inflicted upon common people under PM Narendra Modi’s authoritative regime.

Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s moves certainly did not amount to a major organisational reshuffle nor was it a step forward to revive the party. It was an inconsequential exercise based on which the leadership cannot aspire to take the BJP head-on in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Ram Mandir and Hindu revival are the talk of the town in the Hindi heartland. The BJP talks of a 400-plus Lok Sabha seats harvest in the 2024 general elections riding on the back of Ram Mandir, the symbol of Hindu revival. Can anyone stop the juggernaut? The Hindi heartland, to which recent BJP acquisitions – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan – also belong, backs temple politics and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s return to power for yet another term of authoritarian streak.

In 2016, India suddenly stopped using two types of banknotes, which made up 86% of all the money in use. This was done to fight corruption and hidden wealth.

Messages from Union Home Minister Amit Shah's Kolkata tour: Stress on the role of social media instead of relying heavily on public meetings and rallies. Also door-to-door campaigning by saffron camp leaders. And reposing faith in the ‘Old Guard’ as exemplified by the induction of former state chief and Kharagpur MP Dilip Ghosh in the core poll panel. The intent of BJP No.2 Amit Shah is plain to see.