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For the beleaguered NDA government smarting under the bitter Bihar Assembly verdict, the need to put on a brave face by fast-tracking some doable economic reforms to reestablish its credentials of pro-development credo is at no time more urgent than now. With the excruciating winter session looming large where a motley number of Opposition parties have gathered their scattered wits to put the Treasury Benches on the mat, close on the heels of their historic win in Bihar, the task on hand for the feisty Finance Minister and the Man Friday of the Modi Government Arun Jaitley is clearly cut out.

For the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its drubbing in the Bihar Assembly elections would negatively impact its prospects in the next round of polls in West Bengal and Assam. Plans are afoot in both states to form Bihar-type coalitions of non BJP parties if possible, to defeat the saffron party. However, signs that the formation of such an alliance in West Bengal would not be easy, are already available.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown himself to be a silent spectator, often on crucial occasions of public disquiet, whether over the “growing intolerance” generated by rabid, violent elements of the extreme fringes of the Sangh Parivar including killing of some of the rationalists, or on challenging issues for his proclaimed “maximum governance” and ‘vikas’ juxtaposed with RSS Hindutva agenda goals.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The leaders of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) are mighty relieved that Finance Minister K M Mani has resigned, albeit more than a year after he came under a corruption cloud. But their sense of relief could prove short-lived if the sullen mood of the Kerala Congress (M) is any indication.

The windfall for the Congress Party in the Bihar Assembly polls winning seven times its present strength in the house has once again focused the attention on the Congress Party’s vice President Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as the president of the party. Even the Congress did not expect such a bonanza in a state where it has reached the bottom these past three decades. Its victory is its second best performance in Bihar since 1985.

India-Africa Forum Summit in New Delhi recently, the biggest ever foreign policy event to be hosted by India in three decades, has opened up new vistas of opportunities for strengthening particularly economic cooperation between India and 54 participating African countries. Though this is not the first meeting of India-Africa Forum, set in motion in 2008, the third meeting of the Forum in New Delhi has assumed significance with over 40 African heads of governments and states attending it.

Japan-China row is escalating year after year. Notwithstanding Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s remorseful statement on the 70th Anniversary of World War in August, 2015 , warming of Japan and China relation is a far cry. Tokyo might have given a thumping applause to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s statement. But the statement of remorse was viewed with skepticism in China. Alongside, Japan’s new security legislation for collective self defence added fuel to the Japan and China row.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalithaa expects to be back in strength when the state goes to polls in May 2016, for a second consecutive term, re-invigorated by the landmark re-election of Mr Nitish Kumar in Bihar. Currently, she retains her mass following, with no troubling signs of anti-incumbency at work, but her principal rival, DMK of Mr Karunanidhi, is desperately trying to dislodge her by cobbling together an electoral alliance, if possible.

Indian politics would undergo an evolutionary transformation with consolidation of the Other Backward Classes. The socialist thinker Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia had predicted almost half a century ago. His prediction is ringing in the unprecedented outcome of the Bihar assembly polls. The consolidation of the OBCs with the Muslims and majority of the Dalits standing with them defeated desperate move by the upper castes to wrest power levers from their hands. Political analysts were preoccupied in condemnation of the state as the cast ridden to feel the shifting sands under the feet. Surprisingly the internal feuds within the ruling side acted as catalyst in consolidation of the intermediate castes into a unified block. The hands down victory of the tripartite coalition proves so.

Financial inclusion of the neglected section is alright. So are Swatch Bharat (Clean India), Clean Ganga, Beti Bachao (save girl child), Beti Padao (educate your daughter), Make-in-India, Zero -Defect, Zero-Effect, Defeat Poverty and so on. It is nice to know the union government has promised massive amount of capital to states like Bihar (Rs. 1.25 lakh crore), Andhra Pradesh (more than 1.25 lakh crore), Telengana (close to Rs. 30,000 crore), West Bengal (over Rs. 16,000 crore) and, more lately, Jammu & Kashmir (Rs. 80,000 crore). Unfortunately, the government’s promises have little to do with performance. Not many states have received any money from the Centre than what are normally due to them. Nothing seems to be moving from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stable except probably some catchy slogans, well-coined project names and acronyms. The latest of them is being ‘JAM’ which is an acronym that stands for Modi’s pet combined financial inclusion project under three schemes – Jan Dhan Yojna, Aadhaar and Mobile connect. Modi, a great wordsmith, has provided another expansion for JAM, which, according to him, stands for ‘Just Achieving Maximum’. Modi might have been in an expansive mood, less than 48 hours before the Bihar election results started coming out.