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Narendra Modi will likely start his third term as Prime Minister with an onslaught against him. That is if Raebareli MP Rahul Gandhi keeps faith with his charge that Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, had with their prediction of a post-election stock market rally, guided tens of thousands of gullible 'bhakts', and common folks, up the garden path and into financial ruin, with unsolicited investment advice. Rahul Gandhi has demanded a JPC probe to nail Modi and Shah to the charge.

India and Bangladesh will seek to cover new areas of bilateral cooperation and regional development with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visits Delhi later this month, or in July, to hold scheduled talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Going by recent reports/analyses in the Bangladeshi media, sharing the region’s water resources more effectively could receive top priority in the expanded bilateral dialogue.

Even 32 years after the passage of the 73rd amendment of the Constitution of India, Panchayati Raj as a system of governance is being systematically crippled by the higher political and bureaucratic layers. Moreover, digitalization has been adversely impacting the Panchayat’s power and functioning in a way that was not ever imagined before. Panchayats are far from the ideal of the amendment brought in 1992.

With Narendra Modi elected Prime Minister for the third time, this time at the head of a coalition government, the question at the uppermost on the people’s mind as he took the oath of office and secrecy at Rashtrapati Bhavan was: Could Modi be a coalition builder?

As the European Union (EU) navigates through a turbulent political landscape, Ursula von der Leyen, the incumbent President of the European Commission, is fervently working to secure a second term. This pursuit is particularly challenging given the recent EU parliamentary elections, where her party, the European People’s Party (EPP), emerged as the leading group but faces significant opposition from a surging far-right. Von der Leyen’s efforts highlight the intricate balance of power and the complexities of coalition-building in contemporary European politics.

Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister of India who occupied that high office for a third term after making blatant communal speeches while campaigning and maligning Muslims with his hate-filled remarks.

In response to Israel’s genocidal siege of Gaza, a new progressive effort, the “Reject AIPAC” coalition, is calling on federal candidates to refuse endorsements and contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), whose vast political operation has spent millions trying to crush left-leaning Democrats who criticize Israel. At the same time, the labour movement, including a burgeoning network of over two hundred unions and worker organizations, has raised calls for an immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza.

Growing cyber gaming frauds have prompted cyber wing of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to advise people to exercise caution when engaging in online gaming. The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (14C) of the MHA’s cautionary message says, “Play Smart, Play Safe, Stay Secure while gaming online”. The 14C wing has urged the people to download online apps only from authentic sources like Google Play Store, Apple Store and Official Websites. The 14C’s advice exhorts the people to “always check game app publishers to ensure website legitimacy. The warning calls upon the people to never fall in the trap of game in-app purchases and lucrative subscription offers.

Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh is the winner from Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency, putting the central government in a fix. The government appears undecided on what should be done with him. Speculation is rife over whether he would be released on interim bail from Dibrugarh Central jail in Assam, where he is being held, or other measures are under consideration.

The Centre has authorized the release of tax devolution of Rs 1,39,750 crore to states for June, and has tried to appear as if doing a great favour via a statement of the Union Ministry of Finance stating that this would "enable state governments to accelerate development and capital spending." The reality is that with this fresh release, the total amount devolved for the financial year 2024-25 to states, till June 10, 2024, stands at only Rs 2,79,500 crore, as against the provision of Rs 12,19,783 crore as per the interim budget 2024-25. The devolution is obviously much slower for fast development and for meeting critical expenditure.