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The onion trade has, once again, taken the government for a ride. The trade was allowed to export well over a million tones of onion through 2014-15 and the first quarter of this financial year. The government, as usual, ignored the production and availability of onion and met forecast of a weak monsoon in May. The Mumbai-market controlled onion trade did what it had been doing for decades – export cheaply during the season and import at high cost at the season-end to maximize profit on both. Few governments, not even the one led by the late Indira Gandhi, had the political courage and will to control, if not stop altogether, onion export and import to stabilize the trade for the benefit of the common man. High onion and potato prices had caused election downfall of ruling parties.

Narendra Modi may have moved on politically from the traumatic events of 2002, but he is seemingly unable to forget the two months of the riots although he dismissed them at the time as “stray incidents” in a letter to the President of India. His targeting, therefore, of those whose conduct at the time displeased him can be seen as a way of settling scores.

While the Indian Union and Pakistan celebrated the transfer of power from London to New Delhi and Islamabad (something that goes by the name independence in these parts of the world), a Twitter hashtag made news on 15th of August 2015. #StopHindiImposition was trending among the all India top 5. This was a well-coordinated campaign from citizens who wanted to bring their demands for linguistic equality to be brought into public notice. Such an act, ‘especially’ on 15th August was termed by some as being ‘anti-national’. From when did asking for linguistic equality and fighting against non-consensual imposition of something become an anti-national act – unless being patriotic and being for Hindi imposition are the same? It is precisely this right to protest unilateral impositions, among other things, that were supposed to have been achieved on 15th August 1947, or so we were made to believe.

There have been disquieting reports from Bihar that a wedge is developing in the Grand Secular Alliance with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav differing on many issues. If the reported wedge further develops, both Nitish and Lalu are bound to be doomed with the forerunner in the coming assembly election – the BJP – gaining the upper hand. Sources close to Nitish and Lalu, however, deny that there is a wedge and the reports to that effect have been circulated to mislead the people.

Cooperation in space technology and boosting presence in the critical Asia-Pacific theatre for commerce and security are the compelling reasons for New Delhi to reach out to the small island countries in the Pacific Ocean rim.

At long last, India has initiated multi-pronged moves to boost its trade and investment relations with the Central Asian Republics taking into account the emerging importance of these countries in the geopolitics of the region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the five CAR countries in July this year, has built the foundation of this new thrust which is expected to give a big push to the energy security of India. Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has opened a new chapter in India’s relationship with the CARs when immense possibilities have opened up in the oil and gas sector of the region following the conclusion of the nuclear deal between Iran and the big powers.

The outcome of Sri Lanka’s parliamentary polls, held last Monday, is a double-whammy for Beijing and a cause for New Delhi heaving a sigh of relief. Mahinda Rajapaksa who had ruled Sri Lanka as president with an iron hand for nine years, had lost the election to Maithripala Sirisena in presidential elections held in January this year. This time as the candidate of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) he made a bid to come back as prime minister.

Mid-year fiscal 2016, the economy hardly looks like regaining vibrant growth, which has more to do with policy failures and delayed actions, so much so that doubts arise for Government's growth target of achieving at least 8 per cent, higher than the globally projected 7.4 to 7.5 per cent. Yet, our policy makers are not wanting in sketching out robust high growth scenarios, which may be more relevant for future years.

Is the Modi government not paying enough attention to the ex servicemen by delaying the implementation of the One Rank One Pension? A vocal war veteran community has successfully mobilised public support for their demand. The movement has not only sustained itself but is growing from strength to strength. What began as a murmur has grown into an agitation, which has now peaked with three ex servicemen sitting in a fast unto death in Jantar Mantar while their colleagues are demanding the implementation of the OROP.

KOLKATA: With scheduled State Assembly elections only nine months away, the present political situation in West Bengal could not be more confusing.