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Major Russian companies started taking big interest in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make In India” programme. At the initiative of the Russian Government itself, the leading Russian companies are presently working on plans for collaboration with the Indian corporates belonging to both public and private sector for joint production in India on the lines of the ”Make In India” programme.

In the Indian Union, this is the season of Class 12 examination results. A few days ago, I was watching a TV program on a ‘national’ channel (basically, any TV channel with headquarters in Delhi area and beaming in English or Hindi), which had invited the ‘country’s’ toppers. They were all from the CBSE board (CBSE is the Central Board of Secondary Education, a central government funded institution in the Indian Union and like other boards, holds its own Class 12 examination. Such central boards are also called ‘Delhi’ boards as they are headquartered in Delhi and get their orders from Delhi). But the Indian Union has many, many other boards. CBSE is not even the top board in terms of number of Class 12 students. The number of students who appeared in the Class 12 exam through CBSE board is 10.4 lakhs this year. In just Maharashtra, 12.4 lakh students appeared Maharashtra State Board class 12. In short, Delhi/Central boards represent a miniscule percentage of Class 12 students in the Indian Union.

In West Bengal, what has been politically unthinkable all these years has just happened! The once hoity-toity CPI(M), which ruled the state for over 34 years heading a Left coalition, is considering an electoral alliance with its bête noire the Congress.

The BJP patriarch L.K. Advani’s clarification that his supposed fears about a return of Emergency rule were directed at the Congress must have been greeted with a sign of relief by the ruling party at the centre.

Two Muslim girls teaching Yoga to BJP President Amit Shah; a Muslim girl, Maryam Asif Siddiqui, mastering Gita and winning in a Gita chanting competition; she is complimented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Two Muslim girls, Rukhsana Khatoon and Bismillah Khatoon, besides teaching Yoga to Amit Shah, demonstrating Yogasanas and pranayam as they were adept in them. Why then so much fuss by Muslim clerks? How it is a campaign to enforce Hindu rituals on all non-Hindus? The observation of Abdul Rahim Qureshi of All India Muslim Personal Law Board that “it is a campaign to enforce Hindu rituals on all non-Muslims” is, perhaps, most tactless.

India is working for the implementation of a new oil production strategy under which the fourth largest energy consuming country of the world will leverage its crude oil and petroleum products purchases from any exporting country with acquisition of oil and gas assets, as a part of a strategic relationship on energy security. The Narendra Modi Government is worried that the initial advantage of the declining oil prices in the beginning of the tenure of the NDA regime is gone and the Government has to be ready with a viable long term oil exploration and production policy to steadily bring down the imports.

KOLKATA: Inner party differences over tactics continue within the CPI(M) and the Congress in West Bengal, even as they seek to intensify their struggles against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

The stage is set for India becoming a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at its summit at Ufa in Russian Federation on July 9 and 10 this year. So far this SCO group founded in Shanghai in 2001, had six members led by China and Russia. Other four members are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The full membership will give India the access to participation in vital discussions regarding the security and development in the Asian region, mainly the central Asia. Significantly the BRICS summit is also being held simultaneously at the same venue and this will give India the advantage of having discussions with other two members Brazil and South Africa.

The element of trust deficit has been primarily responsible for the reluctance of the BJP central leadership to announce the name of the probable chief ministerial candidate for the ensuing assembly elections. Though the BJP’s central leadership appears to be apprehensive of sabotage by other aspirants in case a face was projected, the primary reason for keeping it wrapped in secrecy is the inability of the aspirants to take head on the Nitish Kumar challenge. The leadership is not in the proper mental frame to initiate any step in this matter as it would prove to be detrimental to the party in a do-or-die battle.

The ongoing Lalit Modi drama is not going to go away soon as many expected with the narrative changing by the hour. It has so many angles including political, sports, power of the rich and mighty and so on but what began as sports rivalry has now blown into a first rate political crisis. Naturally it has given fodder to the opposition starved of any real issues. There is no doubt that the real target is Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.