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When Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency in 1975, the vast majority of Indian academics, intellectuals and media commentators protested. Barring a few publications like India Today, most newspapers carried sharply critical comments and truthful, horrifying accounts of the excesses perpetrated in the name of defending India against contrived “threats”—until censorship was imposed, and sometimes defying it.

Even as Narendra Modi was stomping around the country on his election tour, few outside Gujarat knew that he had a wife languishing back home. Most people were under the impression that he was a bachelor. All through his political career, he has always projected himself as a loner. Only occasionally he paid a visit to his mother.

World finance ministers and central bankers staged a somewhat contentious debate over the negative spillovers from unconventional monetary policies of richer nations distorting the financial sector in emerging and other countries, at the Fund-Bank Spring Meetings (April11/12) in Washington. Also, notably, USA, the largest economy and quota-holder, was roundly denounced by most nations for delaying reform to empower the Fund with greater credibility and legitimacy.

The careful social engineering done by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in forging a rainbow alliance with smaller Dravidian parties may help in boosting its winning prospects in at least four parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu. The expectations can be more for NDA alliance in the state if it can make its way between two formidable forces – the DMK and the AIADMK.

Lok Sabha elections take place to form government in the centre, but in Bihar the outcome of 16th Lok Sabha election will decide the future of Nitish government as well. The reason is very simple. Nitish is heading a minority government since he severed his alliance with BJP. With the help of Congress and independent MLAs he had established the majority of his minority government after the breakup of the alliance, but some MLAs of his own JD(U) have deserted the party since then. He can no longer depend upon the support of Congress MLAs, because the oldest party is now friend of Lalu Yadav of RJD.

All opinion poll surveys are abuzz with Mr Narendra Modi to be the next Prime Minister of India. Euphoria hovers high on Modi led BJP government, which will usher a new economic development, replicating Gujarat model. Mr Modi believed that his principle of minimum government and maximum governance was the key instrument to the success of Gujarat model and was assertive that the same will work for development at the Centre.

Now that the election for 2014 Lok Sabha has reached almost half way mark, it is time to make a realistic poll assessment – who will get largest number of seats, who will be runners up and what role smaller parties will play? The Modi wave is, perhaps, the most contested of all expressions. It is also evident that there is no powerful Modi wave, which may turn into a hurricane, but certainly Modi has an upper hand. Travelling through Eastern Uttar Pradesh, one realizes that the truth is somewhere in between. Doubtless, Modi is much talked about politician in the region. He is the centerpiece of election talks in tea shops, street corners, bus stops, street corners.

LUCKNOW: Communal polarization in western Uttar Pradesh evident during heavy turnout for 10 seats that went to polls on April 10, has boosted the morale of BJP and Samajwadi Party.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As expected, Kerala recorded heavy polling with the voters turning out in large numbers. The preliminary figures show a slight increase in polling.

Six years ago, when Daiichi Sankyo, the Japanese pharmaceutical giant, concluded the biggest ever foreign acquisition of an Indian manufacturing company by any group in a $4.2 billion cash deal buying the entire 34.82 per cent stake of Malvinder Mohan Singh and family, the erstwhile promoters of Ranbaxy Laboratories, then the largest Indian drug maker and exporter, the Japanese pharma conglomerate was naturally in a celebration mood. It was Daiichi Sankyo’s biggest moment of glory, coming just two years after its major entry into the United States, the world’s largest drug market, without knowing that its India foray would soon step into a corporate booby trap that would not only create a big hole in its pocket but also smear its global face with dirty drugs.