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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The New Year has begun on a grim note for both Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and the Congress in the State.

In dialectics there is such a thing as the ‘struggle and unity of the opposites’. A classic example of this has come from Bangladesh. The Jatiya Party of Hussain Mohammed Ershad is a constituent of the new Awami League-led Government that took office last Sunday. It is, at the same time, the main Opposition party in Parliament. Ershad, chairman of the party, has been appointed Special Envoy to Prime Minister Hasina with the rank of a cabinet minister, while his wife Rausan is the Leader of the Opposition. The husband is in the government, the wife is in opposition. A nice division of job between the duo. But it is also symbolic of the uncertainty facing post-election Bangladesh.

The People’s Republic of Bangladesh had a general election on 5 January 2014, which the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as well as many smaller parties boycotted. They demanded for the restoration of recently abolished election-time caretaker government (CTG) for ensuring level playing field for all, which was not met by in power Awami League (AL). The latter declined on the point that the last CTG abused the erstwhile provision by holding on to power for two years, instead of six months, which resulted, in their language, persecution of politicians.

The buzz in political circles is that Priyanka Gandhi may enter active politics and also contest Lok Sabha election. This appears likely because the political scenario has dramatically changed with the entry of Aam Admi Party, led by Arvind Kejriwal, in the political arena. Already the rising graph of Narendra Modi, BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate, has posed a challenge to the Congress. Unfortunately, Rahul Gandhi has not be able to make the desired impact. One wonders if the Congress can face the twin challenge of Modi and Kejriwal under his leadership. In the circumstances, many senior leaders feel that Priyanka can be brought to the forefront of the Party campaign since she has better appeal among the Congress masses.

Who on earth could have imagined even 18 months ago that India’s burgeoning middle class and the New Rich would soon stop growing. The cash-rich, consumer-oriented, upwardly-mobile, brand conscious and wealth flaunting Indian middle class have outgrown its tribe anywhere in the emerging world, including that in five times wealthier China, in the last 10 years. But, its growth balloon stopped soaring in 2013.

India’s trade picture is coming to look increasingly normal and sustainable. A combination of factors seem to have happily coincided to bring about the abrupt change in India’s trade from sheer unsustainability to manageable imbalances.

New Year 2014 has rung in. As usual there are great expectations from 2014. What has been happening and what is likely to happen in 2014 has been prepared by everything that has happened in 2013 and the years before. As they say nothing comes of nothing; Nothing ever does.

The Aam Aadmi Party, the new blue-eyed boy of the public, has decided to try its luck by contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha polls to expand its base. Living in clouds after the unprecedented victory in the Delhi Assembly polls last month, the AAP wants to encash its success by going national.

LUCKNOW: The manner in which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is gaining momentum and making inroads in different parts of the state has unnerved the major political parties in Uttar Pradesh.

The transformational change under way in India’s political scene, bringing people’s concerns to the fore in governance, that has been demonstrated in the national capital, has set new challenges to the long-established parties, ruling at the Centre and states.