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The forecast for a normal monsoon may have brought some hopes to the farmers, but has not totally eliminated his worries. This is, particularly, true for states with large tracts of rainfed areas and where there is no assured irrigation.

The predictable outcome in Karnataka does not diminish its value, for it has lessons for both the winner and the loser. To start with the latter, the observation of a BJP spokesman, Rajiv Prasad Rudy, was an indication how badly the party has been rattled by the result. Asked to comment on the BJP’s defeat, Rudy resorted to a counter-question: “so what?”

With few days left for the general elections to elect the 272-member National Assembly (NA) – Pakistan’s Parliament – on 11 May (plus 70 members representing women and religious representatives), Pakistan is confronted with a sanguinary democratic lemma. Will the first successful transition from one democratically elected parliament in the 66-year history of the troubled state witness a free and fair election?

The lightning speed at which the Saradha scandal unfolded in West Bengal was only matched by the collapse of the business group with 120 firms, which has wiped out the savings of an estimated 4 lakh investors in 19 districts, many of them small and poor. Thousands of people have become paupers overnight, including daily wage-labourers, who invested in Saradha’s chits the few thousand rupees they had managed to save over many years. Several have committed suicide.

It was difficult to understand the Chinese objective behind their latest provocation, especially when they finally realised that discretion was the better part of adventurism. As security analysts had noted, this time they pitched their tents in Ladakh and not wandered in and out of Indian territory as before. They might have claimed that they were camping on their side of the border, but why didn’t they do it earlier? And, why now?

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The United Democratic Front (UDF) Government’s passion for privatisation has acquired dangerous dimensions.

After its spree of electoral victories since 2007 the ruling Akali Dal finds itself politically at the receiving end. Three recent developments have forced the Akali top brass to go on the back foot. The first is the resentment generated by the dedication of the Blue Star memorial built in the Golden Temple Complex to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Second is blunting of its threatened offensive against the Congress and UPA government on the Wealth Tax issue. Third is the party’s tactful retreat from its anticipated offensive against the Centre on Sarabjit’s killing in the Lahore jail.

Militarily India is no match for China. However unhappy and anguished India may feel about the constant Chinese provocation by way of its frequent intrusions and dogged presence of its troops inside the Indian territory in Ladakh in the north-west and Arunachal Pradesh in the north-east, the issue of stamped visa to residents from J&K and Arunachal seeking to visit China and the building of strategic infrastructures in countries such as Nepal, Pakistan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar, encircling India, it would be simply foolish on the part of the country to step into the Chinese booby trap by adventuring into a military response.

BHOPAL: 'Unite or perish', this warning served by Congress Vice-President, Rahul Gandhi while interacting with party workers of Madhya Pradesh during his recent two-day visit to the state, seems to have had some effect on the faction-ridden party.

All eyes are set on the election results of Karnataka assembly on May 8. The questions raised are; will any party get an absolute majority or there be a hung house? The trend in the recent assembly elections has shown that the people prefer one-party rule and do not vote for a hung house. This was demonstrated in successive Uttar Pradesh elections. The same was the trend in Bihar election and recently held Punjab and Himachal Pradesh polls. In Bihar, Nitish Kumar romped home comfortably; in Himachal, the Congress sailed through comfortably and in Punjab, Akalis retained power.