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Indian National Congress as the major party of the opposition INDIA bloc continues facing challenges in keeping allies together. Not only desertions of the JD(U) led by Nitish Kumar in Bihar and RLD led by Jayant Chaudhary in Uttar Pradesh from the INDIA bloc, but also announcement of going solo by TMC led by Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and AAP led by Arvind Kejriwal in Punjab, have put the Congress in a politically delicate situation.

Considering the bitter results of uninhibited political funding to the ruling party through the obnoxious electoral bond scheme, leading to the subversion of democratic processes, it may be time to go back to the concept of state funding of elections if democracy is to survive in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath appear to be working in tandem for forwarding the BJP’s thrust on Hindutva for electoral success. If one does the Ayodhya Ram Mandir ‘Pran Prathisthan’, and then opens a “Hindu Temple in the Abu Dhabi desert, the other gets on Muslim nerves by talking of "mandirs" in Kashi and Mathura, opening a second and third front. The “Muslim Paksh is told in no uncertain terms that it better concede or await the consequences.

LUCKNOW: With AICC president Mrs Sonia Gandhi going to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan, stage is set for Priyanka Gandhi to contest from her mother's constituency Rae Bareli. It may be mentioned that the family members of Nehru-Gandhi have represented Rae Bareli since 1952.

On Tuesday, February 13, India and the United Arab Emirates inked a deal to establish a trade route designed to link Europe and India via certain regions of the Middle East by both sea and rail. This grand project has received support from both the United States and the European Union. India is highly interested in this project as it sees it as the one competing with China sponsored Belt and Road Initiative (BTI) which is already in operation as a global project covering a large number of nations.

China’s northwestern province of Xinjiang has taken advantage of the international community’s focus on Gaza and US support for Israel, to tighten control of the region’s Turkic Muslim Uighur population, reshape Islam, and engage in social engineering.

Civilian Honours such as Padma awards and Bharat Ratna are usually declared prior to January 26, even though the award ceremony is held later. However, the announcement that veteran BJP leader L K Advani was to be honoured with the nation’s highest civilian award was made on February 3, a week after Republic day. The Advani family was taken by surprise when PM Modi first tweeted the news and followed up by a telephone call to his residence. The belated announcement was reportedly due to pressure from Sangh Parivar veterans, that to ignore the man who initiated the yatra for restoration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya while honouring Opposition leaders like Karpoori Thakur and Pranab Mukherjee (in 2019) seemed incongruous.

Love is in the air, but so is AI! A recent study revealed that 65% of Indians are using ChatGPT or similar platforms to craft their dating profiles, with 56% even considering AI-written messages for Valentine's Day. While this tech-powered approach seems to boost confidence and responses (81% reported better results with AI), there's a catch: 60% would be hurt if they knew their love message was machine-made. So, while AI offers exciting possibilities like overcoming shyness and photo enhancement, the authenticity factor might give the heart an ache. But experts suggest, tread carefully and remember, even in the digital age, love thrives on genuineness.

Why is Supreme Court is totally silent in coming out with its order on the legality of the controversial electoral bond scheme for more than three months? After a number of hearings, the Supreme Court concluded the same on November 2, 2023. Now more than three months have passed but there is no sign from the office of the Registrar that the verdict is being given soon.

In his political career spanning half a century, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, must not have on any other occasion looked like a dwarf, as he was made to appear by the political youngster in the RJD leader Tejashvi Yadav. The Nitish-sponsored confidence motion in Bihar assembly on Monday was also testimony to the emergence of a more articulate politician in Tejashvi.