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There has been a mixed diplomatic response from various foreign countries attending the recent G20 sessions in different states of India’s lush-green Northeast.

“We will win all the 40 seats” is the clarion call of the BJP Chanakya Amit Shah to his cadres and sympathisers in Bihar. But the task ahead is arduous. Riding on the shoulders of the RSS, Narendra Modi and his lieutenant Shah may talk of accomplishing the mission, but the ground realities depict a different proposition, the BJP eventually may not only retain the seats it won in 2019., it will lose heavily in 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

When Arvind Kejriwal launched his Aam Admi Party in 2012 and bid for power the following year for Delhi assembly in 2013, no one thought he would find political space and sustain himself for long years. Now, on Monday, the Election Commission has granted AAP national party status on the basis of the party’s performance in the assembly polls. With AAP, there are now six political parties with National status. The others are Congress, BJP, BSP, CPI(M) and NPP.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to substantially boost India’s manufacturing industry has impacted little on the country’s growing dependence on merchandise imports and large trade deficits. It is no wonder that the government and its commerce minister say little on the country’s growing annual merchandise imports bill and trade deficit while highlighting its export growth. The steady domestic demand amidst the global slump has hardly pushed up local production and investment in manufacturing. Instead, it seems to be helping foreign producers dump their products into India. Strong industrial and foreign trade policies could stem the rot.

The 26th tranche of the electoral bonds is on sale from April 3 and it will continue till April 12. Karnataka assembly elections are scheduled on May 10. The principal beneficiary of the electoral bonds, will be in a position to make full use of the money available from the bonds for the campaigning and the other expenses for this crucial state polls. The BJP has massive financial resources but some additional is always welcome, especially after Karnataka polls where cash plays an important role in floor crossing of the greedy legislators.

Rapid advances in the development and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have also triggered a rapid labour market and workplace transition. At the labour market level, it is likely to increase productivity and create new jobs, but at the same time it is likely to replace or at least alter other jobs, thus increasing reskilling needs and risking the displacement of workers and business models unable to adapt.

Expansion of the nation’s space industry and the promotion of innovation have been driven by deregulation and incentivization; however, there is still a significant amount of work to be done in order to guarantee the commercial sustainability of creating a worldwide space hub. Recently, a significant amount of attention has been drawn to India’s space industry due to the establishment of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe). This action demonstrates the government’s desire and drive to involve private entities in the space sector.

Dissenting voices in Congress leadership which had once sought a change at top echelons of the party have now been raised seeking a nationwide alliance with regional parties based on ground realities for 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The Congress leadership descending from its high horse is the first precondition to achieve this.

Last weekend a piece in a top newspaper asked “who will challenge Narendra Modi?” implying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had no alternative other than himself. However, even as the post posed the question, the answer had been out twisting in the wind for months. A section of Modi’s Hindutva vote-bank had been drifting away, hugely disturbed with the trajectory Modi and his so-called Hindu nationalist government was taking “Bharat” along.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) thinks it has made a prize catch by getting the elder son of senior Congress leader A K Antony, Anil Antony to join the party. But the ground reality being what it is, the party will realize sooner than later, that such tinkering won’t fetch the saffron camp Christian votes.