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Congress would like to rebrand Rahul Gandhi as a young, caring, and ideological leader before the 2024 polls. Has Rahul shown a new image after the Bharat Jodo yatra, completed over 100 days as intended? For the first time after many years, the grand old party is trying to reach out to people in remote areas and villages.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office SundayJanuary1for a third term as Brazil’s president, in a ceremony marked by the absence of his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro and violent demonstrations by far right supporters in different parts of the country.

A few days ago, while addressing the 75th Amrit Utsav of Swami Narayan Gurukul Rajkot Sansthan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that education has been completely neglected after independence. Therefore, it has become necessary that the government should bring forward the importance of ancient educational system. When previous governments faltered, he said, saints came forward and Swami Narayan Sansthan is an example. He said that in ancient times our education system was exemplary which gave importance to knowledge. “Our Gurukuls have been representing equity, equality, care and a sense of service for centuries”.

Like boils breaking out on a deceased human, protests against irregularities in Pradhan Mantri Aabas Yojana list are eruption in one West Bengal district after another. With panchayat elections inching closer, the regular outbreak of these demonstrations could not have come at a worst time for Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government which is already on the backfoot over probe in a slew of graft cases.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had to face severe aggression from the BJP leaders for his month old jibe at Narendra Modi asking the people to vote "looking at his face" for all elections. Kharge had said "From municipal corporation election to MLA election and MP election, look at Modi and cast your vote is what you say. Do you have 100 heads like Ravan?"

Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal President Naveen Patnaik is unlike other regional party founders and heads. He has no prime ministerial ambitions and is remarkably aloof, not seen as a threat to the ruling party at the Centre. And, if the BJP and Modi government see the Chief Minister and his party as rivals, it does not reflect in the duty rosters of central investigative agencies.

Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were two legislative assemblies that were to expire on February 18 and January 1, 2023 respectively, the elections for which were held in November and December. BJP swept Gujarat but lost Himachal Pradesh, and thus the party begins the year 2023 with its political manoeuvring capability bruised that may not be working across the states. Congress snatched Himachal Pradesh from the BJP and AAP successfully entered the BJP’s political forte Gujarat for the first time. Thus, the Congress and AAP in particular, and the political parties in opposition in general, are beginning the year with greater political aspirations.

It is a pity that the government could not think of a better “new year gift for the country’s poor” than continuing to feed 81.35 crore Indians with free food grains for another year till December 31, 2023, under a 10-year-old National Food Security Act (NFSA), at a cost of over Rs.200,000 crore. In the process, the government admits that India’s poverty level continues to increase with the growth of its population. The union government enacted NFSA in July, 2013, giving legal entitlement to 67 percent of the population — 75 percent in rural areas and 50 per cent in urban areas — to receive highly subsidised food grains.

The Supreme Court has by a 4-1 majority ruled that the demonetisation decision by the Modi government was technically valid, but apart from the concerns raised in the dissenting voice recorded by Justice Nagarathna, the verdict has failed to acknowledge the huge human cost of the draconian decision.

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday named six players who have been Team India's best performers in all three formats of the game.