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In the New India of RSS and Narendra Modi it is the lathi and not the rule of law that defines and underlines the character of India. Though the RSS and BJP leaders are not tired of claiming that India has not deviated from its traditional path and continues to be a democratic country, the fact remains it is the word of the king that matters most. In New India constitution and democracy have lost their relevance and utility.

French voters in their first round elections to the National Assembly of Parliamentarians on Sunday gave a clear signal to the incumbent President Emanuel Macron that the people are ready for change. The opening round saw Macron’s Ensemble coalition take a slight lead with 25.75 per cent of the popular vote as against 25.66 per cent for the NUPES Left block led by Jean Luc Melenchon.

Unabated rises in food and fuel prices have kept India’s retail inflation at elevated levels. Even without getting into the nitty-gritty of detailed figures, the price trend are hurting and needs to be tamed if only for maintaining overall stability.

The President of India’s post is where quite often a key politician is put to pasture. The news cycle in the last couple of days moved from Prophet and Nupur Sharma to rioting and bulldozer, and Rahul Gandhi. Now, there is Sharad Pawar, tapped for the President of India’s post, and the ticker every half an hour belches updates.

Elections and defections go together despite stringent anti-defection laws in the country. The law proves ineffective as the legislators are lured by money and position. The lawmakers skirt around the rules, find loopholes to their advantage, and defy them.

Narendra Modi government that brought the four controversial labour codes in a great hurry – one in 2019, and three in 2020 when majority of workforce was even out of job and were struggling to survive – without consulting all stakeholders according to labour conventions, and now planning to implement them from July 2022 despite stiff opposition from the joint front of the Central Trade Unions, is still in the process of making draft of National Employment Policy initiated in 2013. It speaks a lot about the government’s seriousness about providing employment to the unemployed of our country.

Do we have two legal systems prevailing in the country? The Supreme Court actually said that India cannot have two parallel legal systems, “one for the rich and the resourceful and those who wield political power and influence and the other for the small men without resources and capabilities to obtain justice or fight injustice.” Well, reality suggests that we do have two parallel legal systems operating, as the recent tragic Mundka fire and the Jahangirpuri bulldozer-backed demolitions, both have demonstrated.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al-Baqr, a man known for his pithy retorts, pretended to quiver in his pants. Hindu nationalists had called for a boycott of the Gulf airline after Qatar took India to task for derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed and Muslim worship by two spokespeople of the country’s ruling party.

Like all other investment instruments, weaker investor interest has affected gold prices as well. There has been bi-directional equity volatility in recent times, but this has failed to support gold prices as short term momentum waned.

“Of course, you were not spreading rumours, the charge is you were spreading facts.” That’s the blurb on an RK Laxman cartoon of 1962, 60 years ago. Today’s cartoonists should take a kerchief out of Laxman’s pocket-cartoons. Lampooning is serious business. It should tickle the cerebral cells. The sarcasm should be biting, and the honest truth should not be lost in the caricaturing.