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Innumerable empty promises, lies and plagiarizing the ideas of others notwithstanding, Narendra Modi has now embarked on the boulevard to appropriate the phrases and idioms already in vogue and featuring prominently on the political agenda of other parties.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra Thursday, February 8, entered Chhattisgarh via Odisha where he had corrected the BJP’s propaganda that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was an OBC and let it out in the public domain that Modi was, in fact, a “Teli” of the “general caste” and that the Prime Minister was recognized as an OBC only in the year 2000 in what appears to be a sleight of hand. That should make the BJP’s propaganda that India has an OBC Prime Minister one big fat lie perpetrated and perpetuated for electoral spoils.

Russia has taken special steps to deliver the powerful S-400 system to Indian Air Force dismissing all allegations by the western sources that the supply will be inordinately delayed.. In line with the country’s initiatives to strengthen its air defence capabilities, the Indian government and Indian Air Force (IAF) had signed a deal with Russia in 2018 to acquire five squadrons of the S-400 air defence system at a cost of approximately Rs 35,000 crore.

Vietnam's name was part of a slogan of a radical Left political outfit in Kolkata in the late '60s and early '70s.But the nation which was embattled with mighty America has now turned over a new leaf. It is making a steady progress towards prosperity whose pace ought to have been faster. But internal challenges have cast a shadow on its prospects.

On the claim that country’s manufacturing has a strong base, stands the structure that shambles down every time there is a quake. But then it is only a claim, reality is at the roots that keep facing continuous erosion. So far as claims are concerned or chinks in the data fudging starts showing, end result is same. It is neither a robust economy nor has an adequate speed. Factory output is at its slowest for the last one and half year. The extreme fall in domestic demands is not saturation of demands, it is absence of means to meet the demands. Even the essential needs and the wages for the labour invested in the manufacturing activities do not match. Hence as needs keep mounting and pockets remain empty, the growth also stands crippled.

Renowned economist and former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan feels India’s strength is in services sector particularly IT and software and the country needs to capitalise on it, but latest OECD report suggests that services trade is one of the most restrictive in India. The Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI) of the OECD gives a comprehensive list of trade restrictions of OECD and some Non-OECD countries, including India for 22 services sectors. India is considered to be highly restrictive in services sector with 47th position among the 50 countries despite the reforms in many services areas.

From Mughalsarai in the East to Ghaziabad in the West, Uttar Pradesh presents an unprecedented political puzzle. Hindu communal posturing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath since January 22 opening of Ram Temple at Ayodhya has caused a sudden rise of politico-communal sentiments among the people on both sides – the NDA and the INDIA bloc. People intoxicated with the majoritarian sentiments, are offering tough political challenge to the opposition who need to politically campaign against BJP on the eve of Lok Sabha general election 2024.

The conviction of former Pakistani prime minister, Imran Khan Niazi together with his erstwhile Cabinet colleague Shah Mehmood Qureshi seems to be following a pattern quite familiar in the country of their birth. The decision of the court announced almost on the eve of the general elections on February 8 reminds many on both sides of the border of the trial and conviction of several past prime ministers in a country whose governance has swung between democratic governance and army rule.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seems to be in a pickle. As per political grapevine, nearly 14 more ministers, legislators and senior leaders of her Trinamool Congress are in the waiting list of Narendra Modi-led pre-poll vendetta, to be arrested by the ED over the next two months, well before the Lok Sabha elections.

The anticipated docking of a Chinese scientific vessel in the Maldives this week has heightened tensions among Beijing, Delhi, and Malé. The ship Xiang Yang Hong 3 is officially visiting the Maldives to change its crew and stock up on supplies, which is a completely harmless visit says Beijing.