By Nitya Chakraborty Two phases of polling for the seven phase assembly elections to the five states have been over by now and the third phase is due on February 20. By then in three states Goa, Uttarakhand and Punjab, the polling will be completed. Only two states Uttar...
By Prakash Karat Some chief ministers of the opposition-ruled states have been discussing about the need for a united stand to defend federalism and to counter the onslaught of the Modi government on centre-state relations. The need for a united stand of state governments in defense of states’ rights...
By Binoy Viswam Ever since the battle for Uttar Pradesh has begun, the RSS – BJP big shots are anxious about their political fortunes. Though states like Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa also are scheduled to the polls, the chieftains of the Sangh Parivar are more nervous about UP....
By Subrata Majumder India’s fiscal budget for 2022-23 drew much despair and less cheer. It was alleged to miss counter measures to ebb inflation and generate more employment opportunities. Budget poured little for poor and middleclass. Little was made to create demand. No tax relief for resilience to pandemic....
By Sagarneel Sinha The polling for the Manipur assembly poll is due in two phases on February 28 and March 5. The Congress has arrived at an understanding with the four Left parties for electoral alliance on the basis of a common minimum programme. The campaign has been intensified...
By Sushil Kutty Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray are set for a luncheon meeting on Sunday, February 20. They will break bread and very likely talk of “Oust Modi” and “2024.” KCR says he doesn’t want to be Prime Minister but his...
By Jenny Farrell “Weerth, the German proletariat’s first and most important poet, the son of Rhineland parents, was born in Detmold, where his father was church superintendent.” So wrote Frederick Engels in 1883 of his friend Georg Weerth, who came into the world 200 years ago on February 17,...
By Anjan Roy The Russian announcement of de-escalation of its defence posture in eastern borders with Ukraine is a master stroke of diplomacy. Several components of the Russian military formations near Ukraine borders have completed their mission and were being stationed back, Russian defence minister had announced on Wednesday....
By K Raveendran Iran has always provided a shock element to the global crude market, often spooking the market with histrionics linked to disruption in supplies, thanks to overarching intransigence on the nuclear deal. But for a change, Iran is now proving to be a reassuring prospect even as...
By Sushil Kutty Has Covid-19 gone? If you think yes, you are not alone. Large chunks of people across continents and countries believe the same. There are still the cautious, those who advise there should not be laxity in Covid-appropriate behaviour. To the majority of world denizens, however, the...
By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is a strange paradox. While the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government is pulling out all the stops to woo investors, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), affiliated to the CPI(M), is indulging in acts which effectively undermine the Government’s efforts. Two...
By Arun Kumar Shrivastav In a major development that indicates that rational forces are back at work, Pakistan has allowed the shipment of 50,000 tonnes of wheat from India to Afghanistan. Diplomatic sources revealed this in Islamabad on February 14 and hoped that the transportation of wheat to Afghanistan...
By James M Dorsey Proceedings at a recent dinner in Washington suggested that a forthcoming visit to Turkey by Israeli President Isaac Herzog could be about more than putting an end to strained relations between the two erstwhile allies. Engineered by an influential American Jewish leader, Malcolm Hoenlein, vice-chair...
By Harihar Swarup I met Rahul Bajaj first time in Central hall of Parliament when he was an MP in Rajya Sabha; we developed instant liking for each other. As an MP, he made a mark in the upper house as a parliamentarian; he participated in every important debate...
By C.J. Atkins Along with trying to militarily absorb Ukraine into NATO, another major factor that’s becoming more apparent in the Biden administration’s unceasing talk of war with Russia is the desire of U.S. energy producers to invade European markets with fracked natural gas. Though the mainstream press is...
By Pradeep Kapoor LUCKNOW: Although Samajwadi Party and alliance will get the benefit of trend set in its favour during first two phases of polls in Uttar Pradesh, but Akhilesh Yadav is facing tough challenge from BJP in Yadav land and Bundelkhand in third phase of polling on February...
By Sushil Kutty Political parties have been told by the Punjab Pollution Control Board to keep the noise level to the permissible limit. Notices have been issued to a few bombastic politicians. That said, the PPCB diktat matches Navjot Singh Sidhu’s frame of mind. The volatile Punjab Pradesh Congress...
By Kalyani Shankar The Covid pandemic has posed a challenge to many people feeling isolated. We are amid the third wave Omricron. People look to new games during the pandemic. For the past two years, I too got clued into New York Times crossword puzzle, mini crossword, Sudoku, letterboxed,...