The election campaign finally ended on Friday, May 17. Arindam Majumder reveals what he discovered on the election front on a long rail journey.
Political exchanges between Congress and BJP today hit a low with the latter asking Rahul Gandhi to "grow out of diapers" after he took jibes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying people will reduce his 56-inch chest to 5.6 inches.
The winds of nationalism laden with religion will now yield to those of concern over the stalled economy, unemployment, and a general malaise and unhappiness, predicts Shekhar Gupta.
Any NGO critical of the government is unlikely to receive a green signal. The new amendment will leave NGOs vulnerable to harassment. It was the NGO sector that helped provide compassion and food to millions of people during the lockdown. The new Bill will render such cooperation and camaraderie impossible in future, observes Rashme Sehgal.
"The RSS is trying to change the nature of India. Other parties haven't tried to capture India's institutions," he said.
Ten trade unions with a combined membership of 15 crore workers in public and private sector, including banks and insurance companies, are on a nationwide strike to protest against changes in the labour laws.
Amid speculation over a possible merger of his party with Congress or the forging of a likely alliance between the two, Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday met Sonia Gandhi, but said that no politics was discussed during their interaction.
'What shame is there in the government accepting a drought situation and taking appropriate measures to help people live?' a Marathwada farmer asks Neeta Kolhatkar.
"As it is said a man-made disaster, in the same way demonetisation is Modi-made disaster," the Congress vice-president said as he targeted the prime minister squarely blaming him for the hardships post-demonetisation.
'In economic matters governments should not take sides based on religion and caste,' says T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan.
The Congress has never given India a PM who was a prisoner of his or her own image, said Rahul Gandhi at the party's MPs' meet.
He said his party wants to eradicate corruption and if "Modiji takes any step against the menace, the Congress party will lend its hundred per cent support".
The prime minister is likely to talk about its possible extension.
'I am not a Hinduwadi leader, but a nationalist leader. I am a leader of every religion, every caste, every language and every class'
'By holding forth on Swadeshi economics, Bhagwat is showing his intent to fight back,' says Shekhar Gupta.
If the AAP wins 20 to 40 Lok Sabha seats, which is conceivable unless it botches up on governance in Delhi, it will become a significant bloc comparable in influence to or even bigger than several major regional parties, feels Praful Bidwai.
The ISI network of spies has been operating in India for over a decade.
'The creation of Pakistan was integral to Britain's grand strategy.' 'If they were to ever leave India, Britain's military planners had made it clear that they needed to retain a foothold in the NWFP and Baluchistan because that would provide the means to retain control of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.'
The BJP, however, reacted sharply to Gandhi's remarks saying the Congress leader will do well worrying more about his constituency.
Proposals to allow more high-technology foreign workers into the US are gaining ground in Congress despite assertions by labour and anti- immigrant lobbies that plenty of Americans are available to fill the jobs.
V P Duraisamy's exit will in no way upset the poll scene in western Tamil Nadu, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Rebuffing petroleum ministry, Siddaramaiah launches Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana-like scheme months before state polls
'When you come through the hassles and struggles of business life, your mind is wired differently.' 'You are more connected to reality,' Akali Dal MP Naresh Gujral tells Rahul Jacob and Archis Mohan
Ten trade unions to go on strike to protest against changes in labour laws
Opposition politicians on Wednesday stalled a last minute attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to pass the Goods and Service Tax bill.
Outfits related to labour and agriculture critical of policies, say their voices are not being heard. Archis Mohan reports.
Agarwal was admitted to hospital on Wednesday after he even gave up drinking water.
Miller insisted that any legal immigration system should not displace American workers and there should be no abuse of 'fraud'.
Has Make in India's mascot, the metal lion, begun to rust?
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday targeted Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya over the suicide by a Dalit scholar saying the ministers and the vice chancellor have "not acted fairly" that forced him to take the extreme step.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi was issued summons on Tuesday by a local court on a petition filed by a city-based lawyer objecting to certain reported "defamatory, derogatory" remarks made by him about the natives of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar at an election rally nearly two years back.
Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra expressed confidence in GST.
"It is a historic day. We are making history today," Law Minister said.
'The decline in BJP seats tells us that despite the rote incantation of the development mantra, Gujarat is not immune to the economic pain the country is feeling and is telling the ruling party so,' says Shreekant Sambrani.
With tempers rising on intolerance, it will be hard to run House proceedings.
"We have not even showed 10 per cent of the strength of farmers of India. And the prime minister suddenly understood that he cannot push the farmers of this country," he said.
In his short speeches at various places, Gandhi assailed Modi over demonetisation and a host of other issues.
Rahul Gandhi has the potential to grow into a good, effective, leader of the Opposition provided he puts his heart and soul into it, with a willingness to learn, says B S Raghavan, the distinguished civil servant who worked closely with India's first three prime ministers.
Norman Matloff, professor of computer science at the University of California, Davis, believes that the US has enough highly skilled engineers and raising the cap on H-1B would hamper the wages of senior workers already in the industry.
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