My Opinion

As compared to Pak Occupied Kashmir, the situation in Jammu & Kashmir is far better. There is a democratically elected government, people have their basic rights and even have the power to voice their opinion…of course infrastructural facilities need to be further strengthened but the overall scenario is much better than what is prevalent in the region illegally occupied by Pakistan. Pakistan therefore is trying its best to destabilise this area…it is trying to spread a sense of fear amongst the people by promoting militancy in this area.

It is a no-holds-barred battle in Bihar. Lalu Yadav has openly referred to the Bihar polls as a clash of castes. The RJD supremo is trying garner support from the Dalits and the backward castes which comprise of more than 60% of the electorates and from the Muslims who account for about 17% of the electorates. While he is bent upon raking up the issue of reservation, BJP President, Amit Shah feels elections have to be fought on development as an issue. A war of words that is expected to gather more steam in a run up to the elections!

Even the Pakistani media has lauded the manner in which Narendra Modi has positioned himself in the US compared to their own Prime Minister who seems to have found himself on a sticky wicket. While Modi has succeeded in improving India’s image in the West by making the most of his visit to the US, Nawaz Sharif has managed to use only the United Nations to make Pakistan’s presence felt internationally by repeatedly raising the issue of Kashmir. Nawaz Sharif had to face a backlash at home when he failed to mention Kashmir in the joint statement with India at the Ufa Summit. And this time he was left with no other option.

The entire region of Kashmir is undoubtedly beautiful. Even Pak Occupied Kashmir is very scenic and rich in natural resources but there have been shocking revelations of the utmost brutality perpetrated by the Pakistani forces in this area and any voice of dissent is dealt with a heavy hand. There have been massive protests by the indigenous Kashmiri population who are irked by the growing terror camps in this area and the manner in which the Pakistani administration has been trying to muzzle their voices.

This has been the most horrific crime…a crime sparked off by a rumour that forced an innocent man to lose his life and left his son battling for his life. And all this in the name of religion? The State Government will have to investigate this thoroughly, the perpetrators must be dealt with in the strictest manner…we cannot allow such incidents to happen. Otherwise it would not only vitiate the air but it will also mean a death knell for our country’s image.

While they have lost him forever, Iqlakh’s brother does not want this incident to trigger off any communal disharmony in the area. He does not want his brother’s death to be exploited by the politicians. He says he has full faith in the UP Chief Minister and hopes that the culprits would soon be punished.

Every mother has a special place in our lives and it is only but natural that Prime Minister Narendra Modi choked during a Q&A session at the Facebook Townhall with Mark Zuckerberg when the latter asked him about the importance of his mother in his life. To have been dubbed as faking emotions by senior Congress leader Anand Sharma is certainly not going to go down well with Party President Sonia Gandhi. As a mother herself, she is well aware of the special relationship that Rahul shares with her or for that matter the bond that Rahul and his grandmother Indira Gandhi shared. In fact it was at the AICC convention 2 years back in Jaipur, Rahul had similarly got emotional while recalling an incident with his mother. Would Anand Sharma even dare to question the Congress Vice President’s emotional outbreak?

Perhaps a biggest breakthrough by NASA. If indeed there is water on Mars, this definitely raises the hope that there could be a possibility of life beyond Earth.

It is true that Rahul Gandhi is in the US attending a conference at Aspen. He does not need to take permission from anybody for that matter. And it is his prerogative whether he goes on a holiday or not…however questions are bound to arise when there is a veil of secrecy over such visits. But at a time when social media is so powerful, it is difficult to keep such visits under wraps for long!

Modi’s reference to the corrupt land deals made by Robert Vadra without naming him has got the Congress seething. Each time Modi refers to rampant corruption being prevalent before he came to power, the Congress sees it as an insult to the country in foreign soil. But the spate of scams that have rocked the nation in recent years is no secret. The Congress’ accusations of the PM’s foreign trips costing the exchequer is also without basis. Whether it is Russia’s Vladimir Putin, or Japan’s Shinzo Abe or China’s Xi Jingping – all have travelled much more than what Modi has travelled. After all for a robust foreign policy, the Prime Minister would have to engage with other nations.

The manner is which Somnath Bharti has been absconding and playing hide and seek with the police gives rise to a suspicion that there might be something more to it than what meets the eye!

Lottery is big business in some of North Eastern states in India.Some may be legitimate but a sizeable amount of black money is also generated from this business. Perhaps what needs to be probed is where this huge amount of money that was seized in Kolkata, was heading to.