In declaring both Navjot Sidhu and Charanjit Channi as party’s faces in Punjab elections, Congress has eroded the new CM’s authority. Choosing a Dalit Sikh CM was smart politics. But undermining him after ousting Capt. Amarinder Singh is terrible messaging. Congress must decide Sidhu is fully in or fully out.
An Opposition-mukt Nagaland is bad for democracy. Nobody wants to challenge militants politically
Nagaland becoming Opposition-mukt is bad for democracy. All parties have united to find ‘a permanent political solution for the state.’ Underlying this is a troublesome message, that nobody wants to challenge the militant groups politically or administratively. This is like the state’s democracy going into suspended animation till a settlement.
Fury over AUKUS shows how anti-US sentiment in France is a deep cultural war
Whether it is nuclear-powered submarines, McDonald’s or Coca-Cola, the anti-American sentiment in France is a deep cultural war. The French fury this time, the first big public squabble inside NATO, has led to recalling of envoys and cancellation of events. As always, French exceptionalism has to dominate any global debate.