The two-hour detention of Bangladesh PM’s advisor at airport immigration exposes weaknesses in India’s neighbourhood outreach — even as IORA is on. It’s now a full-blown diplomatic incident with Dhaka summoning India’s deputy envoy. The Indian Ocean faces growing instability, strategic competition, and expanding Chinese influence. New Delhi can’t afford sloppiness.
The demand for rebel TMC MPs in defectors’ equity market is diminishing
Merger with another party won’t bring closure to rebel TMC MPs. Anti-defection law is only the immediate concern. Abandoning Mamata brings them immunities but no future guarantees. BJP’s diffidence about inducting them is understandable. It can’t betray the mandate by embracing the rejected. Yields are diminishing in defectors’ equity market.
Bhagwant Mann getting religious punishment from Akal Takht is anachronistic in 2026
The Akal Takht’s pronouncement of CM Bhagwant Mann as anti-Guru, anti-Panth is anachronistic in the 21st century. If the allegations are correct, recourse to law should be the next step, not a religious punishment. The clergy is fanning Sikh conservatism ahead of SGPC polls and the highly competitive assembly elections.
My respectful sense is that each neighbouring capital requires the posting of a very senior, accomplished professional diplomat. Political appointees can be accommodated in the more comfortable, glitzy posts in the West. 2. At the moment there is not a single neighbouring government where diplomacy can be placed on auto pilot. 3. Bangladesh has seen a political transition. Ms Sheikh Hasina continues to reside in New Delhi. The unremitting domestic political and electoral discourse makes the new High Commissioner’s task more difficult.
There can be too much of a good thing. The BJP has 209 MLAs in a house of 294 in Bengal. Safe as houses. It can focus on governance and economic development for the next five years, without really worrying too much about the TMC, reduced to 80 seats. There may be a need for its 20 MPs, to move closer to the two thirds majority which important legislation and constitutional amendments require. 2. Reducing the opposition to near zero can remove the last vestiges of accountability. Allow construction of substandard bridges which require repairs a few hours after inauguration. Sometimes collapse, just before or just after inauguration. 3. We have this paradox. So much political dominion, not being translated into outstanding achievements in any domain. So one really fears for the good people of Bengal, how much Poriborton is on the way.