Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made a real political statement when he watched Empuraan with his family, despite the film taking potshots at the Left and Vijayan’s cult of personality.
The movie shows a Muslim-majority village being attacked by a Hindu mob, and a pregnant Muslim woman being raped by a Hindu man. This seems to be a reference to the Bilkis Bano case.
The durability of partnership will depend on whether both sides can institutionalise dispute resolution mechanisms rather than rely on episodic political bargaining.
By next weekend, Bangladesh will have an elected government. This is India’s moment to reboot broken ties by moderating the ‘ghuspethiya’ rhetoric in poll-bound West Bengal and Assam.
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