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Article146.png”” alt=””Article146.png”” />The four-year-old Italian marines case has often threatened to derail India’s relations with Italy as emotions have run high on both sides. In the latest development in the case, a UN Arbitral Tribunal has asked India and Italy to approach the Supreme Court of India for relaxation of the bail condition of Sergeant Girone, who was granted bail by the Apex Court and has been living in Italian Embassy in New Delhi. While Italy took it to be a ruling paving the way for the release of the marine, Indian government sources here said on Monday that Italy was misrepresenting the order which only stipulated that bail condition of the marine, living in Italian Embassy here on bail, to be set by the Supreme Court of India. Sources said the Tribunal order neither releases nor frees any marine but it only recommends further relaxation of bail conditions of one Italian Marine — Salvatore Girone — to be considered and decided upon by the Indian Supreme Court. Sergeant Girone is on bail on orders of the Supreme Court.

The Arbitral Tribunal’s order recognises that “Girone is under India’s authority alone” and that the “Supreme Court of India exercises jurisdiction” over him. The order asks India and Italy to approach the Supreme Court of India for relaxation of the bail conditions of Sergeant Girone. The Tribunal has suggested that these may include the conditions and guarantees binding upon Italy to “ensure that Sergeant Girone reports to an authority in Italy designated by the Supreme Court of India in intervals to be determined by the Supreme Court of India; Sergeant Girone shall be required by Italy to surrender his passport and shall be prohibited from leaving Italy unless the Supreme Court of India grants him leave to travel; Italy shall on its own motion, apprise the Supreme Court of India of the situation of Sergeant Girone every three months.”

The Tribunal noted that Italy itself has accepted that if Girone is allowed by the Indian Supreme Court to return to Italy, “he will remain under the jurisdiction of the Courts of India”…“without prejudice to the authority of India’s courts”. The order also says that “India must be assured, unequivocally and with legally binding effect, that Sergeant Girone will return to India in case the Arbitral Tribunal finds that India has jurisdiction over him in respect of the Enrica Lexie incident”. Italy has already given multiple undertakings to this effect. The Tribunal affirmed that “these undertakings constitute an obligation binding upon Italy under international law”. The Tribunal also “confirms that Italy is under an obligation to return Sergeant Girone to India if the Arbitral Tribunal finds that India has jurisdiction over him in respect of the Enrica Lexie incident”.

Sources pointed out that the Tribunal is adjudicating only on the limited question of whether India or Italy has the jurisdiction to try the two Marines for the killing of two innocent Indian fishermen. Only after the Tribunal decides which country has jurisdiction, will the criminal trial commence. Pending this final decision of the Tribunal, both Italian Marines are currently on bail on orders of the Supreme Court of India and will continue to remain under its jurisdiction till the verdict of the Arbitral Tribunal. In 2012, India arrested two Italian marines after a pair of Kerala fishermen were shot dead. Italy has maintained that the marines, who were escorting an oil tanker, mistook the Kerala fishermen for pirates.

One of the marines Massimiliano Latorre was allowed to return to Italy with health problems, the other Sergeant Girone was asked to remain in India. Sources said that if bail conditions were to be relaxed, Indian government would insist it to be conditional upon Italy pledging to return Girone to India if needed for the trial. The Italian marines case hit headlines and soured India-Italy relations but the two countries agreed last year to take the case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and abide by its decision. The Supreme Court has extended the home leave till September of the other marine Massimiliano Latorre. He was allowed to return to Italy in travel back to Italy in 2014 for medical treatment.

Even at home the main opposition party Congress has charged the BJP-led NDA government with striking a deal with the Italian government to allow the Italian marines go home in exchange for information on AgustaWestland bribery allegations. The marines case has also made Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi being regularly criticised by opposition leaders for failing to get both men home and resolve the case. While Italy claims that the oil tanker, the MV Enrica Lexie, was in international waters at the time of the incident, India has maintained that the firing by the two marines was a plain case of murder at sea in which one fisherman was shot in the head and the other in the stomach.”

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Article145.png”” alt=””Article145.png”” />As the World celebrates World Press Day on May three, it becomes imperative to examine the status of the media in this country considering that India ranks as low as 133 among 180 countries according to the 2016 ‘World Press Freedom Index‘ released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) with Finland retaining its top spot for the sixth consecutive year, followed by the Netherlands and Norway. Considering the plethora of media in this country – print and electronic – and of course now the social media, yet the debate rages whether there is indeed true freedom of the press. Even though the Constitution provides the right to freedom, given in Articles 19, 20, 21 and 22, with the view of guaranteeing individual rights that were considered vital by the framers of the constitution, yet, the question is often frequently asked – does the media really enjoy the freedom that is portrayed.

A part of the answer to the difficulties lies in making it possible for independent newspapers and especially periodicals to operate without too much handicap. But, even then, such newspapers may not be as successful as the large ones operated as capitalist undertakings. Their workers, including journalists, may have to work at a sacrifice. But unless there are elements in the country which are ready to work with self sacrifice and zeal for causes in which they believe, new and unorthodox ideas cannot develop and new political groups cannot emerge. Though the country’s media remained most free in South Asia in 2014, press freedom in the country was threatened by several factors, including a series of legal actions against journalists and editorial interference by media owners as also continued violence against journalists, attempts at surveillance, and blocking of news channels, among other forms of censorship, were also issues of concern.

The most serious inadequacy relating to the Indian Press is to be found in newspapers published in Indian languages. Most of them are poorer in quality as compared to newspapers in English. This is so even in respect of Indian language papers belonging to same groups. This obviously happens because the managements of such groups continue to think that the prestige of the group depends more on the English language newspapers than on the Indian language ones. However, the demand for Indian language newspapers is already expanding faster and this trend will be further accelerated in future. As the number of legislators who understand English declines, it is essential in public interest and for the proper functioning of democracy that the quality of the more important Indian language newspapers improves rapidly.

Though the constitution of India does not specifically mention the freedom of press but it is implied from the Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. Thus the press is subject to the restrictions that are provided under the Article 19(2) of the Constitution. The Preamble of the Indian Constitution ensures to all its citizens the liberty of expression. Freedom of the press has been included as part of freedom of speech and expression under the Article 19 which says: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” Another important point pertaining to the freedom of the press is brought out in the observation by the Supreme Court in Union of India v. Assn. for Democratic Reforms when it says “One sided information, disinformation, misinformation and non-information, all equally create an uninformed citizenry which makes democracy a farce. Freedom of speech and expression includes right to impart and receive information which includes freedom to hold opinions”.”

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Article150.png”” alt=””Article150.png”” />The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of media reports about yet another ‘Nirbhaya’ like rape and murder of a Dalit law student, whose body was found by her mother on Friday in Ernakulam, Kerala. The “”Nirbhaya”” rape and murder case in Delhi in December 2012 had evoked nation-wide protests and outrage and led to amendment of the criminal law. The Commission, on the basis of the media reports, has observed that the crime is so spine-chilling and gruesome that words fall short and expressing anguish and shock appear meaningless and mere ritualistic. It is a matter of utmost concern that women’s security is facing grave threat in spite of several measures taken in the recent times including amendment in the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and Evidence Act.

The Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, Kerala Government as well as Superintendent of Police, Ernakulam Rural at Aluva. They have been asked to submit a detailed report on the incident and action taken in the matter within two weeks. According to reports, the 29 year old woman was raped and murdered inside her home, near an isolated stretch, at Vattolippidi Canal Bund near Perumbavoor in District Ernakulam, Kerala. Her body bore at least 30 injuries, including some on her private parts. Reportedly, the assault on her stomach was such that some parts of the small intestine had spilled out, the NHRC noted.”

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Article149.png”” alt=””Article149.png”” />Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi drawing his attention towards the suffering of about 16 crore children across the country, resulting in an increased number of children being subjected to child labour, child trafficking, child marriages, devdasis and school dropouts due to the severe drought in several parts of our country. “”It is also estimated, that there will be an increased risk of lakhs of children becoming victims of these circumstances in the coming months, if the situation is not addressed on priority basis,”” Mr Satyarthi has said in his letter.

Additionally, it is has been estimated that this drought has seen an increase in children dropping out of school by approximately 22 percent and child trafficking by approximately 24 percent. He has asked the Prime Minister to declare drought as a national emergency immediately as well as get an assessment done of the condition of children in the drought-hit areas to ensure that no children are pushed into trafficking, labour, or even drop out of the schools. Mr Satyarthi has also suggested that unspent Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds, especially from the public sector undertaking, should be diverted for child-centric drought relief measures.”

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Article148.png”” alt=””Article148.png”” />The long-awaited meeting of Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan was held on the sidelines of Heart of Asia Summit on April 26 in New Delhi but it was hardly of any consequence and appeared to have been held only to refute the perception that peaceful negotiations between the two neighbours are over. Indian Foreign Secretary Dr. S.. Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry insisted on their viewpoints without giving any credence to other”s views. This was the reason that no joint communiqué was released. The Ministry of External Affairs although mentioned that the meeting was frank and constructive but stated that the Foreign Secretary demanded that the culprits of Pathankot and Mumbai terrorist attacks should be punished. The case of Masood Azhar, Chief of Jaish-e- Mohammed (JeM) was also discussed. and India emphatically told that Pakistan must control various terrorist outfits based in Pakistan and carrying out terrorist activities in India would impact relations between the two countries.

Pakistan gave no clear answer about the progress of Joint Investigation team which visited Pathankot and about the proposed reciprocal visit of National Investigation Agency (NIA) team to Pakistan. The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an unprecedented move, posted a small release on twitter even as the meeting had just begun in which it said that all issues, including Kashmir, was discussed and Pakistani Foreign Secretary insisted that Kashmir issue is the core issue and it should be resolved.

Pakistan also asked about investigation of Samjhauta Express blast, arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav and alleged Indian role in secessionist activities in Balochistan and terrorist activities in Karachi. Pakistan also insisted that the Indian Foreign Secretary should visit Pakistan so that Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue (CBD) can commence. The media, in both the countries, also projected that the meeting failed to achieve anything substantial. Pakistani media constantly alleged that Indian intelligence agency was involved in secessionist activities in Baluchistan and terrorist activities in Karachi. The Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan kidnapped Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer and dubbed him as R&AW agent involved in secessionist activities in Baluchistan, a point which was raised by India during the talks.

In a nutshell, the meeting of the two Foreign Secretaries generated more animosity rather than creating goodwill. There was no commonality in their press releases which made it abundantly clear that talks were held as an exercise to score points. Both sides issued official statements as well as tweets to gain more points. Date and time of the next meeting was also not fixed. It was clear from the beginning that the Pakistani side was determined to sabotage the talks. Pakistani Army which thrives on projection of imaginary threat from India would not allow the civilian government of Nawaz Sharif to have friendly relations with India.

Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif has already weakened Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in August 2014 when Imran Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf Party and Islamic cleric Muhammad Tahir-ul- Qadri launched Azadi March (freedom) to protest the rigging of general elections held in 2013 on behest of military controlled Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). However, Nawaz Sharif is an astute businessman turned politician knows that there can be a rapid economic progress of Pakistan if relations with India are improved. Therefore, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi more than once and welcomed him when he paid a surprise visit to Pakistan. The civilian government wants resumption of talks but all powerful Pakistani army creates hostile situation and disrupts the talks, a pattern which emerges everytime when India-Pak dialogue process is set in motion and promises to inch forward.

Right now, Nawaz Sharif is also facing trouble because of leak of Panama papers which mentions that sons and daughter of Nawaz have offshore companies in British Virgin Islands and own several properties in London and other places. General Raheel Sharif sacked 6 army officers including a Lt-General, Major General and 3 brigadiers on charges of corruption. It put tremendous pressure on Nawaz Sharif. The opposition parties in Pakistan including Imran Khan Chief of PTI started putting pressure on Nawaz and it will make position of Nawaz weaker in comparison to Pakistani Army.

The analysts mention that arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav was a ploy to propagate to the world and to common Pakistanis that India is involved in abetting secessionist activities in Baluchistan and carrying out terrorist acts in Pakistan including Karachi hence there should be no peace negotiations with India. It made the position of Nawaz still weaker as his government was advocating cordial relations with India. Now ISI would create more trouble in Kashmir and carry out fresh terrorist activities in whole of India as it will get additional suicide bombers to revenge sham allegation that India is creating trouble in Pakistan including Baluchistan and Kashmir.

Large number of Madarassas have mushroomed which are financed by Middle Eastern countries, rogue ISI, terrorist outfits and fanatic Muslims, these Madarassas work as factories to produce extremists, terrorists and suicide bombers. Unfortunately a strong lobby is developed in Pakistan which is thriving on anti-India rhetoric. The lobby includes Pakistani army, terrorist outfits, Muslim fanatics, dishonest businessmen and others. They have convinced large number of Pakistanis that India wants to annex Pakistan hence there should not be any peace with India. There are sensible Pakistanis, who do not believe in this malicious propaganda but they are in minority and are in no position to play an important role in the improvement of India-Pakistan relations. The chances of improvement of India Pakistan relations in near future are remote. Pakistan possesses nuclear warheads and cultivated close relations with China hence India must prepare itself against Pakistan and also remain prepared if China also extends a helping hand to Pakistan.

(Jai Kumar Verma is a security analyst based in Delhi. Views are personal)“

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Mr. R. K Asthana, Additional Director and a Gujarat cadre IPS officer, was appointed as interim Director. His appointment was challenged in the Supreme Court by senior lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan. In accordance with the new rule of appointing CBI Director, a three-member committee, led by Prime Minister Modi, had met earlier this week to pick the new CBI chief. Chief Justice of India J S Khehar and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge are the two other members of the committee. At the meeting, Mr Verma had got two of the three votes — that of PM Modi and Chief Justice of India JS Khehar. Mr. Kharge had favoured former CBI Special Director R K Dutta for the post on the ground Mr Verma lacked experience in the CBI and in anti-corruption units. In his petition, Mr Bhushan had also supported Mr Dutta’s candidature, saying he was the most qualified officer. Mr Dutta had been transferred to the Union Home Ministry.

Mr. Verma is known to be a low-profile officer who believes in doing his job quietly away from the glare of the media. He had succeeded B S Bassi as Delhi Police chief and over the past seven or eight months has maintained a carefully cultivated distance from the media. Though Mr. Verma has not been able to put a brake on crime rate in the national capital, he has been described as a good administrator who took some bold decisions like giving long-pending promotions to Delhi Police middle rung officers like head constables and sub-inspectors. His innings in the CBI will be keenly watched over the next two years as the agency has attracted criticism in handling sensitive anti-corruption cases and also faced accusations of working on the directions of the Central government.”

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The tables have been turned on Samajwadi party patriarch with the wrestler-turned-politician Mulayam Singh Yadav losing the battle for the ‘cycle ‘ symbol and slowly getting marginalised. The saving grace is that the Election Commission of India has not sealed the symbol which remains with the SP. The ECI’s decision that Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav faction rightly deserves the cycle election symbol on the strength of its large majority of legislators as well party loyalists vociferously endorsing the leadership of the youth icon in the country’s most crucial state.

Efforts are on to put an end to the sordid family drama in the Yadav family. The indications are clear that the mantle of leadership in the dynastic SP has passed on to Akhilesh Yadav earlier this month.  Since then he has gone from strength to strength.

At the same time Akhilesh has maintained his poise saying his respect for Netaji or his father will remain undiminished. What is of significance is that no time was wasted by the SP and Congress in announcing their intentions of stitching up a “”mahagatbandhan”” a la 2015 Bihar style to keep the Lotus party at bay in the country’s most populous state.

This has the portends of resurrecting the Congress to some extent and giving a boost to the SP along with the Rashtriya Lok Dal, JD (U), RJD and other smaller regional groups in UP in its determined bid to defeat the communal forces.

Akhilesh has an upper hand at the negotiating table having secured the cycle symbol as well as controlling the Yadav-Muslim vote bank. From all accounts it appears that the chief minister does not want to alienate the dwindling Mulayam loyalists. The gambit is to undertake a delicate balancing act ensuring the renewal and strengthening of the SP.

In a three cornered contest the BJP might well be pushed to the wall with the Muslim minority vote going against them. Seeking to project itself as the saviour of the other backward classes, the Lotus party is desperate to regain power in UP after nearly 15 years. The lotus party seems to have alienated its supporters of small traders as well as the Brahmins. Three years back in the general elections in 2014 the BJP secured a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha for the first time since it was formed in 1980.

It managed a staggering 71 seats in the Lok Sabha out of the 80 from UP finishing with a tally of 73 along with its allies in the NDA. It is unlikely that the BJP will be able to replicate that humongous performance in the ensuing elections to the 403-member state assembly.

Judging by the BJP’s first list of candidates it is once again banking on communal polarisation in riot affected western UP. Tickets have been issued to leaders involved in communal incidents including sitting MLAs Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana, both of whom are accused in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots. The wife of the BJP/RSS leader accused in last September’s Bijnor incident has also been fielded. The saffron brigade has again resorted to playing the communal card amid reports that the dominant Jat community is disillusioned with it. With reservation for Jats in a limbo, they might desert the BJP this time and consolidate the minority votes in favour of the SP-Congress-RLD alliance.

The outcome in UP will set the stage for the saffron brigade in the general elections two years later in 2019. The surgical strikes on terrorist camps across the LOC in Pakistan in October last year and the big ticket demonetisation undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently are the two main planks of the BJP’s campaign strategy in UP.

As the main campaigner for his party, the eighth November demonetisation by Modi created problems galore because of poor planning coupled with the centre’s failure to anticipate the problems that arose which got compounded in the wake of the RBI issuing new directives on a daily basis for nearly a month. The Lotus party is also handicapped as it has not got a chief ministerial face in the critical Cow belt.The Modi government desperately needs to increase its strength in the Rajya Sabha where it is handicapped being in a minority. This has compelled the BJP led NDA at the centre to resort to Ordinances which has been decried by constitutional experts.Important legislation pertaining to economic reforms has invariably come up against a wall and fallen by the wayside in the House of Elders. The politically conscious electorate in UP is acutely aware of the complexities of the caste and class combination.Having burnt their fingers in Bihar, BJP strategists have tried a new social engineering aimed at turning the Lotus party into a non-Yadav OBC party to woo the most backward castes. This is bound to alienate the Brahmins as they don’t vote in sync with the OBCs.

On the other hand the Samajwadi party government has not crowned itself with glory during its rule in Lucknow over the last five years. There were too many centres of authority. Despite that Akhilesh Yadav has focussed on development which is critical for UP and appears to have caught the imagination of the youth.

In the run up to the assembly electons in UP, Akhilesh Yadav announced nearly one thousand projects and schemes. He managed to lay the foundation stone or inaugurate a large number of them before the model code of conduct kicked in.

In all this Mayawati of the BSP who fancied her chances of becoming the chief minister for a record fifth time in UP appears to have lost the plot with the Congress-SP alliance being worked out. Her gambit of splitting the 20 per cent Muslim votes in the state might not fructify. This assumes importance as the minority community wants to vote decisively in favour of a party so that the BJP does not come to power in Lucknow. It is widely believed she will finish in the third spot after the SP-Congress combine emerging at the top followed by the BJP in second place.

Akhilesh Yadav’s test lies in leading the party with Mulayam Singh hopefully stepping back gracefully. His challenge is not just leading the SP in the ensuing seven-phase assembly elections in UP but overcoming the problems arising once the dust at the hustings settles down.

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator. The views are personal.)”

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) against Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in a case of alleged irregularities in ‘Talk To AK’ campaign. Well placed sources said the agency has registered a preliminary inquiry against Mr Sisodia. ‘Talk to AK’, the maiden interactive session of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal which was held on July 17 last year.
Soumya Jain, the daughter of Minister Satyendra Jain, also faces a preliminary inquiry about her appointment as an advisor to the Delhi health department for the management of 100 mohalla clinics. AAP faced flak over the appointment unhealthy as critics pointed that her father handled the health portfolio.
Soon after the news break late on Wednesday night, Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “”It appears that Modi-ji has lost it. The nation’s Prime Minister has only one agenda. He is after us.”” In another tweet, he called Mr. Modi a “”coward”  “”Modi ji, this is why I call you a coward. When you are on the brink of defeat in Goa and Punjab, you begin playing this CBI game?”” Kejriwal tweeted.

The CBI, which is functioning under the interim Director Rakesh Asthana, lodged preliminary enquiry based on a complaint filed by the Delhi government’s Vigilance Department. The complaint alleged that a consultant of a well-known public relations company was hired by the Delhi government to promote “”Talk to AK”” (Talk to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal) campaign and a proposal of Rs 1.5 crore was prepared for this purpose.

It alleged that despite objections from the Principal Secretary, the government went ahead with the proposal and the consultant spent the money thereby creating a liability for the government. CBI will probe the allegations before arriving at a conclusion if a Regular Case (RC) can be registered against Mr. Sisodia and others on the basis of evidence culled out during the preliminary enquiry.”

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President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Bicentenary celebrations of Presidency University on Friday in Kolkata. Speaking on the occasion, the President said the Presidency University is not merely a collection of buildings or an expression of language. The University stands for advancement, progress, thinking and questioning. The early students of the Hindu school from which the College and later the University emerged were known for their liberal thoughts, ideas, and philosophy as well as opposition to all prejudice. 

Mr. Mukherjee said the Presidency College gave birth to and nurtured generations of students who went on to influence and change the course of our country’s history. 

“”What is most remarkable is that this institution which was established primarily to educate the lower bureaucracy of the colonial rulers, went on to not only question and reform everything archaic, but also emerged as the hot bed of anti-colonial ideas and actions,”” he said. Established as a place for liberal, scientific and secular education based on Western ideas of nationalism, Presidency College became the institutional as well as intellectual manifestation of Bengali renaissance, he said. Although Presidency continuously upheld academic excellence, its most outstanding trait lay in its ability to question, discuss and debate every established dogma.  Be it socio-religious beliefs, political construct or ideological tenets, Presidency as an institution always dwelt upon the thesis and the anti thesis before arriving at the synthesis, that suited our nation the most, he told the gathering.

The President said as a great institution of modern world, Presidency’s biggest achievement has been its ability to inculcate a love for learning. Not just learning that is contained within the scope of the text books and syllabus, but knowledge that is acquired by plunging into the depths of subjects.  

It is this eternal pursuit that produced luminaries such as Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Anandaram Barooah in literature.  S N Bose, M N Saha, P C Mahalnobish, Amal Kumar Raychaudhuri, Shyamal Sengupta and Ashoke Sen in the field of basic Science.  Amartya Sen and Sukhamoy Chakraborty in the field of economics and alumnus such as Dr Rajendra Prasad (India’s First President), Muhammed Ali of Bogra (Prime Minister of Pakistan) and Abu Sayeed Chowdhury (The President of Bangladesh). The President said he was happy that this rich tradition is continuing and expressed the hope that it will continue to flourish.

The President said students should not become mere salesman for commercial products but should contribute to research, innovation and enhancement of knowledge. He expressed concern over the fact that none from an Indian University has won the Nobel Prize since Sir CV Raman and only a few Indian universities find a place in the top of international ranking of Universities. He said as Visitor of 126 Central Institutions, he has been asking institutions of higher learning to focus on research and innovation as well as improving their international rankings.  He called upon Presidency University to become the number one university of the country and to get a top position in international rankings.”

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Is Punjab in for a political change this time with the Congress having lost to the Shiromani Akali Dal for the last two consecutive terms in 2007 and 2012? It would seem so with anti-incumbency stacked against the SAD-BJP combine and in particular against the veteran — chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy chief minister son Sukhbir Singh Badal.

As the campaign chief of the Congress, former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh has a spring in his stride as this election might be his swan song. He is keen to teach the Badals a lesson of sending them into political oblivion.

Former Test cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu makes a “”ghar wapsi”” to the Congress having been disillusioned with the BJP. He is seeking a makeover of Punjab and taking it to the heights it once enjoyed by evolving policies rather than indulging in bluster and hollow rhetoric.

The Congress has the highest stakes in Punjab and has an even chance of winning there among the five states going to the polls in February-March. The results will be known on March 11.

And last but not the least is that “”sneaky little fellow”” as Capt Amarinder Singh describes Aam Aadmi party convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal trying his fortunes in Punjab. There is no doubt Kejriwal made a tremendous impression initially and if the assembly elections in the border state had been held six months back it was widely believed the AAP would have won hands down. 

Since then much water has flowed under the bridge with the AAP being hit by splits and scandals shattering their chances of forming the government in Punjab. At the same time the fledgling AAP can still be a spoiler. It may be recalled that in the 2014 general elections the AAP won four Lok Sabha seats out of the 13 in Punjab garnering 25 per cent of the vote share. 

The maverick Kejriwal feels Punjab is important in pursuit of his national ambitions in the next general elections in 2019. Under these circumstances both the Congress and the SAD have been compelled to launch a frontal attack against the AAP supremo. Ironically, even though in the last decade Punjab has enjoyed surplus power, several infrastructure projects encompassing heritage makeover along with making available subsidised atta-dal coupled with pre-poll sop of creating jobs.

All this has failed to soothe the ruffled feathers of the electorate against the SAD. They are hoping to capitalise on fielding the disgruntled in the Congress and the AAP in the hope of splitting the votes in favour of the Akalis. Whether this strategy works as evidenced in 2012 when the Akalis won a second consecutive term remains to be seen.

With the entry of the AAP in the electoral fray in Punjab, political equations have changed for the first time. There is an impression that the Akalis had encouraged lawlessness and condoned the high-handed attitude of its local leaders. The business interests of the Badals and their extended family has also come under close scrutiny.

The alienation of the “”Pathic vote”” can cost them dear. The pardon granted to the controversial Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who was charged with blasphemy by the Sikh clergy controlled by the Badals and a series of acts of desecration of the Sikh holy book had led to palpable anger against them.

On the other hand the Congress has been affected by factionalism, poor distribution of tickets and lack of efforts to keep its flock united. The delay in finalising its candidates once again is due to infighting with various factions propping up their own candidates. Reports suggest that Congress rebels have raised the banner of revolt in no less than 30 out of 117 constituencies in Punjab. With the likelihood of a three-way division of votes, political pundits and psephologists have become rather cagey in giving their assessment of the likely outcome indicative of the Punjab assembly elections going to the wire. 

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator. The views are personal.)”