THE Agnipath scheme, which makes a radical departure in the nature of recruitment of soldiers to the armed forces, has met with widespread opposition from the youth and ex-servicemen of all categories.  Despite this fierce opposition, the government has directed the armed forces to go ahead with the new recruitment programme.The objections to the scheme have been well spelt out by various retired senior officers of the armed forces and defence analysts.    More importantly, it is the young men, of predominantly rural backgrounds, who have understood the pernicious character of the grandiloq

THE BJP and the Modi government have been hoist on their own petard. After presiding over a systematic anti-Muslim campaign and whipping up Islamophobia, the government and the ruling party are faced with a strong diplomatic backlash from most of the Muslim countries, among them the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey.Two BJP spokespersons – Nupur Sharma at the national level and Naveen Jindal of the Delhi BJP – had made offensive remarks against Prophet Muhammad on national television and social media respectively.

DURING the Ramjanmabhoomi agitation, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindutva outfits had raised the slogan “Ayodhya sirf ek jhanki hai, Mathura or Kashi baaki hai”. This translated means “Ayodhya is just the beginning, Mathura and Kashi are left”.After winning the battle to build the Ram temple at Ayodhya at the very spot where the Babri Masjid had stood, in less than two years after the foundation ceremony of the temple at Ayodhya was held, the same forces have begun the struggle for Kashi and Mathura.

THE May 9 incidents of violence in Sri Lanka brought into sharp relief the deteriorating situation caused by the grave economic crisis which has gripped the country. The economic crisis has now engulfed the political system and the entire society.At the heart of this maelstrom is the Rajapaksa family regime. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who wields executive power has pressurised his elder brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, to resign as prime minister in an effort to salvage the tottering regime.

EMMANUEL Macron has been elected president of France defeating the neo-fascist Marine Le Pen in the presidential run-off election. While Macron got 58.5 per cent of the vote, Le Pen received 41.5 per cent vote.There is relief in France and Europe that the far-right Le Pen has been stopped from capturing the key executive position in the country.