THE Independence Day speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a piece of propaganda remarkable for its disconnect with reality and reeked of hypocrisy in certain matters.This stood out most with regard to Kashmir. His exhortation that the problem will not be solved by “gaali” and “goli” but by embracing Kashmiris was the most hypocritical of them all. The Kashmir valley has been in turmoil and the use of force is the only distinctive approach of the centre to deal with the unrest among the people.

THE political somersault by Nitish Kumar will rank as one of the biggest of its kind in India’s political history which, anyway, is replete with such opportunistic behaviour by bourgeois politicians. Nitish Kumar, after the success of the mahagathbandhan in the assembly elections in Bihar in 2015, had become the most prominent advocate of a grand anti-BJP alliance at the national level.  Even as late as in April this year, he had advocated the unity of opposition parties to take on the BJP.

THE Malabar joint naval exercises held off the Chennai coast has concluded. This 21st edition of the Malabar exercises saw the participation of the US, Indian and Japanese naval forces. This was one of the largest joint naval exercises in the region involving 16 ships, two submarines and 95 aircraft from the three countries.The joint naval exercise between the United States and India began in 1992 and it marked the beginning of the military collaboration between the two countries.

THE visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel is more than symbolic.  Apart from being the first ever visit by an Indian prime minister, it is also the first time that a top Indian leader is visiting Israel and not going to Ramallah and the Palestinian territory. Modi’s trip to Israel marks the culmination of a shift in foreign policy which has developed over the years – the forging of a strategic alliance with Israel and the steady downgrading of India’s commitment to the Palestinian cause.

THE nomination of Ram Nath Kovind as the presidential candidate of the BJP alliance confirms the expectation that the RSS would not let this opportunity slip by to place one of its men in the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the first time.The choice of Kovind is sought to be projected as the concern of the BJP for a dalit to occupy the highest office in the land.