THE stain of corruption, nepotism and crony capitalism is enveloping the Modi government and the BJP state governments. Narendra Modi and the BJP had made the massive corruption under the UPA government their main plank in the Lok Sabha election campaign. Narendra Modi had promised to put an end to the loot and corruption under Congress rule. After the completion of one year of the BJP government, speaking at a rally in Mathura district, Modi claimed that he had not guaranteed acche din for those who looted the nation; for them it was bure din.

THE Modi government is faced with a major scandal concerning the Lalit Modi affair. What this episode reveals is serious impropriety on the part of a senior minister in the cabinet, the cosy nexus of crony capitalism and the typical response of a government which wants to deny and cover up the whole affair.

THE official celebrations of this BJP-led NDA government’s completion of one year have begun, Prime Minister Modi launched the celebrations amidst a flurry of media blitz from Mathura. The BJP has announced the holding of 200 public meetings across the country. All union ministers, we are told, are to hold at least three public meetings and three press conferences each, ie, over 200 public meetings and 200 press conferences across the country. This may be in addition to the 200 public meetings other RSS/BJP leaders may hold.

IT was not too long ago that the chief minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee hurled abuses at the CPI(M)’s Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar for having received, in accordance with official protocol, the prime minister who was visiting Agartala. On prime minister Modi’s recent visit to Kolkata, West Bengal chief minister spread out the red carpet and their new found bonhomie clearly consigned the acrimony between her and the prime minister during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls to the records of history.