THE sweltering heat and repeated attempts of disruption by TMC goons couldn’t resist the brave people of West Bengal from taking part in the Assembly polls in their fight to restore democracy in the state. Nearly 81 per cent of the 40 lakh electorate turned out to exercise their democratic right in the first phase of the Assembly polls on April 4.  In the first phase, polling took place in 18 constituencies - nine in Purulia, three in Bankura and six in West Medinipur district.

THE governor of Himachal Pradesh Dev Vrat was reportedly present on the dais when Ramdev made his widely reported atrocious statements which were nothing but an incitement to violence. Ramdev should be arrested under the clauses for incitement to violence and for hate speech, but more of that later. The country has not heard a single word of the governor’s reaction. Does he agree with such a blatantly communal speech? If not why did he not protest? Why did his office not at least issue a statement distancing himself from such a speech?

THE Panama papers have given a glimpse of the extensive network of shell companies and secret entities in tax havens around the globe which service the needs of the wealthy and powerful of the world. The Indian Express has published details of Indians who have utilised the services of a law firm, Mossack Fonseca, headquartered in Panama for acquiring shell companies off the shelf. These shell companies are registered in various tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands.

PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma is coming under increasing political pressure, both from within his party and from the opposition on an array of issues. His handling of the economy has been particularly under the scanner. Plummeting commodity prices have hit the South African economy very hard. The South African economy is heavily dependent on mineral exports. The mining sector, dominated by big conglomerates, accounts for 35 percent of the country's exports. It is the second largest economic sector after the agricultural sector.

 ARUN Jaitley, the finance minister, has claimed that the BJP has “won the first round in the nationalism debate. The people who were raising anti-India slogans are now forced to say Jai Hind, or Bharat Mata ki Jai”.  This understanding underscores the Sangh Parivar’s jingoistic and purile notion of the ‘nation’. The Sangh Parivar, and indeed Jaitley would do well to remember that Jai Hind and indeed Bharat Mata ki Jai (where Bharat Mata is in chains with a tricolour not on a lion with a saffron flag) are slogans of the freedom struggle which the RSS was never a part of.