AS the travel logs show, Narendra Modi has been spending considerable time in foreign climes. On his many visits abroad, he has steadfastly refused to take the external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj along. Important foreign policy decisions now seems to be exclusively formulated within the confines of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). This trend had started during the tenure of the previous government after it had gone on overdrive to secure the US-India nuclear deal. But in those days, the foreign office at least provided serious inputs that were acted upon.

THE Department of Telecom (DoT) Report on Net Neutrality, though better written than the shoddy consultation paper TRAI produced last March, ends up by ducking controversial questions and contradicting itself on what constitutes net neutrality. While endorsing net neutrality, on the issue of Zero Rating services, such as Airtel Zero and Facebook-Reliance Internet.org, the report refers them back to TRAI.

THE Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh is a massive admission and recruitment scam involving key politicians, senior officials and businessmen. The Madhya Pradesh Professional Board (MPPEB), popularly known by its Hindi acronym “Vyapam”, is a government body responsible for conducting several entrance tests in the state. These entrance tests are for recruitment to government jobs and for admission to educational institutes. The scam involved a collusion of undeserving candidates, who bribed politicians and MPPEB officials through middlemen, to secure high ranks in these entrance tests.

IFTAR parties hosted by political parties have become important statements of political importance and ability to attract a large number of prominent Muslims and clerics and, above all, members of the political class.  They have now assumed a new role, that of displaying political alliances and alignments.  All this is accompanied with an ostentatious display of wealth and lavish hospitality quite far removed from what Iftar means to most of those observing the Ramzan fast.  For them it is an occasion to share special moments with family members and friends and also to help those who are le

VETERAN leader of the communist movement and one of the founder leaders of the CPI(M), Comrade N Sankariah turned 94 on July 15. Com Sankariah’s long political career spanning over seven decades included nearly eight years in jail. He is one of the 32 members of the National Council of the Communist Party of India who walked out of the National Council meeting and later formed the Communist Party of India (Marxist).