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The little agendas
Bharatiya Janata party leaders are not wide of the mark when they say they don't foresee any hitch over the national agenda they are drawing up in consultation with their allies. What should worry the party are the little agendas of its various allies. As regards the BJP, it has already indicated its readiness to put all its key programmes such as abrogation of Article 370, construction of a `magnificent' temple at Ayodhya and a uniform civil code on the back burner.
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Women in the House
At least one argument that the male political establishment has consistently advanced to keep women out of mainstream politics took a severe beating in the recent elections. For lack of better terminology, let's call it the winnability factor.
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The saffron undervest
Amidst the cacophony surrounding the election, a small item in the Press was denied the attention it deserved. A month or so ago 25 retired generals joined the BJP. One wonders what these worthies do after they join up. Were they actively campaigning for A. B. Vajpayee? Or perhaps relaxing at home dreaming of a governorship?
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The sorrow of seven sisters
It is time to wonder why the tribals of the north-east remain so maladjusted to the idea of India. What made them take up arms against the Indian state, view the Army as an occupation force, and refer to fellow countrymen in the plains as `Indians'? Blame must go to the inherent faults of our parliamentary democracy, where the House of the people honours only numbers, making the seven sisters of the north-east with their 24 MPs irrelevant.
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