Failed Mission .... War in Iran still poses a major political headache :::: Trump leaves China without breakthroughs on Iran, Taiwan or AI .... US president hails ‘fantastic’ deals, but details remain scarce ::: Both playing the WAITNG Game !!

 Xi Jinping asked Donald Trump --

“Can China and the United States transcend the so-called ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new paradigm for major-power relations?”

What is the Thucydides Trap?

A staple of foreign policy commentary, including by Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon, 

the Thucydides Trap refers to the idea that when a rising power threatens to displace an established one, the result is often war.

US and China are playing the waiting game

A statue of the Greek historian, Thucydides. The Thucydides Trap refers to the idea that when a rising power threatens to displace an established one, it can lead to war (snap - The Guardian) 

“It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable,” Thucydides wrote in his book, the History of the Peloponnesian War.

Just as Athens once warred with Sparta, the implication is that China’s rise provokes anxiety and potential conflict with the US.
Observers have noted that Xi has used the term for years, but deploying the classical reference during Trump’s visit may be have been a foreshadowing of his position on Taiwan.

The Chinese leader later warned Trump that any missteps on Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict”.

“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said, of the self governing island that China claims as its own.

“If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation,” he added. 

Responding on social media Trump said that Xi had “very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation”.

Of course, though, that was not a reference to the US under his watch, Trump said.“Two years ago, we were, in fact, a Nation in decline,” Trump posted on social media early on Friday. “Now, the United States is the hottest Nation anywhere in the world, and hopefully our relationship with China will be stronger and better than ever before!”

Blogger in China : File snap 

US president hails ‘fantastic’ deals, but details remain scarce after pageantry and little progress at much-hyped summit with Xi  

Donald Trump left China on Friday after a much-hyped summit of the world’s two major powers that was rich in pageantry and promises of stability, but offered little by way of tangible progress.

The US president had gone into the two-day talks with China’s Xi Jinping weakened by his prolonged war in Iran, and did little to change the perception that he and his nation are diminished on the global stage. Instead it was Xi who delivered the sharpest rhetoric of the meeting – over the future status of the self-governing island of Taiwan, with Trump notably failing to push back.

In his final remarks in Beijing on Friday, Trump did claim that the US and China struck “fantastic trade deals”, although details were scarce, and that he and Xi settled “a lot of different problems”.  

As he left China, Trump posted on his Truth Social network: “China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.!” – a reference to his long-running campaign to build a $400m ballroom at the White House.

But he will return to Washington to find that the war in Iran still poses a major political headache. 

There is much speculation about how much pressure the US is putting on China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, to use its leverage with Iran to encourage the country to reopen the strait of Hormuz. 

And there is a question mark over whether or not Beijing would be willing to accede to that pressure.  

Speaking alongside Xi at the Zhongnanhai garden in Beijing on Friday, Trump said: “We did discuss Iran. We feel very similar about [how] we want it to end. We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon. We want the straits open.”

He added: “We want them [Iran] to get it ended because it’s a crazy thing there, a little bit crazy. And it’s no good, it can’t happen.”

Chaotic US planning for a trip deferred due to the Iran war may have contributed to the lack of tangible outcomes. But the overall impression is of a wary stalemate. Just over a year ago, the US imposed 145% tariffs on China. Beijing hit back with its own tariffs and, critically, curbs on desperately needed rare earths exports, forcing Mr Trump to retreat. The US national security strategy announced a new focus on the western hemisphere. Military assets have been moved from Asia to the Middle East. US hawks have been muted, with China policy appearing to be directed primarily via the trade secretary, Scott Bessent.

The US hopes to establish alternative sources of rare earths. Deng Xiaoping urged China to “hide its light and bide its time” in foreign policy; now US officials joke of adopting his strategy.  

"But others think that the US needs to move fast to tighten controls on exports of advanced technologies, and make serious progress in “de-risking” supply chains. They fear Mr Trump, who likes quick wins, is trading long-term national security for short‑term economic gain," runs an edit in 'The Gurdian', London.

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How and why Kolkata police and the erstwhile TMC regime 'mishandled' RG Kar rape case ::: Old records

“They prematurely labelled her death a suicide, even before a proper post mortem examination was conducted,” parents said in their petition filed at the division bench of the Chief Justice of the Kolkata High Court on August 12.

They alleged that the hospital authorities, with the assistance of the police, made concerted efforts to suppress the true nature of the incident after the discovery of their daughter’s body.

The elevator to the third floor opens into a corridor where CCTV is installed. On examining its footage, accused Sanjay Roy was found to have entered the seminar hall at around 3.45 am, come out around 4.35 am and left the hospital premises at 4.37 am. 

He was seen wearing earphones as he entered but they were not there when he came out. 

Pieces of a broken earphone were reportedly found in the seminar room. 

There is a door leading to the staircase at the rear end of the hall, but it did not have any CCTV. Other CCTVs do not record Roy’s entry or exit.

 

The autopsy report records their daughter’s death between 3 am and 5 am on August 9, but the parents received their first phone call from the assistant superintendent of the hospital, Dwaipayan Biswas, at 10.53 am that day.

First they were told that their daughter was unwell. 

Twenty-two minutes later, at 11.15 am, the same individual called again to inform them she had died by suicide.

Later the Supreme Court questioned the sequence of events and the delays in registration of FIR by the Kolkata police.

—The crime was detected in the early hours of the morning, but the FIR was filed only late at night. 

Worse, when her parents rushed to the hospital after being informed of their daughter’s death, they were denied access to the body which, their petition asserts, “indicate[s] a deliberate attempt to tamper with evidence”.  

&&&

Notably, the first FIR in the case was filed by the parents at the Tala police station at 11.45 pm on August 9 (2024). 

The fact that the principal, Dr Sandip Ghosh, didn’t lodge a formal complaint also leaves room for suspicion.  

Suspended cop Vineet Goyal 

The then Kolkata police commissioner Vineet Goyal, suspended now by the Suvendu govt, blasted media and defended his force, saying, 

“There was no attempt to call the crime a ‘suicide’, as is being erroneously reported from certain quarters. The police never called it a suicide.”

The victim's parents in their petition said “they have come to know that there were no clothes on the lower part of their daughter’s body, and there were visible signs of severe torture. 

"The condition of her body strongly suggested that she had been brutally raped and murdered ... (there were) multiple abrasions, bruises, and clear signs of a violent struggle, including bleeding from her vagina, lips, and eyes”.

Goyal and two other suspended police officials

What is not known is if he was in any way related to other activities of the hospital administration. 

When asked about his identity, all Kolkata police commissioner Vineet Goyal supplied was that he was a “criminal of the highest order”. (India Today) 

How did Sanjay Roy, the main accused in the case, get such unfettered access to the hospital premises? 

More surprisingly perhaps - he was familiar with the movements of doctors and his victim's whereabouts. 

He was, after all, a mere civic police volunteer, a force that West Bengal had constituted in 2012 to assist during festivals, elections and disaster management. 

Inducted in 2019, Roy lived in the barracks meant for the fourth battalion of the Kolkata armed police, something he was not entitled to. 

He would visit the hospital frequently, ostensibly to admit patients on behalf of the Kolkata Police Welfare Association. 

How he could have done this is another mystery since one needs to be a permanent member of the force to be inducted into the association.

A clear complexity :::  A professor of orthopaedics, 

Dr Sandip Ghosh had been transferred twice in the past three years (ref 2024) but quickly reinstated; once within a couple of weeks and another time within hours. 

"Even Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is said to have thrown her weight behind him, transferring him to another prestigious state-run hospital as principal instead of accepting his resignation before the uproar forced a reversal of that decision", reported 'India Today' (Sept 2, 2024)  

**** Multiple formal complaints have been lodged against Ghosh in the past few years, one in April 2024 itself.

Chief among these is that Ghosh was the mastermind of a racket that involved the unlawful collection of biomedical waste from hospital vats to sell to outsiders, and that he used (dead) bodies sent to the hospital by the police for post-mortem for an ENT workshop without the necessary permissions and consent.

A committee had, in fact, been set up by the then RGKMCH medical superintendent and vice-principal in March 2023 to inquire into the allegations of mismanagement of biomedical waste. 

Its convenor was Akhtar Ali, former deputy superintendent (non-medical) of RGKMCH and later posted at the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital. 

He cited 15 counts on which Ghosh’s actions seemed suspicious in a letter to the state vigilance commission in July 2023. 

Apart from the biomedical waste allegation, they included one of the hospital buying (allegedly on the order of the principal), High Flow Nasal Oxygenation machines for Rs 4.3 lakh apiece plus 12 per cent GST during the pandemic. 

For context, he had pointed to how other city hospitals had bought similar machines for as low as Rs 1.35 lakh apiece.  

So what made Ghosh so powerful? In a conversation with journalists, Opposition leader from the BJP, Suvendu Adhikari, (now CM) had claimed in 2024 that Ghosh was/is close to a private orthopaedician, Dr Shyama Pada Das, who is allegedly close to CM Mamata. 

Das is reportedly a member of the ‘North Bengal’ lobby, which allegedly calls the shots in the state health department. 

                                                  The renovation and the ransacking/tampering the spot 

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Suspension of cops is right step, now RG Kar rape probe will go to the next stage :::: "Our firm conviction ex Chief Minister and TMC party involved" in cover up, says Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul

"Our firm conviction is the ex Chief Minister and TMC party were involved" in the cover up, says Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul.  

Suspension of cops is right step, now RG Kar rape probe will go to the next stage 

"Today three senior police officers have been suspended... but they deserve bigger punishment. Suspension is nothing (shudu suspend hoeye ki hobey)," the minister told reporters shortly after chief minister Suvendu Adhikari announced suspension of three key police officials including former police commissioner of Kolkata, Vineet Goya;, who is also considered close to the TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee. 

"Vineet Goyal maybe is today nearing retirement.... he should be given en exemplary punishment so that no cop can have the courage of doing what he did in 2024," Ms Paul said. 

Victim's mother and BJP candidate Ratna Debnath during an election rally addressed by PM Narendra Modi at Panihati, in North 24 Parganas district

RG Kar victim’s parents see fresh hope after Bengal widens probe, suspends IPS officers

Hailing the Bengal government's decision to widen the investigation into the RG Kar rape-and-murder case and suspend three senior IPS officers, the victim's parents on Friday said the move revived their hopes for justice and could lead to more arrests in the case that shook the nation.

The victim's mother, Ratna Debnath, now the BJP MLA from Panihati, said the latest developments marked the beginning of a renewed judicial process.  "Earlier, no action was taken. Wrong information had been given in my daughter's case. We are happy with the chief minister's decision," she said.

Debnath had campaigned extensively on securing justice for her daughter. Ensuring justice in the RG Kar case was among the BJP's key poll promises. On Wednesday, she moved court demanding the arrest of former Panihati MLA Nirmal Ghosh, and two other local TMC leaders -- Somnath Das and Sanjib Mukhopadhyay.

The current Panihati MLA alleged that efforts had been made to prevent a second post-mortem examination of her daughter and claimed the body was cremated hastily without complete documentation being handed over.

The victim's father alleged that there had been sustained attempts to shield those responsible. "We repeatedly said there were attempts to protect the guilty. The chief minister has set an example so that those entrusted with protecting the law do not dare misuse their powers," he said.

&&&

Dr Aniket Mahato, who participated in the protest, welcomed chief minister's announcement of suspension of the three police officials. 

"What really happened that day ... we all would like to know. Under whose instruction Vineet Goyal and others acted, we would like to know," he said. 

The BJP leader recalled that in 2024 in a questionable manner the body of the rape victim after her brutal murder was done in a questionable circumstance. "We were told the then police commissioner Vineet Goyal was having telephonic talks with the then chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was returning from Jhargram".

"We said no post mortem is done generally after 6 pm... but in this case ....," the minister said. Even the spot of crime was tampered with, she alleged.  

One police officer even offered money to the victim's parents. 

The RG Kar incident took place on August 9, 2024, when an on-duty junior doctor was found dead inside a seminar hall of the state-run hospital, sparking nationwide protests and demands for justice.

A civic volunteer, Sanjay Roy, was arrested the next day by Kolkata Police in connection with the alleged rape and murder, before the probe was transferred to the CBI amid mounting public pressure.

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Modi-plomacy Triumphs ::: PM Namo's 2.5-hour trip to UAE brings rich Dividends for India :::: “We strongly condemn attack on UAE. The manner in which UAE has been targeted is not acceptable in any form"

 Oil reserves to LPG supply: PM's 2.5-hour trip to UAE brings big returns for India 

India and the UAE signed key defence, energy and maritime agreements and announced USD 5 billion in investments amid regional geopolitical uncertainty.

The two sides also concluded an agreement on supplies of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, aimed at ensuring stable and long-term energy supplies to India as it seeks to secure and diversify imports and limit the impact of global price shocks on domestic consumers. 

Modi with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

The agreement was signed between Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) and ADNOC, secures a long-term, prioritised supply of fuel from the UAE, which fulfils roughly 40 per cent of India’s domestic LPG requirements.

It was a brief visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United Arab Emirates on Friday, but it yielded big returns for New Delhi. The visit produced a series of strategic and economic gains for India, with the two countries announcing defence, energy and infrastructure agreements along with investment commitments worth billions of dollars.

The PM's visit to Abu Dhabi came at a time of geopolitical churn in West Asia and continued uncertainty in global energy markets. 

Against the backdrop of the ongoing regional conflict and concerns over disruption to critical shipping routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, both sides stressed the need for stability, connectivity and economic resilience.  

Agreement on Framework for the Strategic Defence Partnership

One of the main outcomes was the signing of an Agreement on Framework for the Strategic Defence Partnership between India and the UAE. The agreement moves beyond standard military exercises to focus on the joint development and co-production of advanced defense technologies, deeper intelligence sharing, and stricter counter-terrorism cooperation.

MoU on Strategic Petroleum Reserves

In the energy sector, India and the UAE signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Petroleum Reserves to strengthen India’s energy security amid volatile crude markets and supply disruptions linked to regional tensions. 

Building on their existing partnership, 

......  where Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is the only foreign entity storing oil in India's underground reserves, this agreement deepens strategic cooperation, securing a reliable energy supply for India while providing the UAE with a stable, long-term market for its expanded crude production capacity.

MoU on setting up Ship Repair Cluster at Vadinar

The visit also saw an MoU for setting up a Ship Repair Cluster at Vadinar in Gujarat, a project expected to strengthen India’s maritime infrastructure ecosystem and support its position as a regional hub for ship maintenance and repair.

Investment worth 5 billion

In addition, the UAE announced investments worth USD 5 billion, targeted at boosting Indian infrastructure projects, expanding credit capacity at RBL Bank, and injecting liquidity into housing financier Sammaan Capital.

The agreements, according to officials, showed how India-UAE ties were expanding beyond traditional trade and energy cooperation into defence, logistics, infrastructure and finance.

India and the UAE have emerged as major economic partners in recent years, especially after the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which helped bilateral trade cross the USD 100 billion mark. Both countries are now targeting USD 200 billion in trade in the coming years.

PM Narendra Modi condemned the attack on the United Arab Emirates during the war between the United States and Iran.

PM is currently in the United Arab Emirates on the first leg of his five-nation diplomatic tour, which will also take him to the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy.

During his talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, PM Modi condemned the Iranian attacks and said, 

“We strongly condemn the attacks launched on the UAE. 

The manner in which the UAE has been targeted is not acceptable in any form. We welcome the steps taken by you to uphold national unity, security and regional integrity."

The prime minister also expressed gratitude to the UAE president for taking care of Indians living in the country during the attacks.

ends 

Bhojsala complex is a temple, says Madhya Pradesh High Court on disputed site

Bhojsala complex is a temple, says Madhya Pradesh High Court on disputed site

The High Court ruled Bhojshala's religious character as a Saraswati temple, ended the shared worship arrangement, directed ASI to oversee preservation, and suggested separate land for a mosque.

'CONTINUITY OF HINDU WORSHIP' NOTED BY COURT

“We have noted the continuity of the Hindu worship at the site, though regulated over time,” the bench observed while tracing the historical and religious evolution of the complex.

“The historical literature of the place establishes it as a centre of Sanskrit learning associated with Raja Bhoj. It indicates the existence of a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi Saraswati at Dhar. Therefore, the religious character of the area is held to be Bhojshala with temple of Goddess Vagdevi Saraswati,” the court said in its ruling.

In a landmark verdict that could reshape the decades-old Bhojshala-Kamal Maula dispute, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday declared the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar as a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi Saraswati and struck down the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) 2003 arrangement permitting Muslims to offer namaz at the site.

Delivering the judgment, a division bench of Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi held that historical records, archaeological material and literary evidence established the religious character of the monument as a Saraswati temple associated with Raja Bhoj, the Parmar ruler credited with making Dhar a centre of Sanskrit learning.  

Reacting to the verdict, Asaduddin Owaisi said that it had similarities with the Babri Masjid judgement and hoped the Supreme Court would overturn the order. "We hope the Supreme Court will set this right and overturn this order. Glaring similarities with the Babri Masjid judgment," he said in a post on X.  

The verdict also quashed the ASI's 2003 circular under which Hindus were allowed to perform puja on Tuesdays while Muslims could offer Friday namaz at the protected monument. The arrangement had remained one of the most contentious aspects of the long-running dispute between Hindu and Muslim groups over the site's identity.

COURT SUGGESTS ALTERNATIVE LAND FOR MOSQUE

While recognising the Hindu claim over the monument, the High Court simultaneously attempted to safeguard the religious rights of the Muslim community. The bench said the Madhya Pradesh government may consider allotting suitable land within Dhar district for the construction of a mosque if an application is submitted.

Suvendu Govt suspends three IPS officers for ‘lapses’ in probe into RG Kar rape-murder case

 The West Bengal govt under the supervision of chief secretary and home secretary  will start departmental probe against ex-Kolkata commissioner of police Vineet Goyal, a blue-eyed cop of Mamata regime, and two other officers, said chief minister Suvendu Adhikari.  

He also announced on Friday afternoon that the file of RG Kar rape and murder case of the doctor will be reopened. "But we are not entering into the area that is being probed by the CBI," the chief minister clarified.

The two other officers are Abhishek Gupta, the then deputy Commissioner of police (North) and Indira Mukherjee, deputy Commissioner of police (central).  

Adhikari, at a press conference in Nabanna, further alleged that the officers were involved in offering bribe to the family and conducting press conference without written order. 

Departmental proceedings will be initiated against the three IPS officers.

The CM said that the disciplinary proceedings and departmental inquiry would be spearheaded by the state home secretary under guidance of the chief secretary.

The incident occurred on August 9, 2024. A junior doctor at Kolkata ’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital was found dead in the hospital building inside a seminar hall. 

A 33-year-old civic volunteer, Sanjay Roy, was arrested on the suspicion of raping and murdering her.  

The incident sparked nationwide protests, with demands for justice for the victim. The victim's mother Ratna Debnath later fought the recently concluded Bengal elections from the Panihati seat on a BJP ticket and won.  

The Union Home Ministry has earlier nitiated disciplinary action against Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and a DCP for allegedly maligning the office of the West Bengal Governor by promoting and spreading canards, a central government official said.

The Union ministry action came after Governor C.V. Ananda Bose submitted a report to it regarding Goyal and Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner (DCP) Central Indira Mukherjee, alleging that they were "functioning in a manner which is completely unbecoming of a public servant", he said.

Bose's report, submitted to the Home Minister in late June, highlighted issues such as Kolkata Police officers preventing victims of post-poll violence from meeting the Governor despite his permission.

"The Union Home Ministry has initiated disciplinary action against the IPS officers based on a detailed report by Bose," the official said.

The Governor also accused other police officers, posted at the Raj Bhavan, of promoting and encouraging concocted allegations by a woman employee during April-May 2024, the official added.

"These IPS officers through their acts have not only tarnished the office of the Governor but also functioned in a manner which is completely unbecoming of a public servant. They have conveniently chosen to ignore the Conduct Rules," he added.

ends 

Silent drive by RSS to prevent post-poll violence :::: Namo : Shall we live by fear of doubts and possibility of defeats? ::::: "More votes have been cast for Modi than for any politician in human history"

Our mission is to establish the rule of law and end the racket of violence ::: RSS 

RSS members and leaders have been keeping track of any information related to violence, including the capturing of Trinamool Congress offices or threats to and attacks on Opposition leaders and are immediately acting upon such activities with the help of police.

BJP workers tear off banners depicting the social welfare schemes of the previous government near Curzon Gate in Burdwan last week.  (snap - The Telegraph) 

"We are actively working to prevent such acts. We are receiving many calls from different corners of the state, and our swayamsevaks have been preventing troubles by coordinating with the police. 

Our mission is to establish the rule of law and end the racket of violence and extortion in the state," said Jisnu Basu, the Sangh’s purba kshetra prachar pramukh.

The RSS has been spearheading initiatives to ensure the rule of law in Bengal in the aftermath of the Assembly polls, sources in the ideological fountainhead of the BJP said.

Sources said RSS activists had launched a silent drive to prevent post-poll violence, looting and the shifting of extortion rackets to another group.

the beleaguered leader  

The RSS has been spearheading initiatives to ensure the rule of law in Bengal in the aftermath of the Assembly polls.

Sources said RSS activists had launched a silent drive to prevent post-poll violence, looting and the shifting of extortion rackets to another group.  

"We are ready to provide legal support even to Trinamool leaders if they face violence. We want to prevent this practice, else another chapter of extortion and violence will emerge," added the senior RSS leader.

Basu himself prevented at least four such attempts after the election results were out.

"A club belonging to Trinamool leaders in Salt Lake was captured soon after the election results, as a group of people had put up BJP flags there. I personally went there, removed those flags, and freed the club," Basu said. (The Telegraph reports)

Multiple sources in the RSS said that not only in Calcutta, but also in several districts, the RSS had been keeping surveillance and taking up such issues with the state unit to ensure that there were no such moves.

After the change in power, a Trinamool leader from Barasat in North 24-Parganas contacted an RSS leader, informing him about an attack by alleged BJP workers.

"I personally contacted the local police and asked them to take immediate action. The senior police officer expressed surprise over why I had called him to save a corrupt Trinamool leader. He later ensured that there was only an agitation," the RSS leader said.

The BJP leaders said that since the party’s victory, it had become their responsibility to stop violence and send a message across Bengal that not only the power structure but also the political culture of the state had changed. 

BJP leader Sajal Ghosh said: "Just because TMC and its leader did not have humanity as was the case in 2021; that does not mean ... we will also not have"

In terms of governance, new chief minister Suvendu Adhikari has started his part of the job. 

In contrast to the Congress statesmen like B C Roy, Marxist bhadroloks Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and the 'mercurial street-fighter' from Kalighat Mamata Banerjee who came before him, Suvendu is expected to provide a Delhi-driven, unabashedly majoritarian style of administration.  

BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, and other party leaders repeatedly said that Trinamool workers disguised as BJP supporters had carried out the attacks after the election results.

Bhattacharya also said that the police would take action if anyone was found extorting people in the name of the BJP.

"RSS is not directly involved in politics. So, it is easier for the outfit to get unbiased reports from the ground. BJP workers themselves were victims of post-poll violence in 2021. Therefore, it was not easy to stop them. But we somehow controlled it. Otherwise, there would have been a bloodbath," said a senior BJP leader.

Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Rahul Sinha on Tuesday admitted that if the party had not prevented such attempts, there could have been large-scale violence against Trinamool workers.

Shall we live by fear of doubts and possibility of defeats?

In his birthday greetings to PM Narendra Modi; his long time friend and Home Minister Amit Shah had said:

"In every Indian's heart lives a surprising/unique (adbhut neta) leader". 

Modi admirers and those tracking his politics closely say Modi has rather always used the crises (or challenges) to reinforce his political position and offer himself to the people as a  "strong Hindu leader" in a country with about one billion Hindus in a population of 1.40 billion (140 crore).

In 2023, one Naga BJP lawmaker and state minister Jacob Zhimomi said - the PM, has "reignited the hopes and dreams of 140 crore citizens of the country".

He even called Modi -- "the Father of New India". 

Observers know, the BJP and the central government's spin doctors are 'hyperactive' in claiming a positive performance for the Prime Minister.

And what suits the official gambit is that there is still no big challenge to Modi either from within the BJP and also from opposition parties notwithstanding some undercurrent of anti-incumbency feelings. 

It is said, Modi's calculated gamble in playing his time-tested pro-Hindutva and often seemingly anti-Muslim cards with some uniqueness and variations has only endeared him to Hindu voters.

One such episode in 2023 was about 'reviving' the name Bharat.

Even the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is linked to that. The West Bengal Govt may try out implementing UCC in next six months. 

Many Modi’s admirers say his statesmanship always spells confidence and optimism. 

"There will always be two ways of looking at things. Shall we live by fear of doubts and possibility of defeats? Or shall we live by hard work, hopes and by the approach to look at positive things. The second choice makes sense. This is what we have achieved," says a Naga BJP leader. 

"More votes have been cast for Modi than for any politician in human history, by a margin in the hundreds of millions. 

Modi has comfortably outperformed every other democratically elected leader in the world in Morning Consult’s global leader approval tracker for many years, despite the longevity of his tenure,” 

-- wrote Bill Drexel, who is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute

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