Triple talaq is in the news again, and mostly for the wrong reasons. It represents a Muslim husband’s right in Islamic law to dissolve a marriage simply by announcing it to his wife; today, he even does it via an SMS over the cellphone.

संदर्भ... गीता की अपनी सैन्यवादी व्याख्या से प्रेरित होकर मध्य-पूर्व में युद्ध छेड़ सकते हैं ट्रम्प के मुख्य रणनीतिकार

Most Indians are unaware that Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump’s chief strategist and member of his national security council, is not only the most powerful person in the White House today but he is also a great admirer of the Bhagavad Gita. Bannon is militarily inclined and believes in waging a holy war against Islam “to establish dharma in the world”. His long-time collaborator Julia Jones says, “He used to talk a lot about dharma — he felt very strongly about dharma… one of the strongest principles throughout the Gita.”

जब भी चुनाव आते हैं तो मैं यह सोचकर हताश हो जाता हूं कि हम सच्चे, स्वतंत्र और सुधार चाहने वाले उदार नागरिकों की बजाय फिर अपराधियों, लुभावने नारों वाले भ्रष्टों और राजनीति क वंश के सदस्यों को चुन लेंगे। इस बार तमिलनाडु में शशिकला और अमेरिका में डोनाल्ड ट्रम्प की धक्कादायक जीत साफ-सुथरे उदारवादियों की नाकामी को रेखांकित करती है।

We are in the midst of another election season in India, and each time a poll rolls around, I get depressed at the thought that we are about to elect criminals, corrupt populists, and members of political dynasties rather than upright, independent, reform-minded liberals.

The question on our minds is: has the Prime Minister changed? Is Narendra Modi turning populist? We shall have the answer on Wednesday when the finance minister presents the Budget. The nation elected Mr Modi on an aspirational platform of creating jobs, containing inflation, and stopping corruption. Indeed, in the first half of his term, he has pursued responsible policies to meet these goals. As a result, the economy has turned around; inflation has been licked; fiscal indicators are healthy.