A new aggression now
Unlike the Hindu and Christian traditions, sensual pleasure in this world is commended in Islam when it occurs within the bounds of legitimate union. The pursuit of pleasure within the defined limits is indeed enjoined by Quranic verses and by the statements of the Prophet.
Why the BJP needs a "mukhauta"
It's ironic: even though Govindacharya has stoutly denied that he ever said (or even thought) that BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a mukhauta (mask), the party desperately needs a mukhauta if it hopes to convince investors, and even its own potential allies, of its policies.
The last bastions of Mandal
Their enemies were writing their epitaphs. Their fellow-travellers had ditched them and were hoping that they would burn out. Yet, despite all odds, Former Uttar Pradesh and Bihar chief ministers Mulayam Singh Yadav and Laloo Prasad Yadav have not only managed to survive but emerge as key players in the national arena after the 1998 Lok Sabha elections.
What's in a name?
The concept of working majority may be alien to the Constitution but it does suggest a solution to the present political deadlock at the Centre. To obtain a simple majority, the BJP needs the support of about 20 more MPs. Half the party's problem is over if the 12-member Telugu Desam Party decides to support its claim to form a government.
A defanged AGP
Events in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have eclipsed equally important developments in Assam. With the Asom Gana Parishad more or less wiped out, the state appears to be headed for another phase of civil disorder. Chief Minister Prafulla Mahanta has not been able to put his house in order, and now his subjects will be made to pay for it.
You have been Warned
The recent initiative by the noted humanitarian organisation Heinz Foods must be the most publicised since the Berlin Airlift. And the greatest example ever of killing with kindness. Those 2,000 cans of baked beans and spaghetti will certainly be a taste of home for the Australian team, but can each of its members eat 100 canfuls without suffering gustatory cortex failure?
