TORTOISE TROPHY
Who loves giant tortoises more: Narendra Modi or Manmohan Singh? That’s the latest social media race, and the contestants aren’t exactly sprinters. Modi’s selfie-worthy encounter with Jonathan, the 198-year-old celebrity of Seychelles, quickly went viral. The Congress, however, countered with a history lesson: it was Manmohan Singh’s government that approved India’s first-ever hexagonal postage stamp in 2008, honouring Adwaita of Kolkata’s Alipore Zoo, believed to have lived around 250 years. Moral of the story? In politics, even tortoises can become campaign material.
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THE WASHINGTON WHISPER
Before taking charge as India’s new High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi made one stop that has kept Delhi’s diplomatic grapevine happily occupied: a meeting with US Ambassador Sergio Gor. On paper, it was a routine courtesy call. In reality, perhaps not quite. Neither Trivedi nor Gor is a career diplomat; both are political appointees with direct access to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, respectively. Add to that Bangladesh’s perceived drift towards China under Tarique Rahman’s BNP-led government, and the timing becomes intriguing. Coincidence? Perhaps. But in diplomacy, even a cup of coffee can come with a strategic aftertaste.
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POPPY POWER PLAY
Rajasthan’s BJP government has discovered that poppy fields can be politically more potent than polling booths. Opium growers, long seen as a constituency sympathetic to the party, are no longer content with licences and promises. They now want a minimum support price, much like wheat or paddy farmers. If the crop doesn’t sell? They are asking for compensation and even unemployment allowance. The state has reportedly sought the Union finance ministry’s opinion on procuring opium and marketing it through licensed outlets. It’s an unusual policy puzzle: when demand for the product is shrinking, the politics around it is anything but.
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SOFT POWER IN FULL SWING
The Ministry of External Affairs has found a new way to roll out the red carpet: add a dash of Kathak, a sprinkle of Odissi and a flourish of Bharatanatyam. During Narendra Modi’s visit to Nice, France, in June, international artistes welcomed him with a classical dance performance celebrating India’s cultural heritage. It looked elegant and played well as soft power. But not everyone was convinced that all foreign visits needed a cultural overture before the diplomacy began. So, here’s the midway: save the performances for multilateral summits, where there’s a bigger audience.
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TRIPURA’S SWEET SURPRISE
When Delhi was busy drowning in mangoes, Tripura arrived with a fruity plot twist. The tiny north-eastern state hosted its first-ever Pineapple Festival in the capital, putting its celebrated Kew and Queen varieties firmly in the spotlight. The gamble paid off, with curious Delhiites and even foreign exporters queuing up for a taste. Tripura Agriculture Minister Ratan Lal Nath shared the stage with Union Minister for Development of the North Eastern Region Sukanta Majumdar. Back in West Bengal, opposition leaders could not resist a quip: Has Majumdar begun looking towards Tripura for better political fortunes? Sometimes, even fruit carries political flavour.
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POWER SHUFFLE SEASON
PM Narendra Modi’s much-speculated Cabinet reshuffle may be only the opening act. In BJP circles, the real drama is expected to unfold in the party organisation and the states. With assembly elections looming and 2029 already on the radar, Delhi is said to be sharpening its political scalpel. A few underperforming chief ministers could find themselves packing, while some governors may quietly head for retirement and senior leaders towards Raj Bhavans. Even the party headquarters may not escape the makeover, with RSS heavyweight Sunil Bansal tipped for a bigger organisational role. In BJP politics, one reshuffle rarely travels alone.
