random thoughts

 Kapil Sibal, veteran Congress leader, former minister and leader of G-23 (so called reformers within the Congress) resigned from the Grand Old Party and will be contesting to the Rajya Sabha as an independent backed by Samajwadi Party (SP). In interview after interview he refused to comment on the reasons for his resignation from the Congress. He had called for internal reforms, including moving away from the Gandhi leadership to revive the party. Sibal claimed that there were no independent voices in the Parliament and that as long as one is with an established political party, they have to toe the party line. His agenda is to voice the issues of the people and bring the political parties together on a single platform for taking on the BJP in the 2024 Parliamentary election.  Looking at the political career of Kapil Sibal, one cannot but be amazed at the trajectory it has taken. From Rajya Sabha in 1996 to Lok Sabha (2004 & 2009) and finally back to Rajya Sabha (2016). H...

 Vladimir Putin has shown the world that he will consistently invade a neighbour in a bid to send out a strong message to the West not to take him lightly. He went into Chechnya twice, once into Georgia and now for the second time invaded Ukraine. The immediate aim of these intrusions is to establish a buffer between the West and Russia. Russia's history is a clue to the aggressive nature of President Putin. Twice in the 20th Century, Prussian army and then Nazi Germany breached fortress Russia and only after a great sacrifice was Russia able to push back the enemy. During the 60 years of the Cold War, Soviets had Communist Eastern Europe acting as buffer states, shielding the empire from immediate western attacks. Decade after Russia was reborn again, with Putin in the driving seat, the vast nation has started back on the journey to re-establish itself as a superpower.  The immediate fallout of the 20-day war against Ukraine has been the increased fear in the West of being dr...