Sun-rise over Modi

The Sun Pharma-Daiichi Sankyo deal to buy Ranbaxy appears to have galvanised the Bharatiya Janata Party and its supporters to fashion a poll message linking it to the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. A text message doing the rounds ever since the deal was struck on Monday reads: "A Gujju (Sun) is about to take over the mess created by Sardar (Ranbaxy)... Will this get replicated in Indian politics too???" The "Gujju" refers to Sun promoter Dilip Shanghvi. The "Sardar" refers to Ranbaxy's previous owner and CEO, Malvinder Singh, on whose watch the negligence in manufacturing practices led to the US Food and Drug Administration's strictures against the company after Daiichi Sankyo bought it.