Meet to decide dates for winter session of Parliament

The dates for the winter session of Parliament, which traditionally starts in the third week of November, will be finalised this week. Last week saw a meeting of the Cabinet's political affairs committee seeking to decide the dates for the session. The members have decided to meet again either on October 26 or 27. The winter session is crucial because it could see the tabling of the goods and services tax Bill in the Rajya Sabha. This is a Constitution amendment Bill and needs the assent of two-thirds of the members in the Rajya Sabha present and voting. Whether the Congress will play the ball remains to be seen. Early indications suggest it won't.

Lalu, Nitish leaders with regressive agenda: Modi

Taking on rivals Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad on their home turfs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday painted them as leaders with regressive agenda with "18th century mindset", attacking the Bihar chief minister over the "tantrik" controversy and said the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief was leading "Rashtriya Jadu Tona" party.

In a string of poll rallies, Modi projected the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s six-point programme for state's development as an alternative to the grand alliance of Janata Dal (United) (JD-U), RJD and the Congress. Three phases remain for the Bihar polls on October 28, November 1 and 5. Modi also made a strong rebuttal of the attempts by the Opposition to paint the BJP as anti-reservation, saying it was a "bundle of lies" and promised "no one can even touch" the provisions made with the efforts of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar for the upliftment of the deprived classes. Kumar on Saturday courted controversy as a video of his meeting a 'tantrik' went viral in which the tantrik is heard asking JD(U) leader why he had teamed up with Prasad, uttering "Nitish Zindabad and Lalu Murdabad". The video provided fresh ammunition to his BJP, which claimed that he was resorting to occult to get rid of foe-turned-friend Lalu.

Taking a jibe at the grand alliance over it in Nalanda, the home truf of Kumar, Modi said, so far, he knew only three players in Mahagathbandhan - Bada Bhai Lalu, Chhota Bhai Nitish and Madam Sonia Gandhi. "But for the first time, I came to know there is also a fourth player, a tantrik. Now there are four players in this alliance of grand opportunism." Wondering whether such a "farce" can be allowed to go on with democracy, he asked the youths in Nalanda, the home turf of Kumar, whether Bihar needs such "tantra-mantra" (occult practices) to get rid of its problems.

Bihar goes to polls after festival week

October 28 and November 1 will see the third and fourth phase of the Bihar Assembly elections. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sources say the Prime Minister will address four rallies each ahead of the two phases - which means he will spend a lot of time in Bihar. The final two phases are crucial for the BJP, which had reportedly lost steam in the first two phases. For the Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad-led Mahagathbandhan, these two phases are also crucial. In the third phase, which will see 50 constituencies going to the polls, Raghopur and Mahua will be watched eagerly for the performance of Lalu Prasad's two sons who are contesting here - Tejaswi and Tej Prasad: it is a matter of prestige for the Rashtriya Janata Dal to ensure victory. Patna city will also see an election during this phase.

The fourth phase involves the two Champaran districts, Sitamarhi, Gopalganj, Sheohar and Siwan districts. The last is the area of strength of Shahabuddin, (known locally as 'Shahabu bhaiya', a mafia don whom Lalu Prasad first promoted and then sought to neutralise). Fifty-five seats will go to the polls. Bulk of the Bihar election will be over by the end of this week.

Mohali to host second Punjab investors' summit

Even as Punjab seems to be on fire, it will be hosting the second Punjab investors' summit on October 28-29, 2015 at Mohali. The summit has seen a lot of preparatory work, including several foreign visits by deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. For the past few years, Punjab has seen a continuous flight of capital, with existing industry moving to other states, because of the high cost of land and power tariff and lack of skilled manpower. And now that the tax holiday in neighbouring states such as Himachal Pradesh has ended, Punjab is making a determined and renewed attempt to get industry back in the state.

The beginning, however, is not propitious. A massive agitation against supposed sacrilegious acts of burning the Guru Granth Sahib has the state in its grips. Farmers are agitating against farm losses. It is going to take a lot of resolve and determination by the state government to ensure the success of the summit.