Periscope: In maiden trip as President, Kovind to visit Ethiopia, Djibouti

Kovind on African safari  

Ram Nath Kovind is scheduled to undertake a three-day visit to Djibouti and Ethiopia from Tuesday, his maiden trip abroad as President. Kovind was sworn in as India’s 14th President on July 25. Djibouti, on the Red Sea, is of strategic importance. It is also the site of China’s first overseas naval base. However, Beijing describes it as a logistics facility. Djibouti also hosts French and US military bases. China has increased its influence in the African continent, and India is trying to catch up.

The blood connection 

In a surprise move on Thursday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav met father Mulayam Singh Yadav at the latter’s residence and invited him to attend the party’s national executive meeting in Agra on October 5. It was their first meeting in the past few months. Akhilesh’s conciliatory move comes on the heels of Mulayam Singh indicating his unwillingness to launch a new party. On September 25, Shivpal Yadav, younger brother of Mulayam Singh, announced he would soon make public his course of action. Mulayam Singh, however, said he was not forming a new party “as of now”. “My blessings are with him (Akhilesh Yadav), as he is my son, though I don’t agree with his decisions.”

CPI (M)'s politics, tactics  

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) would hold a politburo meeting on Monday. The politburo is discussing a draft of the party’s ‘political tactical line’ that will be taken up at the party congress in April. The politburo will forward the draft to the party’s central committee, which will then discuss and approve it. Party leader Sitaram Yechury has advocated a change to the ‘political tactical line’ adopted at the earlier party congress in 2015. However, former party leader Prakash Karat and some others want the party to persist with that line.