Opinion

A hug, modern science tells us, is a handshake from the heart, a way to establish an emotional connect. Hugging and kissing raises oxytocin levels and aids person-to-person bonding. The bro-hug thus has its place in diplomacy, signifying affinity, agreeme...

In handing over complete control of the party to son Rahul, Sonia Gandhi has presented a fait accompli of sorts to regional satraps like Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee and Lalu Yadav who are seen to be more comfortable in engaging with her.

It’s ironical that two of the key players who backed Sonia Gandhi’s replacement of Sitaram Kesri, Jitendra Prasada and Sharad Pawar, both eventually went on to revolt against her.

The very fact that we are talking about the Congress winning polls, albeit university polls is significant. The party’s political fortune has slipped down the slippery slope so often that the grand old party has perhaps forgotten what victory means.

Everyone in Bihar knows that Nitish Kumar’s goodwill was the prime reason why Mahagathbandhan won, but despite being in such a strong position, he exhibited statesmanship by giving more seats to alliance partners than most observers deemed reasonable.