Tuesday, April 21, 2026

The price of cheap food.

On 31 December 2025, "Cut to 2026, three months in. India will expand to $4 trillion in GDP by then, just $150 billion shy of beating Japan and likely to cross the latter in FY27 to reach No 4 in the global pecking order." India will soon cross $5 trillion, wrote Pragya Sravastava and Payal Bhattacharya. However, "At an individual level, Indians remain behind. Per capita GDP - the real deal - is estimated at $2,818 for 2025-26, and puts India among the 50 poorest countries." Instead of rising to 4th, India has slipped to 6th according to the IMF's World Economic Outlook (April 2026). As per the IMF's estimate in April 2025, India should have been at $4,187.017 billion in April 2026, with Japan at $4,186.431 billion and the UK at $3,839.18 billion. Instead, India's nominal GDP is at $3,916 billion with the UK at $4,003 billion and Japan at $4,435 billion. TOI. This is partly because GDP is measured in US dollars and the Indian rupee has fallen from 84.5484 on 30 April 2025 (exchangerates.org.uk) to 93.33 to one dollar this morning (xe.com). Also, the base year for the GDP has been updated from 2011-12 to 2022-23 and the methodology has been changed to international standards. Accordingly, the nominal GDP in FY26 is calculated at Rs 345 trillion as opposed to Rs 357 trillion projected earlier. Kashmir Life. A research paper by Abhishek Anand, Josh Feldman and Arvind Subramanian have reworked the numbers. "Officially India's so-called 'gross value added' (an indicator of economic output from the production side) between 2011 and 2023 grew at an average rate of 5.9% in real terms. With the corrections, that average rate drops to 4-4.4% per year, according to Anand et al." The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) strongly disagreed. Mint. In December 2025, the economy was said to be in a 'Goldilocks period', with 8.2% growth in the second quarter of 2025-26 and consumer price index (CPI) inflation below 2%. ET. The glee is because the CPI inflation rate came in at 1.33% year-on-year in December 2025, with food prices contracting by -2.71%. pib.gov.in. That may not be something to celebrate as "Cheap food for the urban consumer has been secured by shifting the burden of inflation control on to the farmer." "When output prices fail to cover the full cost of production, debt ceases to be a choice and becomes a structural inevitability. In India, nearly 70% of farm households are trapped in a cycle of borrowing, with small and marginal farmers, who constitute 85% of all cultivators, bearing a disproportionate share of this burden." DH. In supreme irony, "The Union Cabinet... approved a two-percentage-point increase in dearness allowance (DA) for central government employees and dearness relief (DR) for pensioners, raising both to 60% of basic pay and pension respectively." HT. Dearness means higher prices or inflation. So, this pampered, overpaid crowd gets 60% extra cash every month while farmers are suppressed. The GDP series may be new, but the exploitation is old. They get 60%. Farmers borrow. It's redistribution. Indian style.       

Sunday, April 19, 2026

Dreaming of stars.

"The indigenously designed and built Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu successfully attained its first criticality on 6th April 2026, marking the initiation of a sustained chain reaction." "Once fully operational, India will become only the second country in the world after Russia to operate a commercial fast breeder reactor." pib.gov.in. "During the same time India's first PFBR achieved criticality, Bengaluru-based startup Pranos raised $6.8 million in seed funding to build India's first commercial fusion reactor prototype." "Fusion-based reactor technology is gaining traction with a couple of Indian-startups looking at power generation by 2035, while thorium-based rectors are a few decades away." "India is already contributing Rs 7.45 billion in 2026-27 for a global fusion project, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a multi-country endeavour located in France." BT. India's top companies Reliance and Adani are interested. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)  spent "$74 million on the Mars orbiter Mangalyaan and $75 million on...historic Chandrayaan-3 - less than the $100m spent on the sci-fi thriller Gravity." Nasa's Maven orbiter cost $582 million and Russia's Luna-25, which crashed on the moon's surface, cost $133 million. BBC. Although, India has a track record of achieving great scientific success on a shoestring budget, $6.8 million is really loose change for fusion research. China Fusion Energy and Neo Fusion of China have budgets over $2 billion, while Commonwealth Fusion Systems and Helion Energy of the US have budgets of nearly $3 billion and over $1 billion respectively. FEB. Tokamak technology has been around since !960. The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) was built at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in 1980 and entered service in 1982 but it could never achieve break-even, which means it used more power than it produced. It was dismantled in 2002. wikipedia. In December 2022, "an experiment carried out at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California had for the first time managed to produce more energy than it than it consumed via nuclear fusion," but "The experiment in California was carried out under special conditions that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world and produce modest results in terms of the amount of energy generated," wrote Marcos Pivetta. Perhaps, the biggest hurdle will be electricity. ICRA estimates electricity demand to grow by 5-5.5% in FY 2026 and by a compound annual growth rate of 6-6.5% over the next five years. ET. It is not sure whether this takes into account that "India's data center capacity is expected to surge nearly six-fold from about 1.5 GW in 2025 to 8-10 GW by 2030, while electricity consumption from the sector is expected to rise sharply from 10-15 terawatt hours (TWh) in 22024 to 40-45 TWh by 2030." FE. It's good to dream of producing fusion energy of stars in India. Others have tried and failed. At least it's cheap at $6.8 million.

Saturday, April 18, 2026

All for women.

"Prime Minister Naredndra Modi yesterday apologised to women across the country after the Lok Sabha rejected the proposal for 33% reservation for women in Parliament," blaming opposition parties. ET. But why now, exactly one week before elections to assemblies of opposition controlled states of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal (wikipedia)? Government channels "Doordarshan National and DD News are the primary government broadcast channels that carry all presidential and prime ministerial addresses to the nation live and without interruption." Not just that, "Every household with a basic cable or DTH connection receives DD News." Dailyhunt. Which means that every Indian citizen is compelled to subscribe to these channels which serve the government. Mr Modi first came to power in 2014 (wikipedia) so why did he bring this law at this time in blatant violation of the Model Code of Conduct which "prescribes that official work and campaigning shall be kept separate and no official machinery should be used for campaigning. It also prohibits from spending public money for propaganda (wikipedia). At the very least the Election Commission of India (ECI) should postpone both elections by one month. Mr TN Seshan would have had the guts and integrity to do so TNIE. If the government's collective heart is bubbling over with concern for women, perhaps someone could explain why 35-year old Princess Latifa of Dubai was assaulted by Indian commandos, forcibly tranquilized and flown back to Dubai when she was begging for asylum (TOI). Or why thousands of women, many with little children, were forced to walk hundreds of kilometers back to their villages with no food, water, transport (gettyimages.in) or any help from the government after a very stringent lockdown was imposed on the whole nation on 25 March with just 4 hours notice (BBC)? Hungry toddlers cried for food and women even gave birth at the roadside without any medical help. TOI. Jyoti Kumari, born in 2005, would have been just 15 years old in May 2020, when she carried her injured father 1,200 kms on a bicycle from Gurugram near Delhi to Sirhulli in Bihar. Cycling 100 kms every day. wikipedia. Has anyone apologised to all these women for all the suffering that was imposed on them? "The 106th Constitutional Amendment in 2023 introduced reservation of one-third of seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for women. It provides that reservation will come into effect after an exercise of delimitation is undertaken for this purpose, based on the first census after the commencement of the 2023 Act." PRS. A census started on 1 April 2026 and will continue till September. The Population Enumeration is scheduled for February 2027. wikipedia. The 131st Amendment Bill, which was defeated in Parliament, proposed Delimitation based on 2011 Census and Women's Reservation based on that. This was brazen, shameless duplicity. The ECI is a constitutional body and should take action at this sly, deceitful and  dishonorable electioneering. That would need a spine. Of bone. Not jelly  

Friday, April 17, 2026

At $1 per hour.

Four days ago, "Police lobbied tear gas shells and used 'minimum force'...to quell a factory workers' protest in the Indian national capital's suburb of Noida, which turned violent on its fourth day, with vehicles torched and stones pelted in parts of the satellite city." Perhaps incensed by the news that, "Similar protests in the auto-making state of Haryana last week led to the government ordering a 35% hike in minimum wages." Reuters. Noida is in Uttar Pradesh and so, "Noida police have alleged that two social media accounts in X, operated from Pakistan, played a major role in escalating the April 13 labor protest into violence by spreading false information about multiple deaths during the demonstrations, as per TOI." India's strict labor laws imposed high costs on employing permanent labor. So companies resorted to laborers on temporary contracts, on lower wages and no benefits, supplied by manpower supply companies. Scroll. Last year, "With the four labor codes now live, the government has effectively rewritten the rules for how companies hire outside permanent roles. In plain terms: India's workforce has long run on two parallel tracks, fixed-term direct hires and contract labor via agencies. The codes try to formalize both." MC. However, Noida is not the only place, workers have protested in Faridabad and Manesar in Haryana, in Surat in Gujarat and in Bhiwadi in Rajasthan. Paltry wages, which have stayed stagnant for years, while prices have risen make life impossible. DH. A shortage of manufacturing jobs for unskilled labor forces people to work for low wages. On 31 January 2025, "The sector's contribution to GDP, which has stagnated at 16-17% (of GDP) for years, is projected to drop to 13-14% by 2025." "Supply chain disruptions, cost disadvantages and a tepid export environment have significantly eroded the sector's competitiveness." FE. India produces a large number of graduates, but "graduate unemployment for the 15-25 age group is hovering near 40%", because, "India's elite, hemmed in by its own risk aversion and stifling bureaucratic controls, has shown little ambition to build the kind of mass-employment manufacturing base that could provide an alternative," wrote Andy Mukherjee. Mopping and dusting offer better returns. "At Indian startup Pronto's training hub, women hone their mopping and chopping skills while learning how to send SOS signals if they feel unsafe in customers' homes. They are set to join India's new consumer craze: house help for $1 an hour." "The potential annual earnings from working eight hours a day can be as high as $5,000 - a figure that surpasses India's per capita income of around $3,000." "Similar services can cost around $30 an hour in the United States, and around $7 in China." Reuters. In Noida, most protesters are "non-unionised contract workers employed in small factories across industrial clusters." "They earn between Rs 10,000 ($107) and Rs 15,000 a month - wages that have remained largely unchanged for months. Many are migrant workers, living hand-to-mouth in cramped housing on the city's outskirts." BBC. While women are becoming home helps, men are joining the gig workforce as delivery men. "India's gig workforce is 12 million strong and expected to double to 24 million by the end of this decade." BBC. Given all that, $1 an hour is the highest price for an Indian. Only if you are lucky.      

Thursday, April 16, 2026

A loud 'No' please.

In a special session of the Parliament, "Formally known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyan, the Women's Reservation Bill is a constitutional amendment that seeks reservation of 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women." TOI. But, why now? Exactly one week before assembly elections West Bengal and Tamil Nadu (wikipedia), both states ruled by opposition parties. The original bill passed in 2023 was to come into effect in 2034, based on the 2027 Census. However, the BJP has moved a Delimitation Bill prematurely, tying it to the Women's Reservation Bill (ET) even before the Census has been completed. Delimitation is meant to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to reflect the growth in population. The problem is that the total fertility rate (TFR) is high in the northern Hindi-speaking belt while it is below replacement level in the South and East. wikipedia. "Projections suggest the number of Lok Sabha seats could rise from 543 to 753 if current population trends continue." Seats of southern states will rise from 129 to 144, which will be a fall from 24% of the Lok Sabha to 19%, while northern states will see a jump of 60% from 222 to 357. Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu and "his counterparts in other southern states are desperate to escape the sheer weight of numbers in the country's north. Naidu promised women Rs 25,000 if they had a third child, and also suggested extended maternity leave and a longer period of free education." ET. And yet, while other southern states have opposed the bills, Mr Naidu said that the present Women's and Delimitation Bills have his 100% support. ET. Why? What is Mr Naidu afraid of? In fact, with 240 seats, the BJP is well short of the 272 required for a majority and is only in power because of the support of the TDP of Mr Naidu with 16 seats and JDU's 12 seats from Bihar. wikipedia. In Bihar, JDU Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has been sent to the Rajya Sabha and replaced by Mr Samrat Choudhary who switched from the JDU to the BJP. BBC. The Lok Sabha has 540 members at present so 271 will give a simple majority but a Constitutional Amendment requires two-thirds majority which means 360. The Wire. Mr Naidu can kill off the Delimitation Bills while supporting the Women's Reservation Bill. Mr Naidu should remember that the BJP has a habit of cannibalising its friends and destroying them in the process. He should see what happened to BJP's friends, the Shiv Sena, also a Hindu party, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCD) in Maharashtra, the Akali Dal in Punjab and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in Bihar. The Wire. Mr Eknath Shinde broke away from the Shiv Sena and was the chief minister of Maharashtra from June 2022 to December 2024. wikipedia. Now he is Deputy Chief Minister alongside Ms Sunetra Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (wikipedia). In 2019, the undivided Shiv Sena had 56 seats and the NCP had 54, for a total of 110, while the BJP had 105 seats. Since 2024, the BJP has 132, while Mr Shinde's Sena and Ms Pawar's NCP have a total of 98 seats. PRS. Mr Naidu should prepare for sunset. Unless he stands up to the rapacious BJP. Say "NO". Loudly. 

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Going backwards.

 "Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal...said India has achieved a record in exports of goods and services, with total shipments crossing USD 860 billion in 2025-26. Total services and merchandise exports were worth USD 825 billion in 2024-25." ET. "India's trade deficit widened to $119.3 billion in FY 2025-26 from $94.6 billion in the previous financial year, marking the second highest gap in the past 11 years, according to official data." Imports grew 6.4% year-on-year to $979.4 billion, driven by the high gold and silver prices, while exports grew 4.22%. Merchandise exports rose 1% to $441.78 billion. CNBCTV18. "India's nominal GDP ranking has dropped to sixth place in 2025, according to IMF data, mainly due to the rupee's fall against the dollar and updated base year calculations." However, India's economy is still growing strongly, as the real GDP growth has been revised upwards to 8.2% in the second quarter of FY 2025-26. Whalesbook. Foreign investors are selling out of Indian equities. "According to veteran investor Akash Prakash, FPIs (foreign portfolio investors) have been persistent sellers in Indian equities since October 2024, with outflows exceeding $45 billion over an 18-month period." "In aggregate terms, the selling accounts for nearly 1% of India's total market capitalisation, indicating pressure that surpasses levels seen during the global financial crisis." And yet, "Indian equities continue to trade at a steep premium of 50% compared to emerging market peers." CNBCTV18. It is because of systematic investment plans (SIP) (MFSH) said fund investor Shankar Sharma. "They are exiting because SIP money is entering. Selling equals buying." "Even in utopia, you can't have SIP and FPIs both buying together. Somebody's got to sell for them to buy," he said. "India's foreign exchange restrictions have made it costlier and more complex for overseas investors to hedge against rupee swings, denting the appeal of Indian bonds, while a war-driven hit to earnings prospects is adding fresh pressure on equities." "Steps taken by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to steady the rupee - including curbs aimed at limiting arbitrage trade" mean that "One-year hedging costs in the onshore markets have risen by about 30 basis points since the measures were introduced. The increase has been steeper offshore, with NDF (non-deliverable forwards) (Investopedia) hedging costs climbing nearly 70 basis points." Reuters. First the RBI forced banks to sell dollars in excess of $100 million, forcing banks to incur losses (TOI) and then it restricted rupee hedging in the onshore and offshore NDF markets (msn.com). As a result, "Banks are staring at potential losses running into hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Hedging costs have jumped, making it harder for investors to buy protection." "Two senior foreign bankers said clients had questioned the RBI's seemingly arbitrary move." "Some foreign investors said they may stay away from India even after the current uncertainties ease, the bankers added." ET. The RBI had been trying to encourage foreign trade in the Indian rupee which would preserve foreign exchange and protect against sanctions by western countries. rbi.org.in. Now no one will be willing to touch the rupee with a hundred-foot barge pole (wytv.com) after this. Seems that the RBI is contradicting its own actions. A collective Brain Fog (Cleveland Clinic). Indians blame foreigners. Brainwashed. 

Food is not an allowance.

"Despite the sharp surge in global energy prices triggered by the ongoing West Asia conflict, the impact on India's retail inflation has remained limited so far, according to a report by Crisil Intelligence." "The report noted that although Brent crude prices rose about 45% in March and international natural gas prices jumped nearly 69% compared with February, the pass-through to domestic retail inflation has been muted." ET. Indeed, "Year-on-year inflation rate based on All India Consumer Price Index (CPI) with base year 2024 for the month of March 2026 over March 2025 in 3.40%. (Provisional)." Food price inflation was 3.87%. pib. gov.in. "India's robust macroeconomic and financial sector fundamentals are likely to cushion the impact of sustained oil price shock, though economic growth could slow by up to 80 basis points (bps) if crude averages USD 130 per barrel in 2026, according to S&P Global Ratings." "The agency warned that an energy shock would transmit through higher input costs, squeezed corporate margins, rising consumer prices and increased fiscal strain if the government steps in with subsidies." ET. Energy shock is already affecting the vulnerable. "India has more than 450 million internal migrants, according to the last census in 2011 and government estimates, forming the backbone of its informal economy." Food has become unaffordable as "Black market prices of cooking gas cylinders have soared beyond what laborers living hand-to-mouth can earn." HT. "At least 12 eateries in Delhi were forced to shut operations...due to shortage of commercial LPG cylinders," with black market prices rocketing to over Rs 5,000 per cylinder. MC. Many have lost their jobs and the wages that go with them. Uttar Pradesh (UP) raised the minimum wage of workers as "Protesters in Noida - a suburb of the national capital that houses industrial units including that of South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics - had torched vehicles pelted stones...as they demanded higher pay." "Similar protests in the state of Haryana, an automaking hub, last week also led to its government ordering a 35% hike in minimum wages." "Around 40,000 workers took part in the Noida protests." Reuters. "UP Labor Minister Anil Rajbhar...described the violence during workers' protests in Noida as 'well-planned conspiracy' and said a possible Pakistan link is being investigated in the light of recent terror related arrests in the region." ET. It is hard to understand the plight of the low-paid when UP politicians awarded themselves an enormous rise in salary, pensions and family pensions + constituency allowance + secretarial allowance + daily allowance + medical allowance + public service allowance (when not working) in August 2025. HT. Rice can be cooked over an electric stove but chapati, or whole-wheat flatbread (wikipedia), is best cooked over a gas flame. And, North Indian and Pakistani cuisine are very similar. Royal Nawab. Food prices may have dropped but can't eat without cooking. Hunger is not Pakistani. Not asking for allowances. Just food.   

Monday, April 13, 2026

Strategic imitation.

The first high-level talks between the US and Iran since 1979 "were meant to turn the fragile two-week ceasefire into something lasting. Instead, the marathon talks lasting some 21 hours, ended with no agreement between the warring parties." India Today. If Iran succeeds in making a nuclear weapon it will not hesitate to threaten nations along the Gulf and even demand a fee from every oil tanker, as it is doing now. "Saudi Arabia has warned that it will develop its own nuclear weapon if regional rival Iran acquires one." Prince Mohammed bin Salman "called Iran's (deceased) Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 'the new Hitler of the Middle East'." BBC. The Abraham Accords (wikipedia) show that "now Sunni Arab states are publicly aligning with Israel because they recognize Israeli military strength is the most powerful check on Persian imperial expansion. A weakened or eliminated Israel does not produce Palestinian statehood. It produces a Hezbollah-Hamas-Iranian arc from Tehran to the Mediterranean, with nuclear ambitions and a declared ideological commitment to the destruction of the Western liberal civilization," wrote Ravi Shankar. Israel is vital, Iran is lethal. After the talks in Pakistan broke down, "A US blockade of Iran's ports and a partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, chokepoint for shipments of oil, fertilizer and other vital goods began this morning." CBS. Iran has called it an act of piracy and threatened to hit other Gulf states. Iran has been attacking other Gulf countries with missiles and drones even though they are not involved in the conflict." NBC. So, that is an empty threat. Also by threatening to bomb oil tankers Iran has been collecting $2 million from every ship. HT. Iran has been essentially defanged by the adoption of its own tactics and it is already feeling the effects. "This not only potentially curtails the outward flow of Iranian oil, impacting the ability to raise funds for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), but also affects every import." Its currency the Rial has dropped to 1.58 million to one US dollar, so that it has issued a 10 million Rial note, and inflation is over 50%. The Print. "According to an estimate, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could cost Iran up to $435 million a day," including $276 million in lost exports, mainly crude oil and petrochemicals. News18. "Lebanon's future is in danger; as long as Hezbollah exists." "Actually, the whole region would benefit from this war delivering a weakened Iran." "What it's really been spreading is hatred and extremism," wrote Khaled Zein Eddine. The regime is a victim of its own corruption. Iranian banker Ali Ansari acquired properties along The Bishops Avenue, dubbed Billionaire's Row, in north London, at a cost of 90 million pounds (around $120 million today). These are lying empty because of sanctions. WSJ. Last year, Ayandeh Bank, run by the regime's cronies, went bust with $5 billion in debt. "The government folded the carcass into a state bank and printed a vast amount of money to try to paper over all the red ink." WSJ. The currency dropped, inflation rose. If the US blockades Iran's ports for a few days the economy will collapse and the regime will have to accept terms for peace. Without using expensive missiles and without any loss of life. Using Iran's own strategy. What Iran can do, the US can do better. Brilliant. 

TN Seshan and Sonali Khatoon.

Elections to the assemblies of Assam, Kerala and Puducherry have been held while elections to West Bengal and Tamil Nadu assemblies will be held next week. wikipedia. Election to the Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly will be held in February-March 2027. wikipedia. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has been conducting Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in every state to bring the electoral register up to date by removing those who have migrated, died or are foreigners. eci.gov.in. It may seem logical to delete bogus and dead voters from electoral rolls but the present EC has lost confidence and is increasingly suspected of taking orders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Last month, "The Election Commission blamed clerical errors for a letter by the EC being circulated with a BJP seal." The EC dismissed it as a clerical error but the CPI(M) party sneered on X, "It is no secret that the same power center seems to control both the Election Commission of India and the BJP. Even then, at least maintain the courtesy of two separate desks." TOI. What a descent into disgrace from the days of Mr TN Seshan under whose "superintendence, direction and control of elections, execution of the universal suffrage principle envisaged in the Constitution reached new heights, making countrymen proud of the commission and our elections (TNIE). In UP which has a BJP government the "electorate expanded by 8.43 million between the draft roll in January and the final number.., the highest among the 13 states and Union Territories where the SIR has concluded." HT. Whereas in West Bengal, which is ruled by the Trinamool Congress Party the SIR has deleted "over 5.8 million names, redrawing voter profiles across districts, border belts and high-profile constituencies." MC. Large number of Muslims have been deleted from the rolls on the ground that they are foreigners from Bangladesh (BBC) even after the odious incident of 26-year-old pregnant woman, Sonali Khatoon, who was picked up and dumped in Bangladesh and was brought back only after the Supreme Court ordered. Her husband and three others are still stuck in Bangladesh. TOI. An NGO, Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), has alleged in the Supreme Court that the EC failed to weed out 500,000 duplicate voters in Bihar (TOI), which has a BJP-led coalition government (wikipedia). In 1990, when Seshan became Chief Election Commissioner (wikipedia), India had a coalition government with Mr VP Singh as Prime Minister  (wikipedia) followed by a Congress-led minority government from 1991 under Mr Narasimha Rao  (wikipedia). Politicians were no saints at that time but at least they tried to maintain a facade of decency, unlike the brazen shamelessness at present, secure in the rock-like support of an army of deluded Bhakts  (DH) whose dung-filled skulls preclude any logical thought. Immoral politicians will do anything for power and the infinite opportunities for enrichment, but sycophants, who spinelessly accept orders to commit criminal acts, are contemptible trash. "Nobody hates living in India like Indians," said an influencer in the US. TOI. Does the EC feel insulted? If not, India is finished. No redemption.