After Modi’s successful trip to the Arab world, the Gulf countries are looking at India with hopeful eyes. Their eyes were also on India-Pakistan’s discussions at the NSA level, although they have come to nothing. These countries are also eyeing Pakistan with suspicion; their investigative agencies have also indicated that Pakistan might create some trouble in these countries. A large number of Pakistanis reside in these Gulf countries; no less than 10,000 Pakistanis make for the Bahrain police force. Saudi Arabia has its own armed brigade, while most F-16 fighter plane pilots in Oman are Pakistanis. Jordan, too, is facing a similar issue. Having Pakistani armed forces in Gulf countries is a big part of Pakistan’s foreign policy. In several Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Libya, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait, a large number of Pakistani trainers can be seen; teams of Pakistani security experts also have a presence there. India is sure to get a lot of support from Gulf countries on the issue of terrorism.

The Rafale deal hogged headlines during Modi’s trip to France. But now suddenly, the deal seems to be breathing its last. The deal had been between two governments, that of India and France. The matter is now stuck at pricing; while India wants to pay an adequate price considering the needs and urgencies of open markets, France is stuck on having India pay the same price that Egypt paid for the fighter planes. India is not ready for the same rate; it also wants an immediate transfer of technology under its Make in India agenda. France is dragging its feet on the matter. All in all, the future of Rafale deal seems unsure at the moment.

All is not well between Upendra Kushwaha and the BJP. While Kushwaha is asking for 67 seats for its regional party, the BJP high command is ready to give it no more than 18 seats. Sources say the BJP is ready to leave 42 seats for Paswan’s Janshakti, 20 for Manjhi and 18 for Kushwaha. On the other hand, Kushwaha’s reasoning is that when despite the state having a mere 1 per cent Kurmi vote-bank, Nitish was made chief minister in the past, how can the 3 per cent Koeri community be ignored? If things don’t reach a conclusion between Kushwaha and the BJP, Upendra Kushwaha made be relieved of his ministerial post in the Centre after the Bihar Assembly elections. At the same time, former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has been assured by the BJP and Amit Shah that he will either be made a minister at the Centre after the Bihar elections, or the governor of a state. It is believed Manjhi has agreed to both offers.

Modi just didn’t approve of the way the Congress behaved during the Parliament’s Monsoon Session. That is why despite being in the Parliament he didn’t mark his presence in the sessions. Modi would come to the Parliament assiduously and, as a rule, a meeting with the core group regarding the Parliament’s floor and political management would take place at 10.30 am. Apart from Modi, this eight-member core team also has Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari, Venkaiah Naidu, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Manohar Parrikar, and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. The government gives a final shape to its strategy in the Parliament only after serious consultation and strategizing with the core group. Modi would then carry on with his routine work from his room in the Parliament, meet visitors and, most of all, would talk politics with his confidante Amit Shah; he takes “public opinion”, that is Shah’s feedback, about his government’s governance.

In the days to come, the government might organize Monsoon Session Part II, instead of a special session in the Parliament. For this, the government’s primary strategists are in constant touch with the main Opposition parties and working out how to ensure that the Parliament session runs smoothly; this session will see the discussion on GST, which has to be passed in the Parliament. Sources reveal that the Congress high command is feeling the heat from several of its own chief ministers who are of the opinion that not passing the GST will not be in favour of the states. Before the start of this Monsoon Session, the strategists in Modi government, that is Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, had got the main Opposition parties to agree that no matter how chaotic the Monsoon Session is, all Opposition parties, including the Congress, will help in passing the GST Bill. It is said Sonia Gandhi, too, is agreeable to the idea. But on the evening before the state of the session, the government received a message from a prominent leader of the Congress saying he could do nothing. He said his hands were tied because Rahul Gandhi had decided that until Sushma Swaraj resigns, the entire Monsoon Session will be a washout – and that is exactly what happened.

Speaking from the ramparts of Red Fort this August 15, Prime Minister Modi’s 90-minute speech was low on decibels. He was seen repeating the old things, and his take on the media seemed a tad soft this time. Not just the speech, Modi and PMO’s perception of the media seems to have changed a little, of late. This is the first time since the formation of the Modi government that media houses were asked if they would like to send their representative with the PM during his two-day foreign tour to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This tradition of a group of journalists accompanying the prime minister had stopped ever since the NDA government came into power on May 2014. Until now, the media houses would bear only the accommodation costs of the journalists accompanying the prime minister. Needless to say, the media groups are indeed surprised at this proposal by the foreign ministry and are wondering how the Modi government is ready to take journalists along to Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Two speakers from the Congress were supposed to speak on the postponement proposal. The first name on the list was that of Pramod Tiwari, and the next, Anand Sharma. The minute Pramod Tiwari got up to speak after the vice-speaker asked him to, Anand Sharma instantly got up from his own seat and started talking. Tiwari ji was shocked and sat down. During this time, senior Congress leaders such as Satyavrat Chaturvedi, Ambica Soni and Ghulam Nabi Azad encouraged Tiwari and said if his name was first on the list, he should be the one to speak first. After this, Tiwari ji again got up from his seat to speak, and started his speech, too. The House saw a confused lot and the vice-speaker looked at both of them and said, “You decide who is going to speak from your party first.”

Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Javad Zarif was in India recently, and met with Prime Minister Modi after a meeting with Nitin Gadkari and Sushma Swaraj. There were further discussions with the prime minister on how to make the relations between Iran and India stronger, and how mutual trade and commerce can be increased. Apart from his, there were also discussions about The Port of Chabahar. Discussions about the Chabahar port are hanging in the middle because Gautam Adani, India’s prominent industrialist and close aide to Modi wants control of the port. But the Iran government is not okay with the conditions for the same; thus, Modi personally took the initiative to show interest in sorting out the matter personally.

Political pundits were taken off guard with the way SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav softened his stance on the Modi government during the Monsoon Session. Sources reveal that for a while now, the CBI is relentlessly grilling Yadav Singh, his son, daughter and wife. Every file about scams from 2002 to 2015, which are related to Yadav Singh, are being scoured for every detail; the CBI is trying to investigate which politicians have given political protection to Singh Yadav until now. It is worth remembering that during the SP rule, scams worth Rs 954 crore have been opened. This is something that is worrying Mulayam and is forcing him to change his stand as well.

Has the Gandhi family relegated Kanishka Singh to the back burner? He is spending most of his time in Jawahar Bhavan rather than Rahul’s residence, although he is seen doing some work for Priyanka now and then. But the most active member of Priyanka’s office is Preeti Sahay, who even fixes appointments for people due to meet Priyanka. Sources say that a few days ago, two veteran loyalists met Sonia Gandhi with a list, which contained the names of industrialists and builders from whom Kanishka and his brother Shashank had benefited in some way or the other. The two leaders complained to Sonia that Kanishka had taken undue advantage of the party being in power at the centre and in several states. Sonia listened to the two leaders and remarked, “I have made a note of what you had to say. But now we shouldn’t fight with those who are our own, but with others.” Thereafter, however, Kanishka is being kept away from the Congress and Rahul. But because he has been Rahul’s confidante for a long time, the Gandhi family won’t find it easy to isolate him all of a sudden.