The editor was asked to remove the story among the steps the trustees thought fit, but he preferred to resign. Advani’s march to Ayodhya. RJD chief Lalu Yadav. Above all, Modi’s strategy has the chief minister of West Bengal in its crosshairs. Advani as the BJP stalwart headed to Ayodhya through Bihar in an early attempt at raiding the Babri Masjid.I was never enamoured of Sharif, not the least because of his grooming as Zia-ul-Haq’s blue-eyed boy. Is an exposé going to lay him low though? Moreover, should corruption count as an issue in a world where people are drowning in the Mediterranean Sea to escape slaughter and hunger? What became of the revelations of mass murder in Gujarat, or for that matter in Delhi?We never needed a ruse to evict elected governments, corruption or no corruption. He deepened the fear by wanting to become the amirul momineen, a title borrowed from Threaded Rod Bsw the Taliban. Corruption is, however, the least of Modi’s concerns, nor was it ever close to being the real issue in Pakistan. It is a useful ploy that helps keep opponents off balance. As outspoken critics of Modi, they could face a Bihar-like assault before the next general elections.

The BJP has never forgiven Lalu for being staunchly secular, nor is it likely to lower its guard against Banerjee or Kejriwal. He has slaughtered at least 7,000 in their homes and on the pavements, mayors and opposition politicians, policemen and judges — a man possessed in his messianic drive to re-arrange society. No one should doubt his new resolve to include Pakistan’s minorities in the ambit of secular governance.Mamata Banerjee and Kejriwal are the other two secular opponents of Modi who could be sorted out. What was the excuse after all to remove Allende or Mossadegh? Bankrolled street power could do the trick, as was the case in Iran in the 1950s. If corruption is ever going to be Modi’s Achilles’ heel India should applaud the liberal gladiators for the hard work of bringing the exposé to the people’s notice. If Lalu and his family are in serious trouble, it could not be for a more compelling reason than the fact that he had single-handedly stopped L. If we compare him with any major opposition leader, Lalu stands out head and shoulders above for never having compromised with Hindutva.There is nothing hidden here. The BJP struck up an alliance with a former foe, leaving the opposition in tatters. Lalu’s India and Sharif’s Pakistan stand at such a crossroads. This simple equation eludes a few self-regarding intellectuals on both sides. The prime minister possibly sees everyone other  than himself as corrupt.In a way, Sharif became nearly as important to Pakistan as Lalu Yadav is to India. Nations are razed to the ground to comply with the Orwellian decree. If he doesn’t quite put it that way, his loyal press is always around to do the makeover. If he is finished off by the BJP, will Indian democracy be safe?Hold your verdict, since some intellectuals are wallowing in a parallel timeline, one that seems characteristically bereft of a sense of timing.