US sees red over Adani's green energy projects; Maha Yuti looks to clinch Maharashtra, I.N.D.I.A. eyes Jharkhand win

The usually verbose Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be giving Manmohan Singh a run for his money for the title of 'silent PM'—after months of looking the other way on Manipur, Modi remained mum as his alleged close friend and billionaire Gautam Adani got indicted for bribery in the US, while the BJP scrambled to contain the mess amid allegations of corruption by the opposition Congress.

As Adani stole the headlines, Maharashtra and Jharkhand completed voting, with Maha Yuti poised to clinch the western state while the I.N.D.I.A. bloc is likely to remain in power in Jharkhand.

Manipur, meanwhile, continued to burn, prompting the Conrad Sangma-led NPP to withdraw support to the BJP-led government in the northeastern state.

The aforementioned developments merely scratch the surface of all that went down in the world of politics, so join us as we help you navigate these murky waters.

Star-crossed campaigners

The week got off to a blistering start with the build-up to the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections that saw the Election Commission of India (ECI) issue notices to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and BJP president J P Nadda over each other's complaints.

With the BJP and the Opposition tearing into each other, Rahul and Modi crossed each other's paths again, this time, at the airport.

As Modi's flight got delayed in Jharkhand's Deoghar, Rahul's chopper was not allowed to take off from Godda and land in Deoghar, prompting the Congress to cry foul.

Despite the setback, both Modi and Rahul promptly returned to the campaign trail, accusing each other of myriad shortcomings as always.

Exit polls predict I.N.D.I.A's exit

Voting in Maharashtra and Jharkhand was mostly uneventful, apart from Maharashtra BJP leader Vinod Tawde being accused of distributing cash for votes. The matter snowballed and he has currently filed a Rs 100-cr defamation suit against Rahul.

As the numbers started coming in, dark clouds gathered over the Congress-led alliance, which will be hoping for another faux pas by pollsters after they incorrectly predicted the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections.

With numbers in their favour, BJP leaders triumphantly asserted that they would be forming the government in both states, but was strangely silent on what would become of the government in Manipur.

US sees red over Adani's green energy projects

The BJP's celebratory mood, however, took a hit on Thursday after Adani's indictment in the US.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, seemingly an early riser, jumped on the opportunity to launch a scathing attack against Modi in the morning, prompting the BJP to scramble to the PM's defence.

Amid raucous calls for Adani's arrest, the group promptly denied all the allegations, asserting that it was, and always has been, a law-abiding company.

Shortly afterwards, Kenya cancelled its deals (worth over $2.5 billion) with the 'law-abiding' firm, citing "new information by investigative agencies".

Bye bye Biren?

Manipur, which has been gripped by ethnic conflict since last year, was on the boil again after the discovery of the bodies of six missing people from the Meitei community. The bodies were recovered after an alleged kidnapping by suspected Kuki-Zo militants, who, in turn, were shot dead by security forces.

As the bodies were recovered, an incensed mob attacked and ransacked the houses of legislators in the state, while CM N Biren Singh's private residence was also targetted.

Shortly after, the NPP withdrew support to the Biren Singh government, citing the CM's 'complete failure' to resolve the ethnic conflict in the state.

With the state's political future hanging in the balance, the Biren Singh government held meetings to pacify the protesters, who promptly rejected the resolutions adopted by the NDA MLAs.

While Union Home Minister Amit Shah is learned to have reviewed the situation, nothing concrete has been announced with regard to Biren Singh's future, and Manipur continues to burn.

Of course, both the BJP and the Congress blamed each other for the situation in Manipur. Modi, meanwhile, remained silent.

Black mark on Karnataka politics

In Karnataka, the 'kariya' row continued, with the state Congress unit's vice-president writing a damning letter to Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, calling for action against Waqf minister B Z Zameer Ahmed for his comments against H D Kumaraswamy.

"Party leaders must now realise that Zameer, who doesn’t comprehend the dignity and privilege of being a minister," A R M Hussain wrote.

Days later, Home Minister G Parameshwara hinted that Zameer was likely to face disciplinary action for his comment.

This week also saw the '40 per cent commission' row rear its head again, with BJP leaders B S Yediyurappa and R Ashoka claiming that their government had been cleared of said charges by the Lokayukta.

The popular PM

This week also saw PM Modi undertake a three-nation trip to Niger, Guyana, and Brazil, where he racked up several top national honours and attended the G20 meet.

Amid news of Adani's alleged criminal activities, Modi also addressed the Guyana Parliament, where he said, "If even one country, even one region is left behind, then our global goals will never be achieved." And no, he was not referring to Manipur.

Friday also saw the icy India-Canada relationship thaw a bit, with Ottawa clarifying it had never suggested PM Modi's hand in what it called "serious criminal activities" by Indian agents on Canadian soil.

Wrestling with a nation's future

Modi's other 'friend' Donald Trump, meanwhile, made several announcements this week, mostly pertaining to his Cabinet.

Among them was WWE founder Vince McMahon's wife Linda, who the President-elect picked to lead the Education Department. Days later, Linda was named in a sexual abuse lawsuit.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's an IRBM

This week also saw a significant escalation in Ukraine.

Even as Russia said it was open to a 'realistic' peace treaty, Kyiv attacked Moscow's forces using US-made and UK-made missiles.

Russia responded in kind, firing a new intermediate-range ballistic missile that Zelenskyy said was a 'clear escalation'.

Meanwhile, having travelled many miles from home and having watched copious amounts of pornography, North Korean troops also joined in on the action in Ukraine.

Things go south for Netanyahu in West Asia

Israel continued to bomb Gaza and Lebanon, but this week, the international community took action: judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence chief, and a Hamas leader for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Although the Israeli PM dismissed the warrant and questioned the ICC's legitimacy, as things stand, several nations, including Italy and the Netherlands, have said that they are ready to enforce the warrant should Netanyahu set foot on their soil.

That about wraps it up for this week. Join us next week as we decipher the people's mandate in Maharashtra and Jharkhand and bring you the drama that is sure to accompany the Parliament's Winter Session.

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DH Newsletters Team