Firstpost Editor's Picks: Congress' Mission 2024, saffronisation of coastal Karnataka, Roger Federer wins Miami Open 2019; today's must-read stories

Foregoing alliances, bargaining hard with partners: Congress seems to be aiming for 2024, not 2019The way Congress is foregoing its chances of striking tactical alliances in crucial states, refusing to woo the regional partners and trying to drive a hard bargain (think about JD(S) in Karnataka and RJD in Bihar), it seems that the party is favouring slow structural revival over immediate lunge at power. This also explains why Rahul is keen to contest from Wayanad. It gives him another option in case Amethi goes south and Congress gets to keep its original seat. Even though this may put the grand old party at loggerheads with alliance partners, Rahul, clearly, is not worried about it.Replacing NITI Aayog with Planning Commission will not serve any purpose, both add very little valueIf one looks at the website of the NITI Aayog and counts the number in the directory, it is well over 500 with various classes of employees including support staff. Therefore, there is resemblance with the existing bureaucratic structures in any government department. The erstwhile Planning Commission had more than 1,000 employees and hence this seems to be an improvement. The question really is whether having another such institution makes sense given that there are already several government-backed independent institutions that are doing similar jobs in different fields. Also at the end of the day, the deliverables need to be defined and evaluated as to whether or not value is being added.How coastal Karnataka was saffronised; part 1: Hedgewar sends emissary to Mangalore, an RSS shakha is bornThe imagination of Karnataka for many, including RSS karyakartas, was restricted to the extent of Belgaum and Dharwad. But Sanjeeva Kamath, a Gaud Saraswat Brahmin lawyer's intervention opened a new chapter for the RSS altogether. He proved to be crucial in establishing linkages in South Kanara, which Dr KB Hedgewar seemed to have readily sensed. In 1940, a few weeks after meeting Kamath, Dr Hedgewar passed away. But the expansion plan he had laid out for this new region thundered on.Miami Open 2019: Roger Federer's ever-sharp mind is proving to be the elixir of his glittering careerIf there’s one thing that Federer has retained through all the ups and downs – mostly ups – in his career, it’s his pragmatism. He never fails to look at the big picture, even if he’s just played a masterful tournament that should serve as a blueprint of workload management for all tennis players of all ages. He could have done everything right and still fallen short at the last hurdle; a shot could have landed an inch wide, a return could have dropped millimetres short, a net-chord could have gone against him.Flip review: Bejoy Nambiar brings together four edgy and engaging stories in this web anthologyBejoy Nambiar has always been a master of twists, not only as a plot element but also in how he serves it to his audience. With Flip, his debut web anthology currently streaming on Eros Now, he continues to go off the beaten track. But it only partially pays off.