Firstpost Editor's Picks: Modi's chance to eliminate vote bank politics, Darvesh Yadav murder, NBA finals; today's must-read stories

Modi has a great opportunity to initiate key steps that may gradually lift Muslims from a morass. The biggest task for Modi is to prevent ‘otherization’ of Muslims, end their isolation and make them equal partners in the progress of the nation. If this can be done with sincerity and earnestness of intent, the BJP may find that the trust deficit between the party and Muslims has significantly lessened. If Modi stands by his commitment, the nation may finally break free of the curse of vote bank politics.

Darvesh Yadav murder: Male insecurity, possible motive for killing, is a constant threat for successful women

“Tu jeet gayi (You’ve won.)” — This is what several eyewitnesses claim Manish Babu Sharma said to Darvesh Yadav before he shot her dead. It is clear that a woman is most at risk of violence from those who she knows, not strangers. The statistics are voluminous and usually quoted in the context of sexual violence. But every week, feminists have to remind the world that it isn’t only rape that we have to fear. It is all manner of violence. And professional jealousy of the kind that led to Yadav’s death. That’s a severely underreported fire, singeing and burning women perceived to be successful in any way.

Inflation numbers well on track, but what Budget offers to revive industrial growth this year will be interesting to watch

Industrial growth is the key to employment generation and hence will be the focus of the attention of the government this year. ‘How to revive growth’ will be the main theme and it will be interesting to see what the Budget offers to the manufacturing sector this year.

NBA Finals 2019: Raptors are still favourites, but have a mountain to climb against rejuvenated Warriors in Oracle swansong

At the NBA finals, Raptors are still the better side. But when they take the court, they’ll have to overcome Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and the overwhelming comfort of Warriors’ champion mentality even when they’re backed up against a corner. It’s the final game at Oracle, where the Warriors faithful will be hungry to take revenge. It’s still Raptors’ title to lose. They’ve shown how to tackle the big guns all throughout the season singing the same tune: trust the instinct and dominate with elan.

Game Over is as crisp and to-the-point as a thriller can get. It wastes no time on song and dance or back stories for each character. And Taapsee Pannu and Vinodhini Vaidyanathan are terrific throughout, their performances as perfectly pared down as the tone of the film. The beauty of Game Over is that even after it is over, what was going on in the film remains anybody’s guess. You have to figure it out completely on your own, based on various clues strewn around such as that poster on Swapna’s wall saying, “What if life is a video game and deja vu are just check points?”