George Orwell in Homage to Catalonia writes, “One of the most horrible feature of war is that all the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred,
Another NDA ally Apna Dal is in news, the faction led by Anupriya Patel, of its ongoing negotiations with the Bhartiya Janata Party ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The party has relevance in eastern Uttar Pradesh. However, past electoral performances indicate to party’s irrelevance. Apna Dal was founded by[Read More…]
Fluid identities confined by impermeable boundaries, emboldened by our collective ignorance, we seek to trace the footprints of apostles of yore. Yet, we ignore their fingerprints on our souls; we ignore their simple message of peace; we mute our inner voices. Just because they vow to fight till the end,[Read More…]
In the wake of the recent terror attack in Pulwama, India saw an unjustified agitation in various parts of the country where various politically motivated activists took to the streets and forced out young Kashmiri students out of their rented homes after threatening their landlords. One story from ‘The Wire’[Read More…]
Close on the heels of a ghastly suicide attack on a Central Reserve Police Force convoy killing over 40 personnel near Pulwama on Jammu-Srinagar highway, a Major-rank officer of Indian Army lost his life on Saturday (February 16). He met the tragedy while defusing an improvised explosive device. The second[Read More…]
Uttar Pradesh, with its 80 Lok Sabha seats remains crucial to BJP’s plans to return to power in 2019. In 2014, with 73 seats out of 80 in Uttar Pradesh, it managed to form a single-party majority Government after 1984. Is BJP going to repeat its performance in 2019? Bua-[Read More…]
Before Modi this has been the case in 1977 because of some of the actions of the late Indira Gandhi and over a decade after her debacle also with her son Rajiv Gandhi.
Dear Madam, At the outset, let me clarify, our paths haven’t crossed before neither online nor offline and for both our sakes, I hope it never does. I decided to understand your profile a little before I wrote to you, half- expecting to be met with a description that read[Read More…]
The new CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla has a reputation of being an upright, rule-abiding and, thus, unyielding police officer. He is generally averse to political or any other kind of pressure in his work. He is thought to be publicity shy, media shunning and yet polite and soft spoken,[Read More…]
In the words of Jawaharlal Nehru, “we call our State a secular one. The word ‘secular’, perhaps, is not a very happy one and yet for want of a better, we have used it.
Much awaited Priyanka Gandhi’s entry into active politics raised the ardour of the main opposition party Congress and its cadre. All the channels and social media platforms couldn’t stop their enthusiasm either and covered one of the most important political developments of the country keenly. The public in Amethi and[Read More…]
There couldn’t have been any better bet than Priyanka Gandhi to put a shot in the arm of Congress before the upcoming national elections. Indeed, the entry of the 47-year-old sister of Congress president Rahul Gandhi was the only certainty amid the myriad uncertainties dogging the politics of the country[Read More…]
Ever since the Congress dealt a fast one on BJP by extending support to HD Kumaraswamy with his 38 JD (S) MLAs to form the government, the BJP could never stomach it.
Why reservations based on economic status would not be an alternative to the caste-based reservation?
Yogi Aditya Nath-led BJP government recently issued an order, asking district authorities to transfer stray cattle to Gau Shalas (cow shelters). The directive has come in view of farmers’ anger, especially, their complaints about stray cattle destroying their crops. Now, even a cow welfare cess is being levied on citizens.[Read More…]
Job reservations like the proverbial cat are finally out of the bag. And indications are that the step is going to be flaunted as a virtual magic wand through the months to come to sway the electorate once again in the name of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas. The reason for[Read More…]
The best defence is often said to be a good offence. Perhaps it is this dictum that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has finally pulled out and relied upon while giving an unusually long interview to a news agency on the first day of the New Year where among other things[Read More…]
BJP’s defeat in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh has largely been attributed to failure of the Modi Government to address rural distress, and Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s effective communication of the poll promises, aimed towards alleviating farmer problems. With farmer issues taking center stage as the general election approach, the[Read More…]
When you see the data, you’ll see why #MeToo
Nestled in the Himalaya, Bhutan has a very high strategic worth for India and this is the reason why China which has no diplomatic relations with Thimpu, wants to win it over.
Who will be the Congress candidate from Kishanganj in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections? Till the 6th of December, everybody knew the answer. Even the challengers of the two-time Congress MP Mohammad Asrarul Haque Qasmi – popularly known as Maulana – knew well that their chances are not bright. Came the[Read More…]
A new book on Ayodhya amply illustrates deep political motives behind sustaining the vexed dispute through past few decades. Written in Hindi by Sheetla Singh, a veteran journalist from Faizabad, who successfully founded and ran for past sixty years a local popular daily Jan Morcha, the book is titled Ayodhya[Read More…]
All learned pundits of foreign relations are shocked; majority of international community members are stunned; close American allies are traumatized and they are scrambling for words to respond to President Donald Trump’s sudden decision to pull out US troops from Syria. They were not prepared for such unpredictability of the[Read More…]
In the diverse culture of our country, it has been a policy to accommodate multiple religious beliefs. As India rapidly transforms – its public places have become the testing grounds for its famed multiculturalism – as to what is acceptable and unacceptable public behavior. But in what can be termed[Read More…]
swaThe year 2018 saw some interesting movies that made the news or generated debates. Here are a few that stood out: Padmaavat: This remained perhaps the most controversial film of the year. Karni Sena, a right wing outfit burned the sets and launched a massive protest against what they believed[Read More…]