Editorial

Trump’s Plutocratic Regime

THE inaugural speech of Donald Trump and the flurry of executive orders issued by him on the first day as president, show that Trump does what he said he will do.  In claiming to make America great again, Trump has threatened to take over the Panama Canal, the control of which had been handed to Panama by a treaty in 1977.  He has renamed the `Gulf of Mexico’ as the `Gulf of America’ and promised more imperial steps to expand American territory as no US President has done in recent history.  Trump has ordered an emergency in the southern borders with Mexico and deployed the army to check im

UGC Rules: Assault on State Universities

THE New Year 2025 started with another assault on the education system. The Modi government, through the UGC, announced new draft regulations titled, ‘University Grants Commission (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment and Promotion of Teachers and Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education)’. This is yet another attempt by the central government to assume control over all the higher education institutions in the country.According to the UGC, there are 56 central universities and 481 state universities.

RSS Chief’s Double Speak

WHAT is one to make of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s speech regarding the raking up of new temple/mosque disputes?  In his speech in Pune on December 19, Bhagwat disapproved of the raking up of new temple/mosque disputes. He said that Ram temple was a matter of faith for Hindus. Construction of the Ram mandir in Ayodhya, which was a matter of faith for Hindus, should not lead to further actions. In conclusion, he said “Every day, a new matter (dispute) is being raked up.  How can this be allowed?  This cannot continue”. This speech has led to varying interpretations.

Simultaneous Elections: Damaging Constitution

TWO days after the BJP leaders waxed eloquent about protecting the Constitution in the debate in the Lok Sabha to mark the 75th anniversary of the framing of the Constitution, the Modi government has introduced a Constitution Amendment Bill, which seeks to damage the Constitution and the federal structure within it.Two Bills were introduced – The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and The Union Territories Laws Amendment Bill – which seek to ensure simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and all the legislatures of states and union territories. The Constitution Amendment Bill amends three

The Fall of Assad

THE rapid advance of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other armed factions led to the fall of Bashar al- Assad’s government in Syria. With this, the US has succeeded in toppling the last of the secular regimes in West Asia. US military interventions resulted not only in the fall of secular regimes in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and now Syria in the West Asia-North African region, but also created deep sectarian fissures in the region.

India & Bangladesh: Shun Divisive Communalism

THE continuous attacks on Hindus and other minorities like Buddhists in Bangladesh are causing widespread concern. Consequent to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in the first week of August after a mass movement, it was expected that the end of her authoritarian rule would usher in a more democratic system in Bangladesh. However, in the chaos of the first few days, reports of attacks on some Hindu temples and houses of the minority community emerged across the country.

Sambhal: Stop This Judicial Excess

THE recent events in Sambhal and the deaths of five young Muslim men underline the importance of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, l991 enacted by Parliament in that year. This legislation prohibits “conversion of any place of worship” (Section 3) and provides for “the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on the 15th day of August, 1947” (Section 4).

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