Charade in the Name of Democracy

THE “Summit for Democracy” convened by US president, Joe Biden, on December 9-10 was ostensibly meant to strengthen democracy worldwide and to fend off the efforts by “autocrats” to undermine democracy.

AFSPA: Scrap this Atrocious Law

THE killing of 14 civilians in Mon, Nagaland by a special force of the Assam Rifles has brought into sharp relief the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), a lawless law that enables the security forces to act with impunity, which has led to atrocity after atrocity on the civilian population in the North-East. Eight young men, who were coal miners, were travelling in a van when they were ambushed by a special force, who were purportedly targeting armed insurgents. The killing of six of the miners led to protests by the local people, which resulted in eight more deaths due to firing b

BJP’s Contempt for Parliament

THE first day of the winter session of parliament revealed a great deal of what the Modi government’s attitude to parliament is – outright contempt for parliament and its democratic functioning.Contrary to what prime minister Modi had declared, at the outset, that the government is willing to discuss any issue and reply to any question raised by the opposition, the ruling party refused to allow any discussion on the repeal of the three farm laws and attendant issues.Just as the government had ran through the three farm laws in September 2020 without any proper discussion and scrutiny by the

Tripura: Farce of a Rigged Election

THE farce enacted in the name of municipal elections in Tripura has led to the BJP “winning” 329 of the 334 seats in the 20 urban local bodies, including the Agartala municipal corporation. Of these, 112 seats were won unopposed by which seven local bodies were captured without a contest. For the 13 other urban bodies, including the Agartala corporation, elections were held on November 25. What was witnessed was large-scale booth capturing, attacks on polling agents of opposition candidates and prevention of voters wanting to cast their vote. As a result, all 51 seats in the Agartala cor

A Victory of Wider Consequences

THE capitulation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in announcing the repeal of the three farm laws, is a historic victory for the united farmers’ struggle led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM). It is a victory which has far wider consequences than just the nullification of a set of pro-corporate farm measures. First and foremost, the successful defence of the farmers’ right to livelihood through peasant-based agriculture is a setback to the neo-liberal agenda, which has been assiduously pursued by the Modi government.Secondly, the success of the farmers’ struggle is a blow against authorit

Adivasis and Rightwing Identity Politics

NARENDRA Modi, while addressing an adivasi rally at Bhopal on the birth anniversary of the legendary tribal leader Birsa Munda on November 15, claimed that after independence, for decades, the adivasis were neglected. It was only his government that made adivasis partners in the country’s development and beneficiaries of various welfare schemes.The anniversary also saw the Modi government make a big pitch to project its pro-tribal image.

BJP National Executive: Sycophantic Display

THE national executive meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party was held on November 7. As it was being held after a gap of two years, there was interest to know how the ruling party at the centre assessed the political developments and the work done during the Covid-affected period. But if there were any persons who expected an objective review of the government’s work in this period and the policies adopted, they would have been sorely disappointed. The address of the president, the political resolution and Modi’s valedictory speech – all taken together show not an iota of a self-critical

Quad for West Asia: India in Losing Game

THE part-virtual and part-person meeting of the foreign ministers of four countries – the United States, Israel, India and United Arab Emirates – on October 18 saw the emergence of a new grouping in West Asia. It is significant that the meeting took place when the Indian foreign minister, S Jaishankar, was visiting Israel to hold talks with the Naftali Bennett government.According to the US readout of the meeting, the talks concerned trade, climate change, energy and maritime security.

No to Updating National Population Register

THE updation of the National Population Register (NPR) is back on the agenda of the Census 2021 enumeration. According to a news report in The Hindu (dated October 27), the form for updation has been issued as part of the handbook for Census officers that has been given to all the states and was generated through an online system on August 18. According to The Hindu report, the document issued to the district Census officers by the Registrar General of India contains the form which will collect details on fourteen parameters of all family members for updating the data ba

Communalism and Fundamentalism in South Asia

THE series of targeted killings of minorities and migrant workers by terrorist groups in the Kashmir Valley have pushed the besieged territory of Jammu & Kashmir into new depths of despair and gloom. The diabolical aim of killing school teachers, street vendors and migrant workers is clear – deepen the communal divide and create conditions for an exodus. That this is happening in Jammu & Kashmir, which has been under central rule as a union territory since August 2019, is a strong indictment of the way the centre has dealt with J&K and the people of the Valley in particular. T

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Peoples Democracy

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