Pointers from the Assembly Elections

THERE are three major takeaways from the recent assembly elections in the five states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. First, the decisive victory for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh for the second successive term and its success in Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa to retain its governments.Though the BJP and its allies got a lesser majority, their vote share has increased by 3.65 per cent to 45 per cent.

Ukraine Conflict: The Interplay of Contradictions

THE US-led NATO’s attempts to seek the high moral ground against aggression by the “brutal dictator Putin” reeks of hypocrisy and double-standards. Going by the shrill pronouncements of President Biden and Prime Minister Johnson, this is the first time peace has been shattered in Europe after the Second World War and the end of the Cold War. They completely ignore the fact that the first war in Europe after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 was the NATO aggression against Serbia and Yugoslavia in 1999.

Cut Down Excise Duties to Check Impending Inflation

THE tensions between Russia and the US-NATO in the past few weeks and the Russian military attack on Ukraine have sparked a big increase in international oil prices. The oil prices have surged and they stood over 100 dollars a barrel and gas prices have escalated by 62 per cent. This is going to have a direct impact on fuel prices and thereby inflation in India.Episodes of high inflation in the recent past have eroded the purchasing power of the common people.

Reform in Appointment and Role of Governors

THE Kerala government has written to the central government proposing amendments to the constitution to give powers to the state governments in the appointment or recall of governors. This has been done in response to the recommendations made by the Justice Punchhi Commission on reforms in centre-state relations. The stand taken by the Kerala government reflects the longstanding need felt for change in the role of the governor who, at present, is appointed by the centre and hence acts as an agent of the central government. The Kerala government has also asked for an amendment to Article 1

US Bluster on Ukraine

THE inception of the current crisis on Ukraine lies in the continuing eastward expansion of NATO. Contrary to what was promised to Russia by the United States in the post-Soviet period that NATO would not expand eastward, all the East European countries and the Baltic states, which were part of the Warsaw Treaty were brought into the NATO. Russia now fears that Ukraine and Georgia, that were part of the Soviet Union, are next in line.

Unite to Defend Federalism

SOME chief ministers of the opposition-ruled states have been discussing about the need for a united stand to defend federalism and to counter the onslaught of the Modi government on centre-state relations.The need for a united stand of state governments in defense of states’ rights cannot be overstated. The Modi government has, in its second term, stepped up the drive to centralise and concentrate all powers in its hands; no sphere of centre-state relations has been spared from the depredations of the centre. The most extreme step was the dismantling of the state of Jammu & Kashmir i

Denial of Right to Education of Muslim girls

THE hijab worn by Muslim girl students has been seized upon by the BJP and Hindutva forces to create another divisive and anti-Muslim polarisation in Karnataka. The insistence of six girls on wearing hijab (head scarf) to class in the government pre-university college in Udupi was utilised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Hindu Jagaran Vedika to get some Hindu students to wear saffron scarves and protest at the gate.

UP: Falling Back on the Communal Agenda

AS the election campaign for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls is in full swing with the first phase of elections be held on February 10 in western UP, it has become clear that the BJP is banking solely on the Hindutva communal plank for mobilising support.The union home minister Amit Shah and chief minister Adityanath have set the tone for the BJP’s campaign, which is laced with communal dog whistles and anti-Muslim rhetoric. Adityanath began the campaign by declaring that it will be a fight between 80 per cent vs 20 per cent. This being the rough ratio of Hindus to Muslims in the state’s

Pernicious Step to Subvert LIC

THE worst aspects of the Modi government’s privatisation drive are now coming to the fore. The initial public offering (IPO) prospectus for disinvesting shares in the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), the crown jewel of the financial sector, is expected to be issued in early February. The LIC is a unique corporation that has played a pioneering role in spreading the culture of life insurance in the country. The widespread coverage of life insurance achieved through LIC is especially important in the absence of an effective government-backed social security scheme that extends protective c

Crony Capitalism in Telecom Sector

THE recent announcement by the union ministry of converting a part of what Vodafone-Idea (VI) owes to the government into its shareholding, is another step in the long story of crony capitalism and so-called reforms in the telecom sector. The government has taken a 35.8 per cent shareholding in VI to reduce the two hundred thousand crore rupees that VI owns the government, and postponed payments of the rest for four more years.

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