Editorial

Bhagwat in Jammu & Kashmir

THE RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, paid a four-day visit to Jammu recently. This was the first visit by Bhagwat to Jammu & Kashmir after the annulment of Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution.  In one sense, this was a triumphant tour  by the RSS chief since it was the Sangh which relentlessly opposed Article 370 and fought for its removal.The Sangh had, through the Praja Parishad in Jammu, opposed Article 370 and launched an agitation for integrating Jammu into the Indian Union.  Jammu became the redoubt of the RSS and later the BJP.

Modi’s US Visit: Loss of Strategic Autonomy

THE Modi visit to the United States had three major events. The first in-person meeting with President Joe Biden; the meeting of the leaders of the Quad countries; and the speech at the UN General Assembly.The kept media in India have painted the visit in rosy colours and uncritically conveyed the official version of what transpired in the bilateral meeting with President Biden, in the meetings with Vice President Kamala Harris and the outcome of the Quad meetings.

Wealth Transfer through the Bad Bank

THE Modi government has laid out one more plan to “clean” the books of banks, especially public banks, by helping them get rid of Rs 2 lakh crore of loans gone ‘bad’. It has announced the creation of two institutions for the purpose. The National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL), or the “bad bank” in popular parlance, will take over the bad assets of the banks. The Indian Debt Resolution Company Ltd (IDRCL), armed with the necessary expertise, will ‘manage’ these assets and sell them at the ‘best possible’ price, to recover some of the money due to the banks.

Double Engine of Communal and Caste Appeal

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has once again used his favourite analogy of “double engine growth” delivering “double profit” in Uttar Pradesh.  Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of the Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh State University in Aligarh, the underlying theme of the speech also made it clear what ‘double engine’ actually means.  It is a combination of rank communal and caste appeal.With the Uttar Pradesh assembly election drawing nearer, the BJP, under Modi and Adityanath’s leadership, have embarked on the twin engine of communal and caste mobilisation.  Narendra Modi’s speech mus

The Significance of Muzaffarnagar Rally

THE Muzaffarnagar Mahapanchayat organised by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on September 5 will go down as a historic landmark in the annuls of the peasant movement of the country.  Lakhs of farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab along with contingents from many other states participated in the rally.The call for the kisan mahapanchayat was given at the national convention held by the SKM at Singhu border on August 26-27.

Speaking Truth to Power

SUPREME Court Judge, Justice D Y Chandrachud, has given a thoughtful and lucid talk on ‘Speaking Truth To Power: Citizens And The Law’ on the occasion of the Justice M C Chagla Memorial Lecture.In an erudite analysis of the relationship between truth and democracy and the role of citizens in speaking truth to power, Justice Chandrachud says: “Democracy needs the power of truth to survive.  As such one can consider ‘speaking truth to power’ as a right every citizen must have in a democracy, but equally as also the duty of every citizen”.He goes on to state that, “Crucially, the assumption is

Halt this Sell Out!

CAMOUFLAGED in jargon that speaks of ‘monetisation of de-risked assets’, the BJP-led NDA government has announced its plan to sell out India’s public sector. In that plan, assets ranging from roads, ports, airports and railway track and stations, through fuel pipelines, telecom towers, optical fibre cabling, warehouses, and stadia, are to be handed over to big private investors in return for upfront or staggered payments of around Rs 6 lakh crore over a four year period ending financial year 2025.

In the Mirror Image of the Taliban

THE everyday violence against Muslims is showing a disturbing pattern.  In the month of August, there have been at least four recorded cases of gratuitous violence against Muslims in the streets of some cities and small towns in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.  The targets of such attacks were poor Muslims such as street vendors, auto rickshaw drivers and even beggars. In one such incident, a 52 year-old auto rickshaw driver in Sikar district of Rajasthan was beaten up badly by two young men without any provocation.  They started to beat him when he refused to say ‘Modi Zindaba

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