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

Subverting Human Rights

THE Modi government has been undermining all the institutions under the Constitution and denuding them of their essence. This was on display in the event to observe the 28th foundation day of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).The anniversary meeting was attended by both the prime minister, Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah.

Murder Most Foul

THE gruesome attack on protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh on October 3 marks a new level of violence against the farmers’ movement which has been going on for the past ten months. The farmers were protesting the visit of the deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya, who was to attend a function organised by the union minister of state for home affairs, Ajay Mishra Teni.The farmers had assembled near a place where the deputy chief minister was to arrive, when a convoy of cars led by a vehicle owned by Ajay Mishra and with his son, Ashish Mishra in it,

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.

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