Unlimited Corporate Funding: Subversion of Democracy

THE Modi government has taken another surreptitious step to harness corporate funding for the BJP and to subject the political system to the sway of big money.While presenting the Union Budget, the finance minister had announced that the government would introduce “electoral bonds” as a means of funding for political parties. According to this concept, anyone wanting to contribute money to a political party can, through a bank, purchase an electoral bond for a specified amount. This bond can then be put into the account of a political party. The noteworthy feature of this bond is that th

Adityanath as Chief Minister: Hindutva Gameplan

THE selection of the mahant of the Gorakhnath temple, Yogi Adityanath, who is also a member of Lok Sabha from Gorakhpur, as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, is a clear signal that the BJP-RSS combine wishes to pursue the line of Hindu consolidation as the basis of its future political strategy.Since becoming the member of the Lok Sabha from Gorakhpur in 1998, Adityanath became notorious for his record of Muslim baiting and direct incitement of communal violence in Gorakhpur and the adjoining districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh. He raised the Hindu Yuva Vahini which was nothing but an ar

Portents of UP Elections

THE Uttar Pradesh assembly election has resulted in an unprecedented sweep for the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP with its smaller allies has won 325 out of the 403 seats and polled 41.4 percent of the vote which is just fractionally lower than the percentage polled in the Lok Sabha election.It is important to understand how the BJP has achieved this success if a coherent political platform and alternative to the BJP has to be worked out.

Stop Coercion for Aadhar

THE Modi government is determined to coerce people to join the Aadhar Unique Identification Number by making all sorts of government schemes and services available to citizens only on the basis of Aadhar. The latest instance is the notification issued by the human resource development ministry making Aadhar compulsory for children to avail the mid-day meal scheme in government schools.

Two Events: Same Message

TWO places separated by over 2000 kms became sites for resistance to the RSS attacks on democracy and secularism last week. The first was Delhi University in the national capital and the second was Mangaluru city in Karnataka.In Delhi University, students belonging to the ABVP (the student wing of the RSS) attacked a seminar being held at Ramjas College on the pretext that anti-national persons were invited to speak at the seminar.

BJP’s Communal Rhetoric in Uttar Pradesh

THE BJP’s election campaign in Uttar Pradesh is unfolding true to form.

Persecution of Muslim Youth in Terror Cases

THE sordid and shocking record of the targeting and prosecution of Muslim youth being falsely accused in terror related cases has once again been highlighted by the Delhi High Court’s acquittal of all the three accused in the 2005 serial blasts in Delhi.

Stop Misuse of “Money Bill” Route

The government is increasingly resorting to the money bill route to avoid the Rajya Sabha having any say in the legislation making process. Since the BJP-led government has no majority in the Rajya Sabha, it has been resorting to the device of the “Money Bill” to overcome this hurdle. All democratic forces must extend support to the demand that the misuse of the money bill be ended forthwith.The Modi government is systematically downgrading the Rajya Sabha by misusing the definition of “Money Bill” to get legislations passed in parliament by bypassing the upper house.

A New Successor in Tamil Nadu

THE election of VK Sasikala, the aide and confidante of the late J Jayalalithaa, as the leader of the legislative party of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in order to become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu has opened a new chapter in the political game being played out in the post-Jayalalithaa period. After proposing her name for the leadership of the legislative party, O Paneerselvam, the incumbent chief minister, who had resigned, has now come out against the change.

Facing the Realities of the Trump Presidency

THE first ten days of the Trump presidency in the United States, if it has proved anything, it is that Trump will remain faithful to the promises he made during the election campaign. Donald Trump has issued a flurry of executive orders which exemplify his anti-immigrant, Islamophobic and pro-big business agenda.One of the first executive orders was to build a wall along the border with Mexico. This, according to Trump, is required to keep out illegal migrants.

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Peoples Democracy

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