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Truth about Modi’s Fight against Dynastic Politics: One-fourth of New Ministers Part of Political Families

IN the run-up to the parliamentary election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah went to town on the danger of dynastic politics, thundering that it was being practised by opposition parties against the interests of the country and that the BJP was here to put an end to it.

HATE, THREAT & VIOLENCE: Modi Victory Emboldens Right-wing Goons

SOON after the Narendra Modi-led BJP secured an emphatic victory in the parliamentary election, reports about targeting of Muslims and dalits started trickling in from various parts of the country. The second consecutive win for the BJP, riding on a narrative built around communal nationalist jingoism, has emboldened right-wing goons and vigilantes.Mohammed Barkat Alam experienced it first-hand in Gurgaon. On May 25, two days after the Lok Sabha election results were declared, a group of men accosted Alam when he was returning from a mosque after evening prayers.

Election CamPAYin

EVERY election is followed by an in-depth analysis of the way the elections were contested. The growth of right-wing forces in the period of continuing global economic crisis, has further increased the interest in studying the contributing factors. Apart from who voted for whom and why, analysis of various opinion polls, exit polls and their biases, electoral campaigns too are closely scrutinised to understand the issues raised, the target populace and the reasons behind concentrating only on those issues.

Venezuelans Stand Tall

SO the reasons for the US meddling and interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela are finally out, direct from the horse’s mouth. Of course it is about oil, gold, diamonds and all the other natural resources that Venezuela has. But above all, it is about something more, as US president Donald Trump has stated in his State of the Union, ceremonial address to the US citizens.

Struggle to Bridge the Gap

I've got the children to tendThe clothes to mendThe floor to mopThe food to shopThen the chicken to fryThe baby to dryI got company to feedThe garden to weedI've got shirts to pressThe tots to dressThe can to be cutI gotta clean up this hutThen see about the sickAnd the cotton to pick.Shine on me, sunshineRain on me, rainFall softly, dewdropsAnd cool my brow again.Sun, rain, curving skyMountain, oceans, leaf and stoneStar shine, moon glowYou're all that I can call my own.Maya Angelou This poem captures well the everyday life of a woman, even in the present circumstances.

Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016: The Ramifications

EVER since the idea of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was mooted in 2016, it was evident that there will be strong reactions in Assam. Right from the introduction of the bill in Lok Sabha on July 19, 2016, movement started in Assam, particularly in the Brahmaputra valley, demanding immediate withdrawal of it. All the political parties and mass organizations except BJP expressed their clear opposition to the bill. Politically BJP was completely isolated on the question of the bill where even its coalition partner AGP had out rightly rejected the BJP’s position on the bill.

Extraordinary Assault on Science and Reason: The Imperative for Policy Reversal

SINCE the Narendra Modi government has assumed office, reason and science have come under continuous threat -- beginning with the prime minster himself suggesting that the elephant-headed Lord Ganesha could be a proof for the existence of plastic surgery during the Puranic ages. Similarly, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had observed that roadside tarot card readers with a caged parrot were far more superior than trained astronomers in anticipating future events.

Bicentenary of Lewis Morgan’s Birth

LEWIS Morgan, who had made great contributions to the study of the evolution of human race and social changes, was born in 1818, the same year in which Karl Marx was born.Morgan laid down the foundational principles for the study of man’s progress from primates to human beings through evolutionary stages, involving various types of social structures, including the institutions of marriage and family.

That Hand behind Water Privatisation

MONSOONS in our country give rise to varied emotions. Village dwellers will be looking forward to them eagerly and once they arrive, they greet them with great enthusiasm. On the other hand, city dwellers, look forward to them romantically and once they arrive, go on wishing them away, considering the water logging and related problems. In short, it is the management of water that is determining our attitude to rains.

Assamese Reject Citizenship Bill, BJP’s Communal Weapon Falls Flat

THE social life of Assam is in for a boil over Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, a proposition to grant citizenship based on religion, in Assam. Public anxiety became visible when the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) visited the state.Assam has always been a sensitive place when it came to questions of ethnicity and nationality. However, the intensity with which people reacted to the bill was never seen in the recent history of Assam.People and organisations representing all communities in Assam have anxiously participated in the public hearing at Guwahati and Silchar.

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