It is important to acknowledge that Article 370 is a liberal concern
Writing in the Times of India, Jug Suraiya seems genuinely perplexed by what should be the liberal reaction to Article 370. Well, if intellectual honesty is valued, then the answer is clear enough. Nevertheless, kudos to Suraiya for at least discussing Article 370 especially [...]
The elite have functioned as a willing arm of the political establishment
In the Indian Express, the ever perspicuous Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes,
The third dimension of the crisis is social. Elites set standards in any society. And the extraordinary social respectability, if not downright obsequiousness, with which the Sena leadership has been treated over the years has [...]
Transforming a society is the hardest challenge for Nitish Kumar
In many ways, Tehelka’s cover story on Bihar breaks no fresh ground. It reiterates the usual talking points: improvement in security, investment in basic infrastructure, and a better business climate while pointing out that many pitfalls lie ahead and there is a long way to [...]
For the record
In an op-ed in Indian Express, Nitin Pai and I argue in favor India’s intervention in Afghanistan, and address some of the concerns our previous article in Pragati had raised,
The government of President Hamid Karzai and members of the erstwhile Northern Alliance have long argued for India to scale up its involvement in [...]
Amar Singh is not going anywhere
It would seem at first flush that Amar Singh has reached a dead end with Mulayam Singh & family aka as Samajwadi Party. Strong statements have been issued; threats made; and it appears as if the relationship between Mulayam Singh’s family led by his cousin Ram Gopal Yadav and the [...]
Can a responsible minister tweet?
Indian Express’ editorial on the latest media-manufactured Shashi Tharoor controversy—the minister’s purported comments criticizing Gandhi and Nehru for their foreign policy outlook—introduces a strange new dichotomy: Either you can be a “glib crusader for social media” or a “responsible junior minister” in Dr. Singh’s government.
Strange not merely because the latest controversy [...]
So to blame Rao for not being an entirely enthusiastic supporter of liberalization in a party which is officially socialist to this day is laughable considering its leader in 2009 credits a retrograde step like bank nationalization carried on in 1969 at the height of the socialist mania for saving the Indian financial sector in 2009! Or is it Sanghvi’s argument that Sonia Gandhi is an extremely enthusiastic supporter of economic reforms?
Maybe yes but…
Wise heads tell us that the next BJP leader must be elected and not nominated. While the mechanism is not clear, it would necessarily involve party workers and sympathizers voting in a closed primary.
Prima facie, it is hard to argue against this approach. Rather than imposing a leader by the unelected–and unelectable!– apparatchiks of Nagpur, [...]
What’s the hurry?
In an op-ed in the Daily Pioneer, Ramavtar Yadav and Sushant K. Singh argue that government should reject the idea of talks with Maoists
It is worth remembering that on both the occasions when talks were held, the Maoists were losing ground and were on the run. The talks provided a breather to them; [...]
Let’s stop being apologetic about wealth
In my article in the October issue of Pragati, I argue that UPA government’s so-called austerity drive achieves little except legitimizing poverty,
The fundamental problem with the austerity drive and its glorification in certain quarters is that like Mr Bachchan’s movies from the 1970’s, it legitimises poverty. The clarion calls for [...]
