India

by Clifton D’Rozario Earlier last week, Modi, in the customary address before the start of Parliament session, stated that India assuming presidency of the G20 was opportunity for the world to know India as “the mother of democracy, with its diversity and courage”. This theme has become recurring, as Modi faithfully peddles RSS’s mantra that “India is the mother of democracy”. We heard this in Modi’s speech at the UN General Assembly in September 2021 and more recently in his Independence Day speech. No surprise then that the theme of the Constitution Day celebrations (November 26) this year, was “India: The Mother of Democracy”. Accompanying instructions issued by the Union government in this regard, was a Concept Note by the Indian Council of Hist...

by Akash Bhattachary Demystifying Saffron Since July 2022, a short and accessible 64-page book giving a comprehensive overview of the Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has been making waves. Divided into three parts, the book provides a thorough critique of the RSS and connects its overall political-ideological program with the saffron politics of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and a range of “autonomous” outfits such as Sri Ram Sene, Bajrang Dal and others. Originally published in Kannada, it sold over 40,000 copies in no time. It gradually translated into multiple Indian languages. Laden with quotations from leading RSS ideologues, especially M.S. Golwalkar, it is a powerful manifesto of resistance. The book is intended for people grappling with the seemingly all-pervas...

by Shankar V On the face of it, Tamil Nadu is one of the weakest states for the BJP from where the party has no representation in Lok Sabha and only four members in the State Assembly. Because of the deep roots of the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu and the powerful influence of progressive social values, it is often thought that the soil of Tamil Nadu is impenetrable for the BJP and its regressive social outlook and Hindi-dominated Hindutva ideology. But it will be a major mistake to ignore the BJP’s growing political presence and ideological influence in Tamil Nadu. Riding on the back of a faction-ridden AIADMK and various other anti-DMK parties in Tamil Nadu, the saffron camp is quietly but steadily gaining ground in the state. Apart from trying various permutations and comb...

by Maitreyi Krishnan The lynching of Idrees Pasha on 31st March in Ramanagara district (of Karnataka), at the hands of religious extremist Puneet Kerehalli and his associates from Rashtra Rakshana Pade points to the manner in which law and order in Karnataka has been held ransom by Hindutva Extremists in the name of cow protection.   Idrees Pasha, along with two others Syed Zaheer and Irfan, were in a vehicle transporting cattle when they were intercepted by Puneet Kerehalli and his associates in front of Sathanur police station. These extremists made unfounded allegations of illegal transport of cattle for slaughter, hurled abuses and remarked that they should "go to Pakistan". According to reports, Idrees Pasha ran a distance away before a police constable intervened and ...

by Rajiv Dimri The present coal crisis, which has pushed the thermal power plants to the verge of closure in many states, is another addition to the list of devastating outcomes of the Modi government’s policies over the last more than seven years. Mid-night demonetisation, GST, sudden and unplanned cruel lockdown, handling of Covid-19, NMP and continuous, daily shocks of hikes in fuel prices, to name a few in the series of Modi’s policy decisions which have plunged the nation and its common people in a crisis and devastated people’s lives and livelihoods for the profits of his crony friends. In the first week of October, a number of states, including national capital Delhi, started raising concerns about potential blackouts as a result of low coal inventory at thermal power pla...

Results of the October 30 bypolls held in three Lok Sabha seats and twenty nine Assembly constituencies spread over thirteen states and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli give us a glimpse of the changing political climate of India ahead of the crucial Assembly elections early next year. Usually bypolls tend to favour the governments in power, but the bypolls sprang several surprises, the most stunning being the results in BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh where the Congress bagged all the three Assembly seats and the lone Lok Sabha seat for which bypolls were held. For the BJP, perhaps the most significant gain came from Telangana, where the BJP has managed to increase its strength by fielding a TRS defector as candidate. The other state where the BJP gained immensely is Assam...