Nobody’s above the law, but the IT visits to question Taapsee Pannu, Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane don’t pass the first smell test. These are creative artists, and not super-rich moguls. The timing is suspect too because they have been critical of Modi government and the prevailing climate of intimidation.
India shouldn’t dismiss its drop from ‘Free’ country to ‘Partly Free’ as Western biases
For India to be downgraded from a ‘Free’ country to a ‘Partly Free’ country by Freedom House should force the world’s largest democracy to course-correct. We can’t glibly dismiss these as Western biases against India or Modi government any longer. India’s democracy is both a strategic and investment calling card.
The government should now focus on law & order, set targets to eliminate case backlog, build/develop clean and well funded police stations – it should be comfortable for citizens to seek police help, not scary, hire more for these – open up lacs of posts and crack down on corruption at these levels (jobs jobs jobs) …
Maybe lateral hire and train judges from our huge senior citizens pool.
Is the print team certain that there are no tax evasions? Can they prove it? Let the investigation unfold. Ms Pannu and Mr Kashyap can always approach the judiciary. I guess both of them are doing the right thing by not creating a hullabaloo and following the required process
Disclaimer: TP and AK may be innocent. I hope they are. They are definitely fine artists, arguably better than most in their class – let there be no doubt there.
The smell. With so many varieties of colognes and perfumes to use, the natural odour can easily be eclipsed. In the circumstance the real smell can be experienced only when you get close in a natural habit.
Tail piece: Do only the super rich hide their incomes? Just asking.
So short article with no substance, just rants? Is this a news site or competition for Twitter?
Anurag Kashyap Tapasee Panu have been critical of Modi for more than a decade. If you claim IT investigating them is “vendetta” or “suspicious” as they are critics then you must think very lowly of the Modi Govt gor waiting nearly a Decade to come after them!
Bollywood largely minds its own business. It is not filled with activists or angry young men who foment rebellion against the zemindars. The few who do express an opinion, should be taken in the stride, like a six word tweet.
I trust global media. ( For that matter, a large swathe of Indian media as well, but understand the cross winds it is facing ). Freedom House is a respected institution. What it is saying is consonant with what leading newspapers and others have been reporting over the last few years, accelerating in the last two. At least in the world’s eyes, India is no longer Shining. Either in the health of its liberal democracy, sustained over seven decades amidst so many challenges, or its material progress. Hard and soft power on the ebb. It is not simply a matter of Biden replacing Trump, or placing a higher value on freedom and human rights. What India brings to the table will be coolly appraised by all those we deal with. Starting from Sri Lanka and Nepal. 2. The Foreign Office is the custodian of India’s global image. It should be heeding what both Ms Rihanna and Ms Michelle Bachelet are saying.