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Friday, March 29, 2024
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Sharp Edge

Don’t expect Supreme Court to be India’s Opposition. Its job isn’t that

I’m glad the Chandigarh farce was called out. I’m pleased too that the SC went back to constitutional first principles in electoral bonds case. But don’t expect it to act as a force against the govt.

Congress is drowning. Some heading for the door, others taking note of the emergency exits

We hardly remember politicians who opposed Roosevelt, Thatcher. They weren’t useless, but it became nearly impossible to fight their popularity. I suspect the Modi phenomenon is something like that.

To understand Uttarakhand live-in rules, learn how authoritarianism & totalitarianism differ

Each time we allow the state to take control of our lives, we are following the path of Mao Zedong, Mullah Omar. It always starts small. But it’s a slippery slope. It never stays small for long.

BJP sent Shivraj Singh Chouhan packing. Why would it make Nitish Kumar CM again?

The chaos at the inconsequential Chandigarh Mayoral election shows the absurdity of Indian politics today.

Is Ram a symbol of a united India or of Hindu victory? The answer will shape new India

Gandhi, Advani, now Modi—all of them mobilised people in the name of Ram. So, when did India’s liberals begin to be embarrassed by references to Ram?

Only person in Congress who recalls Rajiv’s contributions to India is Mani Shankar Aiyar

Just like BJP supporters don't praise Vajpayee enough because of his refusal to fully embrace Hindutva, Congress supporters fret when asked about Rajiv Gandhi’s achievements.

Retaliating against terror is tricky. But India’s message after Balakot has worked so far

Since the 2019 Balakot air strike, we have been free of any major terror incident on the scale of the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

If Rajiv Gandhi had listened to Arun Nehru, Ayodhya politics would look very different

Arun Nehru, who sought to be Court Chamberlain in the Rajiv Gandhi-era, argued to continue with Indira Gandhi’s policy of playing the Hindu card in a subtle way that did not alienate Muslims.

Don’t expect a gentler Modi in 2024. He’s already sure of his place in history

Narendra Modi's supremacy doesn't work in South India. Unless the BJP's next victory is more national in character, the Hindi belt vs the rest problem will fester going ahead.

Why no public outcry over suspended MPs? Indians love to vote but won’t guard institutions

We tend to romanticise the defeat of Indira Gandhi’s Emergency regime. Certainly, India didn’t rise up as a whole in 1977 to defend the institutions of democracy. It was sterilisation.

On Camera

Profit margins in lottery industry are tiny. Here’s how Future Gaming paid for its electoral bonds

Neither state govts nor companies earn large profits from lotteries. However, a look at the system shows there’s ample evidence of murky dealings and financial irregularities. 

Amid plans to lift AFSPA, Army starts joint training with Jammu & Kashmir Police

In an interview with Gulistan News this week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the government would leave law and order to J&K Police and slowly withdraw troops.

For BJP, Kejriwal is an idea whose time has come to be destroyed

The ‘idea’ Kejriwal's politics grew around was a no-holds-barred fight against corruption. That is the reason Modi govt has now tarred him and his entire party with the same paint.