Understanding AIMIM’s rise: Muslim voters have rejected the counterfeit liberalism of ‘secular’ parties
The spectacular, but not totally unexpected, electoral success of Asaduddin Owaisi’s party, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), in Bihar has been linked directly to the erosion of tolerance and pluralism under the Modi regime. The sense of unease in left-liberal circles over the rise of AIMIM is best reflected by the label “Muslim BJP’’. […]
Read MoreA paternal state that thinks it can decide for the people is to be feared not cheered
We are on slippery ground. The state, hiding behind the thin patina of “good intentions”, is making us fear our freedoms. This time the fetters have been placed by the Supreme Court. Its decision to restrain Sudarshan TV from telecasting future episodes of its show ‘Bindaas Bol’ will only strengthen the state’s ability to exercise […]
Read MorePower hungry China and evasive Russia at RIC: Killing the dream of alternative Asian led governance
Pundits and politicians have been banking on a new world order where Asia gains prominence without clashing, but rather complementing, the West. In fact, numerous geopolitical clubs have been formed and annual conferences attended with great fanfare to further this fine ideal. But the reality is that the dream is buckling under a power hungry […]
Read MoreNew Rajpath for the Republic: Clear air over hush-hush architectural project that will redraw ties between state and people
The 2020s will see India turning 75 and contemplate many changes. One of them will cut right through the national capital’s Central Vista: the axis that unites the government with the people. The Rajpath or Central Vista Redevelopment Project will be undertaken by an architectural firm from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, […]
Read MoreOur neglected nationhood: Decaying museums undermine the Centre’s claims to making India great again
Have you been to the National Museum lately? Did you feel awed by the Throne of the Raja of Varanasi, were you humbled by the ivory likeness of the Dashavatara Shrine? Did you interact with the dioramas in the coin gallery? Did you feel the tug of pride as you cast an eye over the […]
Read MoreWhat binds J&K to India? It’s Kashmiriyat. Article 370 merely set up an architecture of otherness, thankfully annulled
In a historic move the Modi government has ostensibly set the stage for the full integration of Jammu & Kashmir into the Indian Union by revoking Article 370 that granted special status to the state. Additionally, the NDA has also succeeded in securing the passage of a bill to bifurcate the state. The watershed declaration […]
Read MoreThe age of Hinduness: Modi has disavowed hard Hindutva for the humanism of ‘Hinduness’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hour of triumph has been described by some as prolonging a ‘nightmare’, by others as an electoral demise of secular India, that the Hindu mind has been ‘seduced’ by ‘envy and hate’. This seems to suggest that Hindu voters were only waiting for an alchemist to bring to boil, the reservoir […]
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