Opinion | Waqf Showdown Takeaway: Modi Is Not A ‘One-Third PM’; NDA Is Not A ‘Paralytic’ UPA
The power of a government, especially a coalition, is measured not by its proclamations and not by how many elections it wins but by its ability to get tough laws passed Make no mistake about it. Amending the Waqf Act of 1995 and repealing the Mussalman Wakf Act of 1923 is part of the ideological […]
Read MoreThe Persistence of Aurangzeb -Reaping the perils of the secularisation project in history
THE PAST HAS violently collided with the present in Nagpur. A movie about a dour, puritanical, Mughal tyrant who usurped power 300 years ago on the back of a regicidal bloodbath was the trigger for communal clashes. Indeed, politicians on both sides of the aisle discovered that Aurangzeb’s bloodstained legacy—brought to life in the Bollywood […]
Read MoreOpinion | Justice Varma Scandal: Taking Judicial Autonomy Too Far?
The time has come to move towards an open justice. A great democracy such as ours deserves this. The fire in a judge’s home has not only torched the reputation of its occupant – a sitting Delhi High Court judge – but is in danger of blackening the credibility of the judiciary. One would have […]
Read MoreOpinion | Aurangzeb’s Shadow: How Historical Amnesia Fuels Communal Tensions In India
The past has violently collided with the present in Nagpur. A movie about a dour, puritanical, Mughal tyrant who usurped power three hundred years ago on the back of a regicidal blood bath was the trigger for the communal clashes. Indeed, politicians on both sides of the aisle discovered that Aurangzeb’s bloodstained legacy—brought to life […]
Read MoreOpinion | Message For Delhi: A Pact With Trump’s America Is A Faustian Bargain
Ukraine hasn’t lost the war. Its backers, including successive administrations in the United States of America (preceding Trump’s), have demonstrated great tactical awareness in frustrating the strategic aims of Putin’s extra-territorial liaisons. What Moscow thought would be a two-day war has dragged on for three years that have humbled Russia into accepting an unstable stalemate. […]
Read MoreThe Sangam Sutra – The Maha Kumbh has succeeded in evoking a sense of oneness
WE’RE TOLD THAT an astonishing 60 crore visited the Maha Kumbh to celebrate the benefaction of a once-in-144-years celestial alignment and the redemptive confluence (Sangam) of rivers. Even by the most modest of measures, it is safe to say that the record for spiritual migration anywhere on Earth has been shattered many times over at […]
Read MoreOpinion | Delimitation Debate: Is The DMK Being Selectively Parochial?
Let’s first establish what we can all agree upon, irrespective of our political inclinations. First, due to the vastly differing pace of economic development, population growth in the south has been slower than in the north. Second, any delimitation exercise undertaken to readjust seats in Parliament based on the latest population data will lead to an increase […]
Read MoreOpinion | Maha Kumbh: Secretly Hoping Secular Fundamentalists Aren’t Entirely Wrong
We are told that an astonishing 60 crore people visited the Maha Kumbh Mela to celebrate the benefaction of a once-in-144-year celestial alignment and the redemptive confluence (Sangam) of rivers. Of course, in matters of faith, it is always best to lean towards temperance. But even by the most modest estimates, it is safe to […]
Read MoreOpinion | Modi’s Mastery Over The Art Of The Deal Is The Biggest Revelation From The Meeting With Trump
You’d have to be particularly cynical to deny that the Modi-Trump meeting went off better than what was expected. Ahead of the meeting, there were many who were anxiously predicting that Modi wouldn’t be able to hold a candle to a Trump basking in the afterglow of a mammoth mandate. Modi met Trump when he had announced […]
Read MoreOpinion | Kejriwal Becomes ‘Aam Aadmi’: Key Takeaways
The Delhi election results, which bring the BJP back into a governance role in the nation’s capital after a nearly three-decade-long hiatus, will have major implications. Here are some key takeaways: TAKEAWAY 1: Voter confidence in Modi’s ‘guarantee’ and his personal ability to deliver on promises remains astoundingly high. The fact that Kejriwal—who saw himself as a […]
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