Column

Corruption is a big menace in different countries, including ours. We witnessed the spectacle of movement against corruption demanding for Jan Lokpal, at dharna at Jantar Mantar in 2011. The battle cry of that surge was primarily against Congress, and as a marginal balancing act occasionally BJP was also named. Anna Hazare who was projected to be the central leader was presented as second Gandhi

The decades of 1980s were a turning point in the history of the country. For the first time emotive issue like Ram Temple took the better of social issues related to economic and social justice. On the heels of opening of the locks of Babri Mosque, Advani of BJP planned his Rath Yatra and in the aftermath of V.P. Singh’s implementation of Mandal Commission report, the Yatra was intensified. The

Political tendencies not only distort and ‘present the past’ to suit their political agenda; they can go to any extent to even lie about the events and their interpretation. ‘Facts are sacred; opinions are free’ should have been the dictum for all those commenting on them, but as they say for the likes of Modi, ‘all is fair in love and war’. To promote his personal ambitions and to enhance the

Communal violence has been the bane of our society. There had been a perception that this violence is a spontaneous clash between two communities. Over a period of time, it is becoming clear that it is not a spontaneous phenomenon, nor is it a clash between two communities, it is a planned violence. Scholars basing themselves on analysis of the inquiry commission reports and the pattern of riots

With Indian independence and coming of Indian Constitution; the foundations for progress in the society were laid. This was to be for an all out progress and the basis of this was the principles of scientific temper. This process was guided by the architect of modern India, Jawaharlal Nehru. We saw the surge of the institutions which contributed to the progress of the country; with great

What should be the attitude of leaders’ visits to places of worship? The matter is very complex in a society like that of India where the hold of religion on the society has been strong and is becoming stronger. In many a Western countries where Christianity is the religion of majority the visits to Churches by most of the people has been declining and one does not hear much about this being a

BJP, which believes in Hindu nationalism, faces the dilemma about Indian Constitution. Necessarily it has to pay its obeisance to Indian Constitution for electoral purpose to be sure. It has to seek votes of all sections of society including dalits and other marginalized sections of society for whom this Constitution is a liberator. At present, BJP’s electoral strength is not adequate for changing

Maharashtra witnessed unprecedented violence against the dalits who had congregated to pay tributes to the dalits soldiers (1st January 2018), who were part of the British army which had fought against Peshwas in 1818. Babasaheb had visited this place in 1927 to pay the homage to martyrs. The annual event of dalits paying homage at Bhima Koregaon has become a sort of symbol of dalit assertion

The ghastly incident in Rajsamand, Rajasthan, (December 6) showed the impact which ‘Hate other’ can create. On December 6th, Shambhulal Regar, an ex-marble trader hacked to death a Muslim worker Afrazul Khan. Afrazul, a laborer, was called by Shambhu on the pretext of giving him some work. Many immigrants like him from West Bengal have been staying in Rajsamand working on construction of roads and

In the fact of the rising electoral strength of BJP, particularly after it massive victory in 2014 General elections, its coming to power in different states and its rising electoral support even in places where earlier it was absent, has shaken up many a parties at different levels. It is in this context that the interview of Com Prakash Karat (The Hindu, November 29, 2017) becomes significant