Opinion
Appeal
The legacy of IPA, founded by Nikhil Chakravartty, the doyen of journalism in India, to keep the flag of independent media flying high, is facing the threat of extinction due to the effect of the Covid pandemic. Only an emergency funding can avert such an eventuality. We appeal to all those who believe in the freedom of expression to contribute to this noble cause.S&P Unhappy With Pace Of Indian Banking Reforms
By K. Raveendran Global ratings agency Standard & Poors has expressed disappointment over the pace of reforming the Indian banking sector as part of the programme to address the system’s non-performing assets. The agency noted that although a few initiatives have been announced to reform the sector, very few...
There Are No Cow Vigilante In Rwanda
By Sushil Kutty There is a special kind of Hell for the cow vigilante. It is not a lake of boiling pitch. That is for corrupt politicians. In Dante’s Hell, the cow vigilante is hung from meat-hooks. Roasted on slow fire. Cow Vigilante Fry! Malayali Happymon Jacob tweets that...
Weekly Round-Up of Major Decisions of the Courts in India as also Legal Policy Developments
i. Supreme Court reserves judgment in Section 377 case: After four days of arguments, the Apex Court reserved its judgment on the validity of Section 377, IPC. On the last day, the religious groups, mainly Christian ones, and Suresh Kumar Koushal, who was party in the early proceedings, argued...
Supreme Court Comes Down Heavily On Lynching Crimes
By Amritananda Chakravorty On 21st July early morning, a cattle trader named Rakbar was lynched in Alwar for suspected cow smuggling, more than a year after dairy farmer Pehlu Khan was lynched in the same place. Since lynching has become the ‘new normal’ in ‘New India’, it caused the...
Beyond hug-n-wink: what roadmap for 2019?
By Kalyani Shankar Now that the Narendra Modi government has won the trust vote on Friday, what next? The dramatic ‘hug’ and ‘wink’ of the Congress President Rahul Gandhi while speaking on the no-trust motion on Friday might have become news, but the real question is whether the Opposition...
Plight of poor hindus worse than muslims’
By Arun Srivastava Some Muslim scholars and intellectuals have been expressing concern at the backwardness of Muslim community and their lagging behind in education and employment. Their worry is not unjustified. They ought to raise their voice. But at the same time, instead of pointing fingers at others, they...
Despite Big Fuss, Job Creation Picks Up Under Modi
By K R Sudhaman There is a saying that common sense is nonsense in statistics. To prove this point often a well known example is given. That is: a group of men wanted to cross a river. Before crossing, a statistician in the group calculated the average height of...
Hardening Tasks For An Anti-BJP Alliance
By S. Sethuraman Time for the Congress and regional/state parties to set about seriously on building the much talked of “anti-BJP alliance” at the state and national levels. It could proceed in stages but with necessary speed and determination to maintain momentum and establishing credibility for the alliance and...
Growth Rises In The East, Set To Stay There
By Nantoo Banerjee If automobile sales are regarded globally as the engine of growth, India’s next phase of economic growth is expected to come substantially from the hitherto neglected eastern region. Ask any manufacturer of passenger cars, SUVs, two and three-wheelers in the country, eastern states are substantially adding...
Nail-Shot Leaders Of India, PFFT!
By Sushil Kutty The socio-pathology of the nation stinks. Cow vigilante beat a man half-dead. People inform police. Cops assault the victim! At the spot. In the police station. Finally, taken to hospital, Rakbar Khan is declared “brought dead”. Who is to blame? The state government says not the...
‘Miltablishment’ In Islamabad Conspires Against Free Poll
By Sankar Ray ‘Miltablishment’ breathes down the neck of all parties – major and minor – save the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf with Imran Khan at the helm. The PTI is the only party which has not questioned the impartiality of the polls, scheduled to take place on 25 July to...
Kerala Gets Prime Ministerial Cold Shoulder
By P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala continues to pay the penalty for rebuffing the ruling BJP’s attempts to dig in its heels in the State. And from the look of things, any change in the hostile attitude of the Modi Government seems unlikely towards the state, considered a bastion of...
Holding Corrupt Guilty Until Proven Innocent
By K Raveendran A remarkable Supreme Court judgment on corruption issued during the course of the week has gone unnoticed. In a verdict that can make prosecution in corruption cases somewhat easier, the court ruled that the acceptance of bribe can be presumed if the accused fails to give...
Saffron Brigade Gears Up For Modi Image Boost
By Arun Srivastava The image makeover programme for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launched at the initiative of party president Amit Shah, is producing the opposite result: it has helped draw people’s attention to his failures and misgovernance, rather than boost his image. While spreading the word about the government’s...
Cameras Wink At Rahul’s Eye To Total Effect
By Sushil Kutty In Dante’s hell corrupt politicians end up in a lake of boiling pitch. Demons with evil claws and grappling hooks guard the lake. Raksha Mantri Nirmala Sitharaman looked like she saw Dante’s Hell when Rahul Gandhi accused her of speaking ‘untruth’ in the Rafale deal? UPA-II...
Muslim Indians Too Have Progressive Aspirations
By Harihar Swarup Before Independence, earthen pitchers containing drinking water at the Railway stations were marked Hindu water and Muslim water. I was a child at that time and amazed to see the marking. Hindus would not drink Muslim water and vice-versa. I had then wondered how can water...
Drug Abuse: Time For Medical Professionals To Step In
By Dr. Arun Mitra Involvement of youth in the use of highly addictive killer drugs in such large numbers as is being reported is a matter of serious concern for social thinkers and concerned citizens, more so for the medical profession. A doctor is duty bound to prevent disease...
The Wolf And The Quake Together
By Sushil Kutty Wolf Aaya, Wolf Aaya… But Congress President Rahul Gandhi had also promised a ‘Bhookamp’ if allowed 15-minute one-on-one with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Friday, he went on the rampage, shaking the foundations of the Modi government in a speech that rocked Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to...
