Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Action must begin now

The assent of President Droupadi Murmu to the amendments strengthening Bharat’s public examinations law should mark not the end of a legislative exercise, but the beginning of an uncompromising enforcement regime. Laws, however stringent, have little value if they remain confined to statute books. Their real worth lies in creating fear among those tempted to…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Time to celebrate

There are moments in a nation’s journey that deserve political unanimity rather than partisan discord. Bharat achieving the distinction of being ranked the world’s fourth most equal society, according to the World Bank’s latest consumption-based Gini Index data, is undoubtedly one such milestone. The World Bank’s figures place Bharat’s Gini Index at 25.5, behind only…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Save PoK

For over seven decades, Pakistan has weaponised Kashmir diplomatically, preaching human rights to the world while denying them to the people living under its own occupation. Today, the mask has finally slipped. Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is burning. The cries coming from across the Line of Control are no longer whispers. They are becoming impossible to…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Bharat’s Energy Imperative

The advancement of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 in the United States Senate has once again cast a shadow over Bharat-US trade negotiations. If enacted in its present form, the legislation would empower the US President to impose punitive tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries purchasing…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

A welcome directive

The Supreme Court’s directive asking the Centre to extend relief to those below 18 years of age identified by the police for inclusion in the FIRs being prepared in connection with the recent Jantar Mantar agitation by the social media-based Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is welcome. More importantly, however, is the apex court’s unequivocal observation…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Judicial Sensitivities

The Bharatiya judiciary commands enormous respect because it is the final guardian of our Constitution. Judicial observations often travel much farther than the confines of a courtroom. They shape public discourse, influence societal perceptions and, at times, leave deep emotional impressions on millions of citizens. It is for this very reason that judges must exercise…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

UN’s selective amnesia

The United Nations once again seems to have discovered its voice when it comes to Bharat. It has expressed concern over student protests in New Delhi, reminding the world that peaceful protesters must be allowed to exercise their democratic rights without fear of harassment, arrest or injury. There is nothing objectionable about that principle. Democracies…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Arrogant Opposition

Nothing exposes political hypocrisy better than refusing to debate an issue after spending weeks demanding one. The Congress-led Opposition’s conduct over the NEET question paper leak issue and the events at Jantar Mantar has done precisely that. Its hidden agenda is no longer difficult to decipher – it was never merely about the students, but…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Right decision

There comes a time in governance when restraint must give way to resolve. The Narendra Modi-led NDA government appears to have reached that point. Its decision to support a probe into allegations surrounding the recent Jantar Mantar protests is not merely justified, but necessary. No democracy can afford to be naïve when genuine public grievances…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Bharat, not India?

For centuries, we were taught to see ourselves through borrowed eyes. We learnt more about ourselves from colonial historians than from our own civilizational memory. We were told Bharat was mythology and India was history. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Perhaps, no ancient civilization has suffered such intellectual colonisation as Bharat. Its history…

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