Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Manufactured LPG Panic

At a time when geopolitical tensions in West Asia are indeed unsettling global energy markets, a curious and telling pattern has emerged within India: the loudest cries of an alleged LPG shortage are emanating almost exclusively from Opposition-ruled states. The question therefore arises—if there is truly a nationwide crisis, why is it geographically selective? The…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

UCC Imperative

India’s long and often uncomfortable debate over the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) has once again returned to centre stage, and this time the nudge has come from none other than the nation’s highest court. While hearing a petition challenging discriminatory inheritance provisions under Muslim personal law, the bench of Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Rattled Judiciary?

In a democracy governed by the rule of law, the judiciary commands respect not merely because of its constitutional authority but because of the moral legitimacy it enjoys in the public mind. That legitimacy, however, thrives on transparency and accountability. It is precisely this delicate balance that appears to have come under scrutiny following the…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Dynasty Double Standards

For over a decade, the loudest political slogan from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its alliance, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has been the promise to dismantle dynastic politics in India. The party positioned itself as the ideological opposite of family-run parties and repeatedly mocked the “parivarvaad” culture of rivals such as the Congress….

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Endgame for Naxalism

When Amit Shah confidently declared that Left-Wing Extremism would be wiped out from India by March 31, it was not merely political rhetoric. It was the culmination of a decade-long, carefully calibrated strategy pursued by the government led by Narendra Modi—a strategy combining security operations, development initiatives, financial disruption of extremist networks, and ideological countermeasures…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Upper House Edge

The coming round of Rajya Sabha elections may not grab primetime headlines like a Lok Sabha battle, but their political consequences could be far more enduring. As polls for 37 seats across 10 states approach, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) appears poised to consolidate — and possibly expand — its strength…

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Columnist-M.S.Shanker

Dragon, Bear & Fire

As tensions in West Asia spiral following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the global chessboard is shifting with alarming speed. The United States may believe it has executed a decisive strategic strike. But the responses from Beijing and Moscow suggest that Washington may have merely opened another volatile front in…

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