Forthright
Democracy is not weakened when questions are asked. It is weakened when questions are dismissed without answers. In a constitutional democracy, no institution—whether it wears political colours, religious robes or spiritual attire—should claim immunity from public scrutiny. If governments, corporations, NGOs and religious organizations can all be investigated whenever credible complaints arise, why should any…
For decades, India lived with a dangerous contradiction. We celebrated our engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs, yet remained heavily dependent on foreign countries for a wide range of critical industrial products. From sophisticated electronics and industrial machinery to components powering renewable energy, pharmaceuticals and electric vehicles, India often remained a buyer rather than a builder. That…
Few debates expose our collective mindset as quickly as those involving symbols. In Bharat, even colours are rarely allowed to remain just colours. The latest controversy over the Bharat hockey team’s jersey changing from blue to saffron is a classic example. Before asking whether saffron should replace blue, perhaps we should ask a simpler question:…
The social media-based Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has apparently mistaken the Narendra Modi government’s patience for weakness. Nothing else explains its latest veiled threat to throw a democratically elected government out of power through street protests. If that indeed is its political ambition, nobody should object. But there is only one constitutional and democratic route…
The time has perhaps come for the Modi government to learn one important lesson from the recent agitation. In its anxiety to appear accommodative and democratic, it has blinked once too often before unreasonable demands. The consequence is there for everyone to see. Every concession has only emboldened those threatening more street protests, more disruption…
The biggest disservice sections of the Bharatiya and international media have done in recent times is not merely getting their facts wrong—it is deliberately getting their characterisation wrong. Calling anarchists, political foot soldiers and habitual troublemakers as “GenZ” is perhaps one of the most dishonest narratives sold to the people of Bharat. Generation Z is…
Will the Opposition allow Parliament to function now that the Minister has resigned? That is the question before the nation after the first week of Parliament’s Winter Session was reduced to political theatre, slogan-shouting and adjournments. If the answer is still “No”, then the country can safely conclude that this was never about students. It…
The demand by the Opposition for the resignation of a Union Minister over the alleged question paper leaks in competitive examinations raises an important question that goes far beyond the politics of the day—should ministers resign merely because the Opposition demands it, or should accountability be determined by evidence and constitutional propriety? No civilized democracy…
There was a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to provide free ration to millions of Bharatiyas was both necessary and humane. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when livelihoods disappeared overnight and millions of families were pushed into uncertainty by lockdowns, the government had no choice but to stand beside its people. The free ration…
Politics is not merely about winning elections. It is equally about managing relationships, accommodating differences and building trust among allies. The Congress party seems to have forgotten this fundamental principle. The visible cracks appearing in the INDIA alliance today are perhaps less about the BJP’s political dominance and more about the Congress party’s inability to…
