A tale of two parties: How BJP’s win saw peace and amity, but Mamata’s victory led to violence and anarchy
It is about 96 hours that the Assembly election results were declared, giving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a decisive mandate in four states and yet not a single incident of political violence, harassment of political opponent, political killing and retribution has been reported from any of these election-going states. …
‘Amrit kaal’ consciousness
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the mantra of ‘Amrit Kaal’, a quarter century period in which India must strive to assume the status of a global power, recognised for her ability to do things differently. Amrit Kaal stretches from the 75th year of India’s independence to the centenary of …
Long pursuit of ‘freedom’
The Jana Sangh argued that while Nehru denounced colonialism all across the world, he did little to adopt a firm stand against these vestiges of colonialism in India and that by banning Indian citizens from entering these territories for liberation Nehru’s government had affronted Indian public opinion. Terming Nehru’s policy …
Sitting on the fence
In the middle of 1946, Mahatma Gandhi wrote to the Portuguese Governor General of Goa that ‘in free India Goa could not be allowed to exist as a separate entity in opposition to the laws of the free-state.’ In June 1946, Ram Manohar Lohia had offered Satyagraha in solidarity with …
Opposing neo-mercenaries
Revolutionaries in the past had countered the negative narrative around India by presenting its true picture before the world; the same needs to be done today “It is necessary and desirable that you should make the most of your stay in Europe and learn as much as possible. At the …
Congress: the new fringe
INC’s increasing endorsement of ‘extremist’ parties marks a shift in its politics where ‘national interest’ is now accorded secondary status That the Congress is increasingly veering to the fringe is becoming clear with each passing day. One had expected that with the gradual retirement, side-lining or ageing of the original …
Prophet of Indian freedom
As one of the pioneers of nationalist movement, Vivekananda set the stage for India’s freedom half a century before it actually materialised Swami Vivekananda’s message at the World Parliament of Religion made Indians realise their capacities and sowed in them the yearning for freedom. A leading socio-political historian of his …
Counter revolutionaries
After having ignored India’s cultural symbols for over five decades, communist parties are now up to denouncing PM’s efforts to revive the same. Among the many principal by-products of the effects of the Narendra Modi regime and its attempts at a comprehensive overhauling of the India narrative and its debunking …
How Mamata Banerjee has outdone the Left in muffling democratic voices in West Bengal
The Trinamool regime is very much reminiscent of the communist rule; only the scale, the sophistication with a light democratic veneer, is much higher than what the Left did in its heydays. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee nominated her loyalist and cabinet minister Firhad Hakim as the Mayor of …
Revolutionary in revolution
Sri Aurobindo not just mobilised the nation towards freedom through his electrifying words, but also created secret societies that would overthrow the British As he launched Sri Aurobindo’s sesquicentennial celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi movingly referred to two defining dimensions of Sri Aurobindo’s life and legacy. He spoke of Sri …
Jana Sangh & ‘Swadhin’ B’desh
A comprehensive remembrance of Bangladesh’s liberation is impossible without the recognition of Jana Sangh’s vital contribution as an opposition party It is often forgotten, ignored or is not known that fifty years ago, the Jana Sangh – political parent or predecessor to the BJP – as one of the principal …
Cultural self-recovery
The renewed consecration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham among others, expresses the resolve of PM to restore symbols of India’s rich cultural self As I joined millions in seeing and listening to Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the nation and the world from the precincts of iconic Kashi Vishwanath, among the …
Complicit in crimes
Brutal killings of Swayamsevaks in Kerala are manifestations of neglect and complicity of the powers that be with radical outfits Sanjith, RSS Mandal Boudhik Pramukh, was stabbed 20 times by his assailants, Islamic terrorists belonging to the Popular Front of India’s (PFI’s) political front SDPI in Palakkad. Sanjith was stabbed …
Widening the ‘narrative’
While scripting the history of India’s freedom struggle, we missed out the real protagonists — a gulf being bridged today by the country’s leadership. Addressing the centenary celebration of the iconic freedom fighter and spiritual leader — Rani Gaidinliu — of Nagaland, and of the northeast as a whole, in …