Inequality Is a Policy Choice: Rethinking Wealth Tax in India
Two numbers sit at the heart of the Indian inequality story, and they are worth holding together before saying anything else: The top 1 per cent of the country’s population…
India
Modi’s Western Gaze and the Betrayal of the Global South
“We do not choose between empires; we choose dignity, sovereignty, and freedom.”- Sukarno The foreign policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is often interpreted through two lenses. One sees…
The Agony Behind the Numbers: The Horrifying Reality of Farmer Suicides
India is an agricultural country we have been hearing this since childhood. Our school textbooks say, "The farmer is the backbone of the nation." But what this so-called 'backbone' of…
RSS–BJP Tensions and the Politics of the “Vishwaguru” Narrative
It is certainly not a coincidence that, just a day after the first phase of polling on April 23 for the Bengal Assembly election, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat openly questioned…
India should not exit Chabahar Port in Iran, or stop buying oil from Russia, under pressure from the USA
India cannot afford to barter away its sovereignty under external pressure To Shri Narendra D ModiPrime Minister Dear Shri Modiji, It is reported that India, in view of US sanctions,…
From Opposition to Alignment: The Politics of Shifting Loyalties in India
A Familiar Political Pattern The moment Raghav Chadha, a Rajya Sabha member, reportedly deleted several tweets critical of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speculation began…
Workers’ Unrest in Parts of India Reflects Increasing Difficulties in Meeting Their Basic Needs
Recent violence following discontent and strikes in NOIDA, close to Delhi, has led many experienced commentators to express serious concern regarding the increasing problems faced by workers in India. In…
A Jump From “Love Jihad” to “Corporate Jihad”: A Manufactured TCS case, cooked up under Hindutva Manuvad political pressures
The Supreme Court on Feb 24, 2023 refused to entertain a PIL (WP No 102/2023)that sought the removal of 11-foot statue of Manu, holding the Manusmriti in hand, from the…
Where convictions go to die – The great Indian turncoat Bazaar
This is not politics in motion; this is conviction in decay - stage-managed, monetised, and performed without shame. “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” (literally “Ram has come, Ram has gone”) is…
West Bengal Polls Under Scrutiny: Allegations of Voter Disenfranchisement and Institutional Bias Against Opposition
Depriving 90.8 lakhs voters, including 65 Election Duty Officers, of their right to choose legislators in West Bengal and turning a blind eye to the NDA deploying Central investigating agencies in…
West Bengal: High Muslim Voter Turnout Signals Resistance Amid Allegations Over Electoral Roll Revisions
An existential crisis, triggered by deep questioning of identity, purpose, and relevance in life, often leads a person to retaliate. Muslims have been facing the threat of such a crisis…
Permanent Jobs, Temporary Workers
India has 59 crore workers, adding millions more to its labour force each year. Over the last thirty years, the main response to this growth has not been to create…
Pro-US policies threaten India’s sovereignty
New Delhi, 24 April 2026: At the national conference held today at Rajendra Bhavan on India’s foreign and trade policy and the energy–agriculture–food crisis, a resolution was adopted strongly condemning…
National Panchayati Raj Day: Rural Women Transform Local Governance in India
In recent days proposals including constitutional amendments for providing 33% reservation to women in state and central legislatures have been widely discussed. In this context it is important to look…
Delimitation, Democracy, and the Numbers Game: Why the Opposition Still Holds the Key Despite Being Portrayed as the Foe by the Ruling Party
The Structural Reality: A Majority Isn’t Enough Amid growing political debate over delimitation and constitutional amendments, one structural fact often gets overlooked: the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cannot pass a…
Home Minister Accused of Overstepping Legal Limits Amid Bengal Election Tensions
Godi media’s eulogy to the voter roll revision, implying SIR, for the massive turnout of voters during the first phase of the Bengal Assembly election has not come as a…
Karnataka unanimously condemns the attempt to murder democracy in Bengal
Karnataka Solidarity Convention Condemns SIR, Signals Broad Resistance Karnataka witnessed a rare and emphatic show of unity on April 23, as civil society groups, people’s organisations, and nearly all secular…
An Open Letter Questioning the Election Commission’s Conduct in Bengal Elections
Seeing this news on the front page of today’s Dainik Bhaskar in Nagpur makes me realise that while the deployment of the army during elections is a familiar sight in…
In India, Minimum Wages Exist Only on Paper
India has a minimum wage. Delhi has one of the highest legal minimum wage rates in the country, Rs 763 per day for unskilled workers, which was revised upward in…
India’s Economy under the Shadow of Dual Crisis
There are certain moments in history when multiple crises intertwine simultaneously, and their combined impact is far more devastating than each crisis in isolation. India today stands at precisely such…
BJP’s Bengal Challenge: Identity, Dominance, and the Limits of Expansion
A State Where Dominance Defines Power Of late, elections in Bengal have become the talk of the town, largely due to the high-voltage campaigning led by the ruling regime at…
Emerging Possibilities and Challenges for the Peace Movement in Chambal
Chambal region in central India has already attracted national and world-level attention for its great peace initiative relating to the voluntary surrenders of over 600 dacoits. An important question now…
When Rights Become Services: The Quiet Privatisation of Public Life
There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from negotiating what should already be yours: when families rely on public institutions for health, education, or water, and only to…
The Nexus Between Women’s Reservation and Delimitation! After the 131st Amendment: A Constitutional Warning
The dramatic defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, in Parliament marks not merely a legislative setback for the Union government, but a profound constitutional moment. What was projected…
A Jump From “Love Jihad” to “Corporate Jihad”: A Manufactured case, cooked up on the eve of Bengal Polls
"By implication, the rest of the story was manufactured by the local police with the obvious intent of pleasing the political masters in Mumbai." Sukumar Muralidharan wrote on April 16…
The Delimitation Twist and Why Tamil Nadu Won’t Buy the Anti-Women Narrative
In politics, timing and framing often matter as much as the issue itself. The recent defeat of the delimitation-linked women’s reservation bill is a case in point. Almost instantly, the…
Learnings from the Chambal Peace Process
In one of the most significant peace initiatives nearly 650 dacoits surrendered voluntarily in Chambal Valley, India, during the two decades period of roughly 1959-78 (the largest number of surrenders,…
Goa’s Fragile Secularism: When Hate Is Amplified, and Power Looks Away
“It is not hate alone that destroys societies -it is the power that protects it.” It is comforting to believe that Goa is an exception—a place where communities coexist without…
Unprecedented Security Deployment Raises Concerns Ahead of Bengal Assembly Elections
For the first time in the electoral history of the country, Bengal will witness an unprecedented, record-breaking “military-style” deployment of security forces for the Assembly elections. The exercise undertaken by…
A Great Peace Initiative that Led to the Surrender of Several Hundred Dacoits in Chambal
At one time the Chambal Valley had become almost synonymous with the terror of dacoit gangs. However in 1960 the famous disciple of Mahatma Gandhi Vinoba Bhave brought hope of…
Empowerment by Headlines: A Satire on Power, Symbolism, and Selective Justice: A Speech by Narendra Modi
My dear sisters and brothers, I am Narendra Modi, a radical feminist, standing before you today. I have come to tell you the tragic story of my great dream —…
BJP and Gender Question: Amendment to Women’s Reservation Bill
The Women's Reservation Bill aiming at 33% of Lok Sabha seats for women in Lok Sabha was passed in 2023, but was not implemented so far. Despite the crocodile tears…
The Pahalgam Attack (2025): A Sociological Reflection on Violence, Victims, and Contested Narratives
The tragic attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir Valley on April 22, 2025 near the Baisaran Valley stands as a grim reminder that, even in an age of democracy, nation-states, and global…
India’s Fiscal Deficit, the Tax Compliance Illusion, and the Broken Social Contract
Abstract: This article on India's Fiscal Social Contract at a Crossroads makes a reasonable case: revenues are growing, social protection is widening, and reforms are needed. Hard to disagree with…
RSS Steps In as BJP Struggles: Internal Strains and Strategy Shifts in Bengal Politics
A ruler who resorts to lies to hide failures and fabricate a positive image is described as a manipulative, narcissistic, or demagogic leader exhibiting extreme dishonesty and lack of integrity.…
Recover ₹29 Lakh Crore in PSU Bank Dues, Order Independent Probe into Massive Defaults
Demand urgent recovery of the outstanding PSU bank dues of Rs 29 lakh crores. Institute an independent inquiry to identify the culprits responsible for the dues reaching such a staggering…
Vijay’s foray as a third force: Will this change Tamil Nadu’s political scene forever?
Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections this time have assumed an interesting twist with the advent of “Thalapathy” Vijay in to the battle-field. Having ruled the roost in Tamil filmdom for…
From Symbolism to Substance: The Politics of Women’s Reservation Law
The discourse surrounding the Women’s Reservation Bill, or Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, shows how masculine politics has weaponised women’s issues. It reduces longstanding debates about women’s political representation to symbolism…
Reservation, Representation, and a Rather Convenient Defeat
In politics, winning is a touch overrated. The real connoisseurs of power know it isn’t always about getting a bill through the House—it’s about arranging matters so that, when it…
Education for Sale: Why Raebareli Needs Strict Action Now
Ask around in Raebareli and its surrounding districts, and a troubling pattern quickly emerges. People will quietly tell you which institutes are allegedly known for cheating, which campuses have reputations…
Political Rhetoric and Contradictions on Women’s Rights and Citizenship
Looking at the photograph above of my colleagues from the Democratic Nation Building Campaign—former Delhi University professor Shashi Shekhar, Manthan Ji from Tatanagar, and Manisha Banerjee, leader of the West…
How the Peace Initiative of Surrender of Dacoits of Chambal Valley started with Vinoba Bhave
The Chambal Valley peace initiative of Mahatma Gandhi’s followers and their Sarvodaya movement which resulted ultimately in the surrender of over 600 dacoits during the period 1960-72 started in a…
Call for Mandatory Public Disclosure of Assets by Election Commissioners to Safeguard Electoral Integrity
The three members of the Election Commission of India should be directed to make a public disclosure of their assets/ liabilities annually, for ensuring the integrity of the electoral process…
Is India Burying the Right to Information? The Slow Death of Transparency
“The right to information is a fundamental right flowing from the freedom of speech.”- P. N. Bhagwati- When India enacted the Right to Information (RTI) Act in 2005, it marked…
Dacoits Who Surrendered Voluntarily Renew Their Commitment to Non-Violence
In 1972 in a peace initiative taken forward by Mahatma Gandhi’s followers in Chambal Valley (India), hundreds of dacoits surrendered voluntarily. This helped a region identified mainly with terror of…
Democracy fails when power overreaches and Parliament pushes back
“Democracy does not collapse in a single moment - it erodes each time procedure is treated as inconvenience rather than principle.” The recent setback faced by the Bharatiya Janata Party…
Defeat of Women’s Reservation Bill Signals Escalation in Saffron Political Strategy
The INDIA bloc opposition coalition is actually celebrating, not unhappy, at the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026. For them, the bill, which linked women's reservation to the…
Women’s Reservation Bill Revived as Political Strategy, Not Reform
Once again abruptly bringing before Parliament the Women's Reservation Bill (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam)—a long-awaited piece of legislation that has remained unimplemented for years—the Narendra Modi government has set the…
Raebareli’s Search for Liberating Education
In policy documents across India, the language of educational empowerment has become ubiquitous. Terms like inclusion, critical thinking, experiential learning, and community engagement are repeated with rhythmic consistency. The central…
A new tool to increase Hate Politics: ‘Pigs as Pets’
“In Delhi’s Tri Nagar, some Hindu families appear to have embraced a new form of devotion and a way to deter Muslim neighbours — pigs. The animals are kept in cages at homes, while…
Delimitation, Democracy, and the Emerging North–South Divide: Is India’s Federal Structure at Risk?
A New Fault Line Beyond Religion In a country already grappling with religious polarization, a new and potentially more dangerous divide is emerging—the North–South divide. This shift threatens not just…
Ignorant Opposition Lets Fake Women Saviour PM Modi Go Scot-Free
Prime Minister Narendra Modi presenting himself as savior of Indian women while speaking in support of Women’s Reservation Bill 2026 said that reservation for women in legislative bodies was the…
Delimitation: Striking at the Heart of the Federal System Under the Guise of Women’s Empowerment
April 16, 2026 is likely to be recorded as a special day in the history of Indian democracy. In a special three day session of Parliament, the central government is…
Article 39 and the Political Economy of Contemporary India: Constitutional Socialism and the Reality of Inequality
Abstract Article 39 of the Constitution of India articulates a foundational vision of socio-economic justice, mandating the equitable distribution of material resources, prevention of wealth concentration, and protection of livelihoods.…
Dalit Christian Manifesto 2026
Restoration of Identity and Equal Protection We, Dalit Christians of India, assert our inalienable dignity as citizens and as a historically oppressed people whose struggle against caste discrimination continues across…
Women’s Reservation, Delimitation, and the Politics of Electoral Reengineering
The linking of the Women’s Reservation Act (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023) to the future delimitation exercise, while a strategic move aligning with the RSS and BJP’s broader Hindutva and…
Faith, Funding, and the State: The Uneasy Politics of FCRA in India
The Union Home Ministry’s decision to grant Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration to the Bageshwar Dham Jan Seva Samiti in Madhya Pradesh may appear, at first glance, to be…
Delimitation Beyond Arithmetic
“I have seen the city from the sewers, from the gutters, from where history rots.” (Namdeo Dhasal) To see power from below is to understand that it rarely rearranges itself innocently.…
Know your voter too, instead of knowing your neta!
Recently an interesting experiment was carried out in north Bengal. For a change an interactive meeting was organised between the tea garden workers and the election candidates of the Madarihat…
India’s Next Civic Revolution Begins Beyond the Metros
The story of modern India is often narrated through the success of its largest cities. Conversations about innovation, governance, investment, and national ambition often circle around metropolitan India. Yet this…
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