Politics Archives - Page 9 of 14

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The Rationale Behind Naming India’s Public Parks After Its Diverse Flora And Fauna Instead Of Historical Figures

Sayani ChakrabortyMarch 3, 20230

What if, instead of naming our public areas after kings, netas, and nobles of varying types, we looked to India's incredibly rich flora and fauna, its magnificent rivers, and its majestic mountains? A public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a renaming commission focused on "ancient India" was properly dismissed by the Supreme Court. India, however, need a fresh approach to naming that is not constrained by any one particular interpretation of the country's troubled past. The urban population share is projected to rise to 50% by 2050, with an increase of 416 million people to urban areas. That calls for a massive investment in new facilities. Whenever anything new is built or a new street or plaza is created, it naturally requires a new name. Without a new approach to names, this pr...

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J&K’s Elections On Hold: Politics Is An Integral Component Of The Solution To Targeted Killings

Sayani ChakrabortyMarch 3, 20230

Assaults on civilians have begun in Jammu and Kashmir, and another Kashmiri Pandit has been murdered. Those seen as government allies, including Kashmiri Pandits, non-Kashmiri migrant workers, and locals, were killed in a terrorist rampage last year. Targeted assassinations are a disturbing reminder of what still haunts Kashmir, even if the J&K police had termed 2022 a successful year of anti-terror operations (172 terrorists were neutralized). Tragically, due to the frustration of terrorists and their Pakistani sponsors with the success of the combined security system and the government of India's (GoI) focus on the relocation and jobs project for the community, Kashmiri Pandits are once again prominent terror targets. After Article 370's repeal in 2019, it helped maintain a re...

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BJP Hopes To Win Nine Out Of Ten State Elections In 2023 With Less Opposition

Sayani ChakrabortyJanuary 23, 20230

The head of the BJP, JP Nadda, has set a lofty goal for his party: to sweep all nine state elections this year. Even before the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign begins, such a landslide will demoralise the opposition. The BJP has also set its sights on 160 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha where it expects to face difficult competition. Such forethought is uncommon in Indian politics. This has made the BJP a formidable electoral force. It's easy to see why Nadda would want to concentrate on the assembly elections. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have a stranglehold on national politics, the BJP has yet to achieve the same level of dominance in state assemblies. Clearly, the BJP hasn't ruled out the potential of local political developments maturing into a coordinated ...

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‘Who’s Free?’: SC Warned Against More Restrictions On Free Speech, But IPC Misuse Needs Vigilance

Sayani ChakrabortyJanuary 6, 20230

An eight-member bench of the Supreme Court found that no additional reasonable constraints can be envisioned on freedom of expression beyond those currently stated in Article 19. (2). These include issues related to public order, decency, defamation, and incitement to crime, as well as the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state, and friendly ties with foreign powers. If a law restricting free expression is proposed by the state but does not fall into one of these eight categories of "reasonable limits," it may be challenged and overturned. Articles 19(1) (free speech) and 21 (right to life and personal liberty) rights are enforceable against private entities, and the state is obligated to defend these rights even when they are violated by non-state actors, as ...

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Some States Routinely Leak Exam Papers: Computerized Testing Must Be Implemented

Sayani ChakrabortyJanuary 2, 20230

To compete for a limited number of jobs, India has a large supply-demand mismatch, which has encouraged widespread corruption. One major manifestation of this corruption is the widespread use of paper leaks in everything from Grade 10 and 12 exams to government job fairs. But there are some states that stand out as being especially vulnerable, and Rajasthan is one of them after reporting yet another scandal on Saturday. This time, over 3 lakh people were impacted when a senior teacher recruitment exam had to be cancelled due to a leaked paper. The REET for primary and upper primary teachers had over 16 lakh applicants when it was cancelled earlier this year. Aspiring secretaries, cops, and rangers have all experienced the same fate. It's bad enough having to retake an exam for no go...

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India Must Boost Its Counterintelligence As The World Scenario Deteriorates And Fluctuates

Sayani ChakrabortyJanuary 2, 20230

The suspicious murders in Odisha of a Russian businessman and politician who was a vocal Putin opponent should raise red flags in India's security services. The politician's death has been ruled accidental for the time being, but numerous questions have been raised because the local police did not follow standard operating procedure and keep the viscera following the post-mortem. A hospital window in Moscow is where the chairman of Russia's second-largest oil business met his untimely end. Like many others, he had demanded that Russia halt its military operation. Deadly mysteries have been around nearly as long as political intrigue and warfare on a global scale. In addition, it is common knowledge that intelligence agencies from time to time engage in what the Americans call "extre...

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‘Keep Sharp Weapons At Home To Cut Enemy’s Head’: BJP’s Pragya Singh Thakur Condemns ‘Love Jihad’

Sayani ChakrabortyDecember 27, 20220

The BJP lawmaker, speaking at a rally in Shivamogga, Karnataka, condemned "love jihad" and urged Hindus to refrain from sending their children to missionary schools. Pragya Singh Thakur, a member of Parliament for the right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), caused a stir on December 25 when he urged a crowd in Shivamogga, Karnataka, to "keep weapons at home" and "chop enemy's head." The BJP lawmaker claimed as much while speaking at the annual convention of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike's South Region in the city of Karnataka. Keep the knives you use to chop veggies in good working order. Not sure when something will happen. Anyone can and should take measures to ensure their own safety. If someone breaks into our home and starts attacking us, we have every right to d...

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Gujarat Election: BJP Promises To Create Gujarat A $1 Trillion Economy

Sayani ChakrabortyNovember 30, 20220

With the long-awaited release of the BJP's election platform, it's time to take a closer look at the poll-promises fight taking place in the Gujarat assembly elections. With promises to create a Uniform Civil Code, a bill to seize the assets of rioters, a deradicalization cell within the police force, and stringent limitations on religious conversion, the manifesto plays to the Hindutva gallery. That's not just empty talk. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demonstrated that these kinds of promises resonate with a certain subset of Gujarat voters, and neither the Congress nor the occasional Hindutva-lite excursions by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have offered an effective response. Despite BJP's seeming dominance in shaping the terms of public debate across sectors, there is one a...

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People Want To Sue Over Morbi Tragedy Can Do So In Gujarat HC: Supreme Court

Sayani ChakrabortyNovember 22, 20220

Since a division bench led by the Chief Justice of the Gujarat high court had already taken suo motu note of the incident and issued many directives, the bench stated that it will not be hearing the applications at this time. On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear two petitions seeking independent inquiries into the bridge collapse in Morbi, Gujarat, that claimed the lives of more than 140 people. The court cited the fact that the Gujarat high court had already taken suo motu cognisance of the matter. The high court was ordered to keep an eye on the investigation and any other developments relating to it by a bench consisting of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli. The bench explained that it would not be hearing the petitions at this time since a division b...

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Underperforming MLAs Should Be Ousted, But Only In Strong-Led Parties

Sayani ChakrabortyNovember 16, 20220

The BJP's approach to elections is distinguished by its clinical evaluation of the likelihood of reelection for each existing lawmaker. Fear has spread among several of the BJP's Karnataka legislators after the party lost over 30 sitting MLAs in Gujarat. Only 149 out of 312 UP MLAs from BJP's 2017 triumph were re-elected earlier this year. In general, this is a decent method. As many MLAs run for office under the party's symbol, the party has a responsibility to the electorate not to re-nominate an underperforming member. Keeping the party at arm's length from any local anti-incumbency against the candidate is a plus as well. In most cases, this is possible only for parties with exceptional leadership. It was reported in 2021 that the CPM in Kerala has expelled 38 of its sitting MLA...

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The Recent By Election Shows Early Sign Of 2024 Election For BJP And Congress

Sayani ChakrabortyNovember 13, 20220

Except for the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, all byelection parties appealed to Indian political dynasticism. In preparation for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against the BJP, the opposition parties showed their strength in seven by-elections in six states. With a few exceptions, the results were predictable, assuring that legislatures would not alter. BJP retaining Gopalganj (Bihar), Gola Gokrannath (Uttar Pradesh), Dhamnagar (Odisha), and Adampur (Haryana) from the Congress. The RJD retained Bihar's Mokama constituency despite Anant Singh's resignation for corruption. After Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy defected to the BJP, the Munugode byelection was won by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). The saffron party's candidate lost by more than 3 percentage points against the ...

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This Is Why Elon Musk’s Two Weeks On Twitter Herald India’s Dalliance With Digital Demonetisation

Sayani ChakrabortyNovember 13, 20220

Musk reportedly sacked 90% of the Twitter India team this week, leaving the company with a skeleton crew. Twitter may or may not continue its legal action challenging the Union government's censorship efforts. Following his takeover of Twitter, billionaire Elon Musk proposed significant reforms that appear to be aimed at a small number of affluent Anglophone countries. However, their influence will be felt all around the world, and maybe more so in places like India, where Twitter has a special place in a young and dynamic public sphere. Journalists and activists have been arrested on the basis of tweets, and the Twitter India team has been accused of both working with the government and rejecting it. This week, Twitter in India has been virtually nonexistent due to rumours that ...