Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• Ayodhya and Hindu-Muslim Unity

  21 February 2017, by Nikhil Chakravartty

  From N.C.’s Writings
  In the wake of the bid by the ruling party at the Centre for communal polarisation against the backdrop of the impending UP Assembly elections, the relevance of the following article by N.C. after the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya in the State on December 6, 1992 cannot be overestimated.
  With December 6 only a month behind, it is too early to assess its long range fall-out. After the instant outburst of violence in different parts of the country, one (…)

• UP Elections 2017: BJP’s Divisive Agenda

  21 February 2017

  by Ram Puniyani
  The forthcoming UP Assembly elections (2017) are regarded as very crucial for all the political parties and more so for the future of secularism and democracy in the country. The BJP’s rise on the national scene began at a higher pitch with the Ram temple agitation and the consequent rise in communal violence. Since then it has been adding more divisive issues and with greater vehemence to reap electoral benefits.
  Even before the elections in UP were declared, many a BJP (…)

• Russian Envoy with an Indian Heart

  21 February 2017, by Arun Mohanty

  TRIBUTE
  Russia’s legendary ambassador to India, Alexander Mikhailovich Kadakin, known as Sasha Kadakin to thousands of his admirers, friends, well-wishers and colleagues across the country, passed away on January 26, India’s Republic Day, in a Delhi hospital. The entire conscious life of Kadakin, a great patriot of his country, champion of Indo-Russian friendship and sincere friend of our country, was deeply associated with India. Born in former Soviet republic Moldavia’s capital Kishinev, (…)

• Demonetisation: Shadow-boxing against Corruption

  21 February 2017, by Kobad Ghandy

  A Two-Part Article on Demonetisation-I
  The following is a two-part article on demonetisation written by the prominent Marxist-Maoist thinker, Kobad Ghandy, and sent to us for publication in this journal from the Cherlapalli Central Jail, Medchal district, Hyderabad where the author is currently detained. The first part explains that fighting black money was not really the main goal of the government. The second part explores the real objective of demonetisation and the disastrous impact it (…)

• Contours of the Economy?

  21 February 2017, by Kuldip Nayar

  Howsoever prudent the Budget, the fact remains that it encourages the status quo. Probably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had the UP elections in view. There is no new text proposal, nor is there any long-term plan of how to collect revenue. The dependence is on indirect taxation and the curtailment of subsidies. There is nothing wrong in resorting to such a method. But the adverse effect is obvious.
  Today’s India is crying for jobs. Thousands and thousands of graduates have no (…)

• What to Trust on Demonetisation: Official Data or Grim Reports in Media?

  21 February 2017, by Arun Kumar

  There is confusion as to how the economy is doing under the impact of demonetisation. The Index of Industrial Production rose by 5.7 per cent in November as compared to the decline of 1.8 per cent in October. This was unexpected and has given relief to the government which has been reeling under daily reports of industries and businesses floundering since November 8, when demonetisation was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  sHowever, a report by the State Bank of India, based on a (…)

• India - Afghanistan: An Analysis of Strategic and Security Concerns

  21 February 2017

  by Bineet Kaur
  India and Afghanistan have close technical, economic, cultural and political relations. The relations between India and Afghanistan can be traced back to the Indus valley civilisation. The relationship is not limited to the governments in New Delhi and Kabul, and has its foundations in the historical contacts and exchanges between the peoples. Following the 9/11 attacks and the resultant US-led war in Afghanistan, the ties between India and Afghanistan grew strong once (…)

• Those who do not think of other people’s opinions live in bubbles. Was Obama talking of India?

  21 February 2017, by T J S George

  IMPRESSIONS
  If sloganeering characterised President Donald Trump’s inaugural address, sagacity marked Barack Obama’s farewell address a week earlier. Undoubtedly, it is the Obama pitch that will reverberate in the chambers of history. Uncannily, Obama’s words seemed directed at India though they were meant for the United States. His theme was rather platitu-dinous—the responsibilities of democracy. But isn’t wisdom ultimately a pack of well-minted platitudes? Like, “do unto others as you’d (…)

• Tension Mounts with the Killing of a Lawyer in Myanmar

  21 February 2017, by Harish Chandola

  The communal tension in our neighbour Myanmar between its majority Buddhist population and its Muslim minority of Rohingyas has of late worsened. It was exacerbated by the recent assassination of a prominent Muslim lawyer and an advisor to the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), Mr Ko Ni, while he was waiting for a taxi in broad daylight outside the busy Yangon international airport, on his return from Indonesia. He was returning from Indonesia where he had gone in a delegation to (…)

• Tamil Nadu Drama Intensifies

  12 February 2017

  POLITICAL NOTEBOOK
  The political drama in Chennai is intensifying. Precisely two months after her mentor J. Jayalalithaa’s death, V.K. Sasikala was unanimously elected leader of the ruling AIADMK’s legislature party on February 5. O. Panneerselvam, who had become the CM in place of Jayalalithaa during the AIADMK supremo’s ailment and continued in that post after Jaya’s demise, had himself proposed Sasikala’s name as the leader of the legislature party; later he cited “personal reasons” for (…)