2015

BOOK REVIEW
People’s ‘Warrior’: Words and Worlds of P.C. Joshi by Gargi Chakravartty (ed.); Tulika Books, New Delhi; 2014; 474 + xxii pages; Rs 995.
It is an irony of history that P.C. Joshi, the architect of united front politics in pre-independence India, is a much-maligned, almost forgotten, figure in today’s Left circles, although it is precisely his idea of forging unity with the secular, nationalist forces under the slogan “Left-democratic unity” that is the key issue which now (…)

EDITORIAL
PM Narendra Modi has returned from his sojourn to China, Mongolia and South Korea, and is now busy preparing himself to celebrate the first anniversary of his advent to power at the Centre. Laudatory articles are being published in leading newspapers, mouthpieces of the corporate-driven media, in the run-up to the anniversary next week. These speak of the achievements of the Modi Government in the past one year both at home and abroad while mildly criticising the BJP-led NDA (…)

by Kaleeswaram Raj
Chief Justice H.L Dattu has refused to participate in the National Judicial Appointment Commission (NJAC) which practically “stalled any immediate chances of constituting the new judicial appointments body”. (Krishnadas Rajagopal, The Hindu, April 28, 2015) Thus, even without a judicial interdiction against the NJAC, an impediment has been created by the Chief Justice by his personal decision to stay away from the Commission.
The vacuum due to non-constitution of the (…)

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s China visit must be intriguing experts and amateurs alike. There was a huge line-up list to be addressed. But the impression, that it was being negotiated withal through the symbolic representation of culture, realpolitik, trade and finance, was thought-provoking. Modi’s reception in Xi Jinping’s hometown of Xian corresponded with Xi’s scheduling of Ahmedabad as his first stop in September last year. Modi’s visit to the Giant Golden Goose Pagoda, which had (…)

The visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China last week (May 14-16) was never going to be easy. Modi was hard-pressed to juggle his agenda of economic reinvigoration at home (“development agenda”) with his firmer assertion of India’s security interests. The balance-sheet of his visit underscores the policy dilemma.
Modi has reason to feel relieved that he is not returning to India quite empty-handed. His travels abroad and wanderlust (visiting 18 countries in the past one year) (…)

IMPRESSIONS
These are frustrating times. True, there are big things that put India on centre-stage, such as the Prime Minister’s visit to China. But there are also petty things that shame us. We have farmers whose sense of honour makes them commit suicide when they are unable to repay their debts—and we have a Minister in Haryana who calls them “cowards”. We have a film star who runs his car over destitutes sleeping on footpaths, killing one—and his friend condemns
footpath sleepers as (…)

One of the least prepossessing features of some recent Indian journalism—especially of the electronic channels—has been an unpleasantly motivated obsession with Rahul Gandhi. Barring a few “senior” journalists, who have sensitively sought to context Mr Gandhi;s difficulties within the limitations and impera-tives of an embracing historical framework—both of the Congress and the country—most embedded commentaries tiresomely, one suspects even to the commentators themselves who could be seen (…)

TRIBUTE
Death snatched away Dr Amalendu Guha, a historian, an economist, a prolific writer and a Marxist whose ideological conviction remained unshaken till the last day of his life. He breathed his last at Guwahati on May 7 at the ripe old age of 91. Though he was known for his profound erudition and vast knowledge of the historical, social and cultural evolution of Assam and the North-East, he also kept himself up to date with people’s movements in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Born (…)

by Arun Srivastava
The BJP lost the fight for strategic political relevance in Bengal to the CPI-M. Well before the elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation was announced, the BJP’s Chanakya, Amit Shah, had pepped up the saffron cadres and its sympathisers to get ready to celebrate the victory of the fall of Mamata. Ironically the BJP vanquished even before the Battle of Bengal could be fought on the streets of Kolkata. What was worse for Shah, the party dropped to the third (…)

COMMUNICATION
Kindly refer to the article of senior journalist Kuldip Nayar, “Disturbing Trend at AMU”, published in your prestigious publication on May 16, 2015.
Mr Nayar, while expressing his dismay and concern after returning from Aligarh, has claimed that “Aligarh is the place where Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the eminent freedom fighter, was abused before the country’s partition. The students had found him in a train compartment. He was travelling from Delhi to Calcutta from his (…)