2024

April 2024 marks the 60th year of the CPI split in India
Sixty years have gone by since the Communist Party of India got split right down the middle. Following the Emergency, although the mainstream Communist parties – the CPI and the CPI (M) – have been working jointly as the Left Front at the national level since 1978, they have remained as separate entities. The prevailing notion is that the time for a merger has not yet come because of ideological differences! In the first general (…)

April 11, 2024
The sanctity of a marriage provides no protection to interfaith couples and those in live-in relationships are even more vulnerable
Marriage is supposed to offer a couple legal and social protection. However, the sanctity of a marriage gives no protection to couples in interfaith and inter-caste marriages in India. Live-in relationships are increasingly fraught with danger.
Those in interfaith marriages and live-in relationships, therefore, commit to each other with one (…)

To: CEC, ECSSS, ECGK
Shri Rajiv Kumar The Chief Election Commissioner Election Commission of India New Delhi
19/04/2024
Sir,
I want to bring to your notice serious issues which need to be urgently looked into.
Last week I got several calls from various people from the Gandhi Nagar Lok Sabha constituency about undue pressure being put on various community and political leaders by state apparatus.
I tried discussing the issue on the phone but after several rounds of telephonic (…)

Karnataka election scene is hotting up with the polling day (26 April) for 14 seats from the southern half of the State Is fast approaching. The other northern half of the State will go to polls on May 7 for an equal number of seats. Since the Ram Navami day, Rahul Gandhi has landed in Karnataka to take up the party’s poll campaign and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to take up the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaign on Saturday starting with a road show in Bengaluru (…)

Last week (4th April 2024) Indian National Congress released its manifesto, called Nyay Patra (Promise for Justice), for 2024 General Elections. It prominently talked of Caste census, raising the cap of 50% on reservations, jobs for youth, internship, and economic support for the poor among others. Its focus has been on justice for women, Advises, dalit-OBCs, farmers, and student-youth. One of its spokespersons of Congress stated that the Manifesto addresses the steps needed to undo the (…)

18 April 2024 Humra Quraishi
I read and re-read news reports focusing on the latest findings of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch: A total of 250 candidates in the fray for the second phase of the Lok Sabha election have criminal cases against them, according to an analysis conducted by the ADR and National Election Watch, of self-sworn affidavits of the contestants. The analysis was carried out on 1,192 of the 1,198 candidates contesting in the (…)

23rd April 2024
We are in the midst of campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls, the first phase of it began on the 19th. Although it is somewhat accepted that at lower levels the campaign rhetoric becomes personal with attacks on the very persona of adversaries, it is sad to see national leaders of Political Parties, including those who hold governmental positions—ministers, chief ministers and the prime minister—stooping very low in their campaign speeches against their political rivals. It (…)

At last it has appeared, the "hidden foreign hand" behind the Opposition in India trying to "oust " Modi from power. Addressing an election rally in Chikaballapura, some 60 kms from Bengaluru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday last week declared that some "biggies" in India have joined hands with foreign powers and are campaigning for his ouster from power.
There is a saying in Hindi "khisiyayi billi khamba noche" (an angry cat even tries to bite a wooden pole). Having become (…)

The seven-phase long-winding electoral process has got underway with the election of the first phase on 19th April. The significance of the ballot is captured in matchless style by Winston Churchill in the following words:
“At the bottom of all tributes paid to democracy is the little man, walking into a little booth, with a little pencil, making a little cross on a little bit of paper — no amount of rhetoric or voluminous discussion can possibly diminish the overwhelming importance of (…)

It is said that it is in one’s DNA which makes him/her believe, behave and act without bothering about the consequences of his or her actions. Let it be in one’s personal life, social sphere or in political arena. Such a person misinterprets, twists and distorts all facts and events that are taking place or even twists or misinterprets the historical facts to suit his/her purpose.
Take for instance the example of our Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It appears it is in his DNA to (…)