Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• National Task and Left Politics

  17 April 2015, by SC

  EDITORIAL
  While PM Narendra Modi is abroad visiting France, Germany and Canada trying to woo foreign investors and engaging in deals like the one on purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft he has struck in France (thereby detracting from his “Make in India” initiative), the so-called ‘fringe elements’ of the Sangh Parivar (who actually consitute the core of the saffron brigade) continue to harp on their divisive agenda thus reinforcing religious intolerance and endangering social cohesion. (…)

• Children of Democracy

  17 April 2015, by Kuldip Nayar

  Religious sensitivity has deepened since the advent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s regime. Even though he has underlined the principle of sarva dharma samabhava, parochialism has shown its ugly face in one field or the other. The judiciary is the only institution that has been above the taint. Nonetheless, the outburst of Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph shows the pent-up feelings of a justice belonging to the minority community.
  There can be no exception to what he has said: “Our (…)

• Courts and Social Justice Litigation

  17 April 2015, by Rajindar Sachar

  Prime Minister Modi’s gratuitous diatribe of the judiciary being influenced by five-star social activists was a cheap joke which brought down the prestige of the biggest political office of the country. And to make this observation at the Chief Justices Conference, attended by the Chief Ministers of States, was an uncalled for jibe at the judiciary and a dangerously provocative example, if allowed to be followed by the Chief Ministers.
  The remark shows ignorance of the kernel philosophy of (…)

• Five-Star Activism, too, is Democracy. Deny it, and we face New Totalitarianism

  17 April 2015, by T J S George

  IMPRESSIONS
  Forget the beef ban and the Good Friday controversy in the Supreme Court. More important is the fact that we seem to have reached a stage where we cannot debate issues like water and air pollution, forests and wild life, the death of rivers and the enormity of pesticide abuse that is killing citizens in tens of thousands. We cannot discuss them because discussion means criticism as well—and we have a new India where criticism is considered “anti-development”.
  Which Indian in (…)

• Modi’s “Flyaway” French Deal

  17 April 2015, by M K Bhadrakumar

  If Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi were alive, we could have asked him how the French get around authoritarian rulers and tin-pot dictators from the developing countries who carry fat cheque books in their pockets while travelling abroad. As the dreamy picture in The Hindu newspaper immortalises the moment for historians of Indian diplomacy, the French leadership went the whole hog to make Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit memorable.
  The entire leadership—President, Prime Minister, Foreign (…)

• On Rafale’s Induction into the IAF

  17 April 2015

  by Hamid Habibullah
  Egypt’s procurement of the muilti-role combat aircraft Rafale from the Dassault Aviation of France had been actually financed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which have been known for long to be Egypt’s sponsors in West Asia. With the recent payments made by the Saudis for French weapons supplied to Lebanon and Egypt, Riyadh has sought to kill two birds with one stone: It strengthens the Saudi influence on regional players while getting an opportunity to make an impact on (…)

• Honouring Ambedkar

  17 April 2015, by Nikhil Chakravartty

  From N.C.’s Writings
  April 14 this year marked the 124th birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. On this occasion we are reproducing the following piece by N.C. to offer our sincere homage to the abiding memory of that towering personality.
  The award of the Bharat Ratna posthumously on B.R. Ambedkar raises mixed feelings. No doubt Ambedkar was one of the stalwarts of modern India; the high-water mark of his career was that he contributed most to the drafting of the (…)

• Ambedkar and Constituent Assembly

  17 April 2015

  by Vivek Kumar Srivastava
  We can look at Bhimrao Ambedkar in many ways. He is credited with the drafting of our Constitution. He is respected as the champion of the Dalit cause. He is remembered for incorporating Article 17 in the chapter of Fundamental Rights, which abolished untouch-ability. These are the attainments and contri-butions of Ambedkar but he is more than all that.
  Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru presented the Objective Resolution on December 13, 1946 in the Constituent Assembly. (…)

• Ambedkar and the Annihilation of Caste

  17 April 2015

  by Sukumaran C. V.
  “There is no code of laws more infamous regarding social rights than the Laws of Manu. Any instance from anywhere of social injustice must pale before it. Why have the masses of people tolerated the social evils to which they have been subjected? There have been social revolutions in other countries of the world. Why have there not been social revolutions in India is a question which has incessantly troubled me. There is only one answer and it is that the lower classes (…)

• Pakistan far from Losing Relevance

  17 April 2015, by Apratim Mukarji

  While Pakistan may appear to be losing its relevance to India in some Indians’ perception, it is in fact strengthening its geo-strategic relevance in the fast-changing Asian geopolitics. There is every reason to believe that the Indian Government is fully seized of Pakistan’s fast-growing importance in this context.
  Ever since the two countries came to exist, Pakistan was clear in its perception that while it was no match to rival India, it must adopt policies to befriend powerful third (…)