Mainstream Weekly

Christian Contribution to the Freedom Struggle

Ambrose Pinto — 2017-08-20T07:19:00Z

As we celebrate 70 years of India's indepen-dence the Christian community has reasons to legitimately feel proud of its contribution to the nation. Both prior and after independence 2.3 per cent of India's population of Christians have in a significant and unique way contributed to its development. In fact the contribution may be far beyond its numbers both in quality and quantity. In every field of India's development especially in the realm of the development of the poor the Church has (…)

- 2017

Why I think Ramnath Kovind is not the Right Candidate to be President of India

Ambrose Pinto — 2017-07-01T14:32:39Z

That the UPA and NDA have chosen Dalits to be candidates for the office of the President is an expression of the importance of the Dalit constituency in the politics of India. As a person with a public conscience, however, I tend to hold that the NDA candidate, Sri Ramnath Kovind, is a big disappointment. Though a Dalit, he has not served the Dalit cause all through the years of his politics. It is true, the BJP has an ideology of its own. One did not expect them to nominate someone beyond (…)

- 2017

Was there tampering with EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) in UP Elections?

Ambrose Pinto — 2017-03-25T19:30:57Z

Kumari Mayawati, the chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party, has alleged that the prime reason for the landslide victory of the BJP in the Uttar Pradesh elections is due to tampering with the EVMs. “How come the BJP managed to win in Muslim bastions across the State? Did the EVMs not accept votes cast for other parties?”—Mayawati wondered. Though one is unsure whether there was tampering of the machines or not, she has a valid point in her allegations.
There are no exceptional reasons for (…)

- 2017

Saffron Law in Congress-ruled Karnataka

Ambrose Pinto — 2016-10-23T19:29:54Z

The pseudo-nationalists have made Kashmir an issue of nationalism in Karnataka. If indivi-duals or groups meet together to discuss or debate on Kashmir or screen a documentary about Kashmir, it is termed an anti-national act. In the month of August at a meeting held at an important city college, I was requested to preside over a panel, consisting of two Professors—one from the University of Bangalore and another from a Centrally-funded university—a Kashmiri journalist working in Bangalore (…)

- 2016

Debate on Uniform Civil Code

Ambrose Pinto — 2016-08-01T22:44:05Z

When the Prime Minister of the country makes a request to the Law Commission to examine the case of uniform civil code, like many others I wonder whether there are ulterior motives given his commitment to a definite ideology. Modi is a representation and he represents a definite school of thought. When he decides to request the Law Commission to provide him with inputs on the uniform civil code, he may have reasons or a hidden agenda. In the past there have been people with a liberal outlook (…)

- 2016

Can we Think of South Asia without Borders?

Ambrose Pinto — 2016-07-01T15:29:26Z

In dealing with neighbours, much of the energy of the leaders of South Asia is spent on responding to ceasefire violations on the borders. Each of these countries has become enemies of the other. There is rhetoric of hate, insecurity, control and domination in the public statements of all leaders of the neighbourhood as they respond to these violations. The daily news about new accumulation of increasing numbers of nuclear weapons and satellite launches as a part of competitive security (…)

- 2016

Are Universities Under Ideological Attack?

Ambrose Pinto — 2016-04-10T18:43:09Z

Is there a concerted effort by the Sangh Parivar to infiltrate into the realm of higher education in the name of nationalism, culture and indigenous knowledge? In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, higher education was used by the powerful forces of nationalism in the USSR, Germany, Italy and even in Europe and the USA to shape national identities and serve narrow national interests. As a result higher education produced ideologues for Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, Communist Russia and (…)

- 2016

Why A Case Against Kancha Ilaiah?

Ambrose Pinto — 2015-07-31T16:28:05Z

Professor Kancha Ilaiah is the Director of the Centre for Social Exclusion in the Maulana Azad University in Hyderabad. All through his life as an academician, he has ignited minds by raising important questions on culture, caste and spirituality. The police have now booked a case on him for an article he wrote in Andhra Jyothi, a Telugu newspaper, on whether God is a democrat or not, on the complaint by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad that the article has hurt their religious sentiments. Is it (…)

- 2015

Karnataka Legislators are India's Best Paid Legislators

Ambrose Pinto — 2015-06-05T22:16:22Z

With the passing of the twoBills—the Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pensions and allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2015—on March 30, 2015 without any debate, the legislators of Karnataka have become the richest legislators of the country. The voting was unanimous in a House that was deeply polarised after the controversy of the suicide of an IAS officer, D. K. Ravi, and the illegal denotification of the Arkavathi layout (…)

- 2015

Where is the Ghar to Return when it is Unjustly Occupied?

Ambrose Pinto — 2015-04-05T21:25:07Z

The SCs/STs are recognised as indigenous people of the country. They constitute more than 25 per cent of the country's population. However, at the United Nations, the Government of India had consistently denied existence or applicability of the concept of “indigenous peoples” to these groups though the country had voted in their favour at the General Assembly on September 13, 2007. India is also a signatory to the International Labour Organisation Convention concerning the Protection and (…)

- 2015