Mainstream Weekly

No Conflict between Hindi and Regional State Languages

Rajindar Sachar — 2018-03-12T11:33:09Z

For some time past a misguided effort is being made to castigate India for asking the General Assembly of the UN to include Hindi as one of the languages at the UN. They seem to suggest that English should be recognised as the language of India because Hindi is not understood in the whole of India, but they conveniently forget that Hindi is the language of an overwhelming number of people. Of course, it is not in any way an attempt to reduce the respect given to the other Indian languages (…)

- 2018

Yogi Adityanath being simultaneously: UP CM and a Lok Sabha Member is Illegal

Rajindar Sachar — 2017-05-14T18:41:13Z

The mysterious rise of Yogi Adityanath as a centre of power contenders amongst the BJP/RSS leaders seems to baffle the public. It is a wrong assessment that he has been installed at the instance of Modi/Amit Shah. They are too politically astute not to create another power centre against themselves.
Though Yogi was no doubt a Thakur (the Bollywood perpetual tormentor of the weak, and ruthless in accomplishing his aim) — he was a Mahant for a long time thus establishing easily his (…)

- 2017

Fight Against Treason Call of Hindu Rashtra by BJP

Rajindar Sachar — 2017-04-19T13:50:11Z

The results of the UP State Assembly elections have come as a shock to all parties including the pollsters. The appointment of Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of UP is the worst outcome. I feel that it requires all political parties, the secular and Leftists (I am using loosely because unfortunately the meanings of the terms have become quite barren), to come close to each other.
I am mentioning some items which all of us could take up, as these have no party monopoly. Of course my (…)

- 2017

Supreme Court Should Decide Ayodhya Case — No Scope for Mutual Settlement

Rajindar Sachar — 2017-04-09T08:11:06Z

The suggestion of the Chief Justice of India to even act as a mediator in the pending Babri Masjid demolition case, showed his concern but it was a little odd considering that it came at the instance of an inter-meddler, and without the parties involved being before the Court— that is why it caused amongst the parties a certain concern. In my view, the Babri Masjid demolition case is not a matter for compromise. This case raises the deep concern regarding our Constitution which clearly says (…)

- 2017

Simultaneous Parliament and State Assembly Polls Strike at the Root of Federalism

Rajindar Sachar — 2017-01-31T13:01:25Z

Prime Minister Modi has for the last six months kept up a continuous refrain for simultaneously holding Lok Sabha and State Assembly polls and the supposed advantages that would flow from it. As was to be expected, a number of newspapers and newspersons are picking up this matter. It is unfortunate that the Election Commission of India and Niti Ayog should have gone along with this suggestion without even the minimum constitutional requ-irement of a public debate and seminars—and more (…)

- 2017

Let Article 370 of Indian Constitution (on Jammu and Kashmir) Not be Weakened

Rajindar Sachar — 2016-09-05T19:39:25Z

The Supreme Court of India, notwithstanding some controversial decisions in the matter of constitutional interpretation, has by far and large contributed to upholding the rights and privileges of the States and individuals.
But with a decision Ajay Kumar Pandey versus State of J&K and Anr. decided by the Constitution Bench on July 19, 2016 there has arisen the apprehension of interfering with the autonomy of J&K, guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution of India.
The (…)

- 2016

A Sad Day for the Judiciary

Rajindar Sachar — 2016-06-18T09:37:13Z

Scandalous, irresponsible and impervious to public interest—one would like to cry out at the situation where, as reported in the press, there are 458 vacancies out of 1074, the full strength of the High Court Judges in India. But one does not do so because of inborn partiality of one belonging to the same legal fraternity—if a similar situation had been prevailing in the executive, the wise and sensitive men and women of the legal fraternity would have shouted from the house-top of the (…)

- 2016

A Danger to Democracy

Rajindar Sachar — 2016-03-09T19:16:16Z

There is a figurative way of attributing intense stupidity to an individual or a political party in the idiom, ‘He is own worst enemy.' This occurred to me by the idiotic way the BJP Central Government has handled the recent student protest at JNU. According to the Students' Union, a meeting was held in the campus by some outsiders wherein slogans favouring Afzal Guru were raised by them. Students maintain that they condemned these slogans and they cannot be blamed. In the normal course the (…)

- 2016

The Fall of the Tinsel God

Rajindar Sachar — 2015-11-21T20:51:24Z

How the mighty have fallen fits in completely with the rout of the BJP in the recently held elections to the Bihar Assembly! To any analyst it looked that it was going to be a close fight —it is no hidden secret that progressive forces in the country like academics, writers and social activists, who were passive at the start, were forced to be active as the real face of the BJP through its boss, the RSS, emerged threatening the very core values guaranteed by Indian Constitution, and thus (…)

- 2015

The Supreme Court Revives Collegiums System — a Fresh Debate Begins

Rajindar Sachar — 2015-10-24T10:32:32Z

The much-awaited judgment of the Supreme Court has held on October 19 that the Constitution (Ninetyninth Amendment) Act, 2014 and the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014, are unconstitutional and void and the consequence is that the ‘Collegiums System' existing prior to the Constitution (Ninetyninth Amendment) Act, 2014 has been declared to be operative.
The Court found fault with the constitution of the National Judicial Appointment Commission, mainly for its composition. (…)

- 2015