To Make a Bigot into an Icon

THE BJP’s election manifesto for the Maharashtra assembly election has proposed that Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the father of the Hindutva concept, be conferred the title of ‘Bharat Ratna’. This is part of the ongoing strategy of the BJP-RSS combine to legitimise the Hindutva ideology and to create icons out of rabid communal figures such as Savarkar. In order to do that, the RSS and the BJP are busy myth-making about Savarkar being a great freedom fighter and nationalist par excellence. It is necessary to debunk this myth-making and expose the designs of the Hindutva forces in this regard

NRC – A Divisive Game

DAY in and day out, Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders are declaring that a National Register of Citizens (NRC) has to be prepared for the whole country. It is widely assumed by the public and even political parties that an NRC for the whole of India is being contemplated, when actually the NRC process has already been announced. It will begin with the enumeration for the National Population Register (NPR). The notification was issued by the Registrar General of Citizen Registration in July that the central government has decided to prepare and update the National Population Re

RSS Chief’s Fascistic Talk

THE Vijayadashami address of the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has revealed glimpses of the fascistic ideology which permeates the RSS. The RSS chief took exception to incidents of mob killings being termed as “lynchings”. He said “By branding such incidents by words such as ‘lynching’, denoting traditions which were alien to Bharat and belong elsewhere, efforts are underway to defame our country and the entire Hindu society and create fear among the so-called minority communities”.This single sentence exposes the doublespeak and rabidly communal outlook of the RSS.

Onwards to Struggles

THE attacks on the working class and all sections of the working people have been intensifying since the Modi government came back to power in May 2019. The economic slowdown and the deteriorating economic conditions are a product of the neo-liberal policies pursued by the Modi government in the past five years. In order to get out of this crisis, the government has announced policies and changes in regulations to provide more concessions to the corporates and foreign capital. The tax cuts for corporates to the tune of Rs 1.45 lakh crore is the latest instance.

The Modi-Trump Show in Houston

THE spectacle that Narendra Modi put up at Houston before a 50,000 strong audience of Indian-Americans has, once again, underlined the subservience that Modi has brought into Indo-US relations. The Modi-Trump joint appearance in the stadium was nothing but a platform offered to Trump to woo Indian origin Americans in view of the forthcoming presidential election campaign. In a first, for an Indian prime minister, Modi virtually endorsed Trump for president by repeating the slogan, ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’, which was earlier voiced by Trump himself during the last presidential elec

No Imposition of Hindi

THE statement by union home minister, Amit Shah, that it is essential for India to have one language and it is Hindi that can unite the country has not come as a surprise given the stand of the RSS and the Hindutva forces. Amit Shah was also indirectly stating that Hindi should be the national language. V D Savarkar was the first to call for “Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan”. The RSS has been advocating “One nation, One language, One culture”.

Hundred Days of a Toxic Government

THE Modi government’s second stint in office has completed a hundred days.

Kashmir: End the Clampdown

A MONTH has elapsed since the security clampdown on Jammu & Kashmir was imposed on August 5. For 30 days, the people of Kashmir have been deprived of all basic rights. They have been confined to their houses. There is no communication with mobile phone networks, landlines and internet connection closed down; they have no right of movement with barricades being put up in main roads and highways; there is no public transport. Government offices have not been functioning as employees are unable to attend their duties.

Dismal Economic Scene

THE bad news about the economy continues to pour in. The deteriorating employment situation is becoming alarming. Around 3.5 lakh jobs have been lost in the automobile sector, with the prospect of more loss of jobs. In the consumer goods segment, the biggest biscuit manufacturer, Parle, has announced that 10,000 jobs may have to be axed. The corporates are utilising the recession to cut jobs and protect their profits.

Nuclear Irresponsibility

THE recent remarks by union defence minister Rajnath Singh with regard to nuclear weapons have set alarm bells ringing. He said that while India has firmly adhered to No First Use (NFU) policy with regard to nuclear weapons in the past, what happens in the future “depends on circumstances”.Ever since India came out as a nuclear weapons power in 1998, it has adhered to the NFU, which was formally established as part of India’s strategic doctrine by the Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs on January 4, 2003.

Search form

Peoples Democracy

Editorial