Independence Day: Assaults on Freedom

INDEPENDENCE Day this year is being observed under the shadow of the dismemberment of the state of Jammu & Kashmir and a massive clampdown on the people of the valley.When Narendra Modi hoists the tricolor on the Red Fort on August 15, millions of Kashmiris for the eleventh day running would have been deprived of their liberties and fundamental rights.

All-Round Assault on States’ Rights

WHAT was notable about the spate of legislations presented in the first session of parliament was the hurried manner in which they were passed without any legislative scrutiny. There was no reference to the standing committees or select committees to get the bills vetted and considered.

A Dangerous Legislation

THE Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill is, by all counts, a dangerous piece of legislation. The UAPA Amendment Bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha and is now being considered in the Rajya Sabha.Along with the National Investigation Agency Amendment Bill, which has already been adopted by the parliament, these two measures are going to make the laws more draconian in the name of fighting terrorism. This legislation is an attack on federalism, democratic rights and liberty of citizens. The amendments to the UAPA are in three areas.Firstly, the director general of the NIA is

Editorial Modi on a One-Way Street

THE image of President Trump speaking to the media in Washington in the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan, about Modi’s purported request to him to mediate on Kashmir has had a shattering effect. The issue is not whether Modi actually asked Trump to mediate or not, but how this episode has revealed the fiasco that Modi’s foreign policy has turned out to be. Imran Khan’s visit to the United States was an affirmation of how the Trump administration has changed its approach to Pakistan.

Whither NRC Process in Assam?

THE National Register of Citizens (NRC) process in Assam of enumerating citizens is to reach its completion with the publication of the final list on July 31, as ordered by the Supreme Court. The way the process has been conducted has raised a host of apprehensions and shown up a great deal of flaws in the matter of including genuine Indian citizens in the Register. Last year, 40.7 lakh persons were excluded out of 3.29 crore applicants in the draft list of the NRC published on July 30, 2018.

Karnataka: BJP’s Subversion of Democracy

THE sordid happenings in Karnataka have reached a climax with the resignations of 14 MLAs belonging to the Congress and the JD(S) and two independents who were supporting the coalition. This development has come after a series of attempts by the BJP in the past one year to topple the Kumaraswamy government. The BJP was not reconciled to the fact that it could not run a government with majority support after the 2018 assembly elections, even though it had emerged as the single largest party.The BJP has brazenly gone about luring and bribing legislators belonging to the ruling coalition.

No Privatisation of Indian Railways

THE Modi government’s second coming is going to be marked by a stepped up privatisation drive. Already the Niti Aayog has announced that 46 public sector enterprises will be sold off or shut down as per a 100 day action plan. The centerpiece of this privatisation drive will be the Indian Railways. According to the action plan proposed by the ministry of railways, private passenger trains will be operated within 100 days.

President’s Address: One Dimensional View

THE president’s address to the joint session of parliament, the first after the Lok Sabha election, was expected to spell out the vision and priorities of the second Modi government. But President Ram Nath Kovind’s speech was sparse in detail and more went unsaid than said. It is clear from the speech that the ruling party sees the “New India” as radically different from the India before 2014. The RSS notion of a Hindu nationalist Bharat underpins their vision of a ‘New India’. The president refers to the mantra of ‘sab ka saath sab ka vikas’ relating to the previous term of the

Warmongering on Iran

THE threats to Iran are being ramped up by the United States. Some sections of the Trump administration are beating the war drums and the threat of military hostilities against Iran is being ratcheted up.The attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on June 13 has become another pretext for targeting Iran. The Trump administration has been quick to hold Iran responsible for the attack.

Go to the people

A DISTURBING feature of the CPI(M)’s performance to the 17th Lok Sabha election is the continuing fall in the overall voting percentage of the Party. This is mainly due to the sharp drop in the vote share of the Party in West Bengal and Tripura and to a lesser extent in Kerala.We must take into account the fact that the loss of vote share in Tripura and West Bengal was also due to the violence and terror directed at the CPI(M) and its organisation and because of rigging and the prevention of its supporters from voting in many places.

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Editorial