View Articles

Our hard experiences teach us lessons. But, India hasn’t learnt its full lesson from the State of emergency clamped by the then Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi on 25th June 1975, to save herself from disqualification after the historic judgement of Allahabad High Court. After the emergency was lifted, the 44th Amendment to the Constitution of India diluted the rigors Art 352 and cognate provision Art 353 and Art 359 that had wreaked havoc during the emergency. But still, these trimmed provisions can pose danger to constitutional democracy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a new lease of life to his much fancied Make in India programme by calling for Atmanirbhar Abhiyan as a means of giving a push to the Indian industry in the period of the pandemic and as also in the post-Covid period. Atmanirbhar movement is not new to India.

On the 18th day of incessant rise of fuel price, diesel has out beaten petrol. It may be for the first time that diesel becomes costlier than petrol. Everybody knows that now fuel price in India has nothing to do with the price of crude oil in the international market. Gone are the days when variation in prices in the International market determined the fuel price in India. Now despite downward shift in fuel prices in the international market, the fuel price here remains unaffected, rather it even goes up, thanks to the pricing policy of the Modi government.

Amidst of Corona Crisis, the China-India border conflict has become new area of political slugfest where Congress with Rahul Gandhi at its front has nullified every claims of Modi Government about the ground control. The unfortunate death of Indian soldiers while fighting against Chinese intrusion had put the government in a tight spot. At the beginning of the present week, it was appearing that Modi and his government was losing the battle of perception and landed into a grave situation of losing Strong-Man persona of Narendra Modi. Congress was emboldened with a prospect of ‘Modi Versus Rahul’ personality cult battle, a much desired political fight by the top leadership of the party searching political relevance by embracing only Anti-Modi plank.

No one in the NaMo establishment may have realized that the Modi fan club being created to drum loudly around may become a discomforting wrap around the neck and sooner as the adage around the world that warns against building the congregation of foolish friends around was ignored. The natural human tendency was overlooked that only subordinate minds without inherent ability or talents would and could do only the drum beating for anyone else. Extensive usage of social media for easy and rapid drum beating had initially appeared useful is now the route of easy troubles.

On page 405 of the folio edition of the writings and speeches of Abraham Lincoln there is a letter dated January 19 1863. It is titled “To the Workingmen of Manchester, England” and begins: “I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the address and resolutions which you have sent me on the eve of the new year.”

On Tuesday in Arizona Trump had his picture taken at the phony prop he calls his “beautiful wall,” one of the props along the border with Mexico that he runs to every time he wants to stir up fear of immigrants. While he was doing that the European Union was drafting plans to establish a real wall that will bar Americans from leaving this country and heading to any one of their nations.

Countries across the globe are racing towards developing a successful vaccine for COVID-19. Various governmental research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and even universities are working around the clock to research fast diagnostics, effective treatment, and vaccines. However, given the large scale demand, concerns have raised on profiteering of medicines and affordability of vaccines which will disproportionately affect marginalized communities. The fight against COVID-19 must make diagnostics, therapeutic, and vaccines that are affordable, accessible and available to all. United Nations Secretary-General, amongst various other world leaders, have propagated to treat COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines as global public goods.

On 3 July 2020, the Central Trade Unions are slated to launch their nationwide campaign to protest the deteriorating conditions of the workers, spree of privatization of public sector units, suspension of labour laws citing the pandemic and other issues. The pressure cooker situation faced by the workers at present has been building up for months now, and has especially exploded in the wake of the pandemic-induced lockdown.

Coal workers in the country, engaged in one of the most hazardous jobs, struck work for three days from June 2 to 4, 2020. It was not only against the deplorable conditions that the miners keep facing every day, the struggle launched was also against commercialisation, privatisation and the destruction of environment.