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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s self-reliance mantra is most welcome at a time when the country’s economy is suffering from a discomfortably slow-to-negative growth, following the nationwide phased lockdown measures to restrict the spread of Covid-19, compressing industrial production, market and throwing tens of millions out of job. Modi used the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) platform earlier this month to assure the business community and investors that “you move two steps, and the government will support you by taking four steps forward….I stand by you … Trust me, getting growth back is not so difficult.” The prime minister said: “we need to invest in such a robust supply chain which will strengthen India’s participation in the global supply chain….. It is important that we manufacture products that are ‘Made-in-India’ and made for the world. Can we set new targets to reduce our imports?”

The toll of the pandemic corona virus in 75 day in India was moderate compared to America and other developed nations. However, it exposed the inapt handling in providing medical services to really affected persons and the total mismanagement in administering the available medical facilities more effectively also became apparent. One shuddered to think of consequences had the pandemic intensity reached the similar proportion to population as in America or European lands. Surprisingly private hospitals minted their mullah even with the health minister equipped with super power for intervention.

NDA Union Government is out to subvert the rule of law based system of democratic constitutional governance further in the country by formalizing inclusion of dissension against the government, people’s right to question/scrutinize the democratically elected government, urban naxals (intellectuals, academics, civil rights activists,NGOs), TukdeTukde gang (alluded to bright students in premier universities believing in freedom of speech, free debate, diversity/plurality of ideas, spirit of inquiry, open mindedness and opposition to imposition of Sangh ideology out to impose RSS agenda on education curricula), Khan Market gang (reference to select Lutyen’s Delhi based and like minded journalists who are conscientious within their professional norms to scrutinize the government), as anti-national crimes.

The world needs strong unions to protect its workers, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) urged on Saturday, after a global report listed the UK among “regular violators” of trade-union rights.

India’s transparency law i.e. Right to Information (RTI), enacted on 12 October 2005, is one of the most powerful legislations to have come in force. Its recognition has a long history, but it was only in the 1990s that the struggle demanding a legislation really took off. In Rajasthan, some of the labourers working on daily wage basis were deprived of their minimum wages. Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), a non-political organization came forward to help them. Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Shankar Singh, Shekhar Singh from MKSS started conducting jan-sunwais (public hearings) for spreading awareness at various places in Rajasthan.

Something very odd is happening in the United States. The coronavirus toll keeps rising with no end in sight. The economy has virtually collapsed with more than 40 million people filing for unemployment. Thousands are out on the streets protesting against the rampant racism that marks that society. Relations with China have reached a nadir. Altogether, as philosopher Cornel West put it, the US is showing every sign of being a “failed social experiment”. And yet there is a veritable boom in the US stock market. The stock market index Nasdaq has increased by more than 40 per cent since March 23 and is now “within striking distance of all time highs” as one commentator put it.

Reminiscent to the Swadeshi movement of pre Independence times, India is witnessing a new movement to boycott the Chinese goods. But the character and cultural implication of both the calls are quite different. While the earlier one was resorted to fight the hegemony and dictates of the British government the latest has a political dimension and has precisely been given to arouse the element of BJP’s nationalism which has been on the decline.

Last week, campaigning for the Bihar assembly election, scheduled for the end of this year, commenced. Home minister Amit Shah addressed party workers digitally – confidently declaring that the Janata Dal (United)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Nitish Kumar will return to power and outlining its achievements, including in the wake of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19)-sparked pandemic. On the same day, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) staged a symbolic protest, by banging utensils, to highlight both the Centre and state government’s failure to deal with migrant workers crisis.

In 1953 author Simone de Beauvoir asked Must We Burn De Sade? regarding the French Marquis and his sadomasochistic books. Today, as the multiple plagues of COVID-19, widespread economic displacement and police brutality disproportionately ravage the African-American community, we’re likewise asking: Must Gone with the Wind be gone?

Modi’s trade mark thunder which was missing for two days after the killing of the 20 Indian soldiers in Galwan reverberated in the political circle of Delhi on Wednesday with assertion; “Bharat shanti chahata hai. Lekin Bharat ko uksane par har haal me nirnayak jawab bhi diya jaayega (Indian wants peace. But if India is provoked, then under any situation, a decisive reply will also be given)”.