Editorial

Cut Petrol and Diesel Prices

THE retail prices of petrol and diesel have reached a new high in the past few days.  The price of petrol per litre is ranging from Rs 70 to 79 in various cities, making it an average of Rs 74 per litre.  The price of diesel is around Rs 61-62 per litre.  Ever since the daily price revision was introduced, the price of petrol has gone up by over Rs 6.17 per litre since July 1.As is well-known, India has to import 85 per cent of its oil requirements.  So the international price of crude oil has a direct bearing on the price of petrol and diesel at home.  The international price of crude oil

Who is Responsible for the Economic Mess?

THE news about the economy has been continuously dismal in the past few days. All the data coming in shows that the economic slowdown has accelerated after demonetisation and the country is headed for a recession.First came Volume II of the Economic Survey which presented a gloomy picture of the overall economy. The growth rate of real Gross Value Added was 6.6 per cent for 2016-17 compared to 7.9 per cent for the year 2015-16.

BJP Nexus with Godmen

THE conviction of the godman Gurmeet Singh on charges of rape and the violence unleashed by his supporters in Panchkula and other places has exposed the political nexus between the BJP and such dubious peddlers of spiritual salvation.The Dera Sacha Sauda head had called upon his followers to vote for the BJP in the October 2014 assembly elections. The BJP was suitably grateful and lavished patronage on Gurmeet Singh and the Dera. 19 of the 47 BJP MLAs called on him to convey their gratitude for his support.

Modi’s Fealty to United States

THE Modi government is getting into a deeper strategic embrace with the United States. It appears Narendra Modi will do his utmost to endear himself to the Trump establishment.On August 15, there was a telephonic conversation between Donald Trump and Narendra Modi. Trump had called Modi to congratulate him on India’s independence day but the talk outlined some of the new steps in the relations between the two countries.

Triple Talaq Verdict: A Step Forward

THE five-member Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court has struck down instant triple talaq as illegal and violative of the rights of Muslim women. This majority verdict by 3 to 2 is a victory for Muslim women who have suffered under the arbitrary use of talaq-e-bidat which is instant talaq.Amongst the majority of three, two of the judges have argued that instant triple talaq is violative of the fundamental right to equality enshrined in Article 14 of the constitution, while the third judge has said it is illegal as it is not sanctioned by the Quran and Islamic religious practice.

Independence Day Speech: Hypocritical Propaganda

THE Independence Day speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a piece of propaganda remarkable for its disconnect with reality and reeked of hypocrisy in certain matters.This stood out most with regard to Kashmir. His exhortation that the problem will not be solved by “gaali” and “goli” but by embracing Kashmiris was the most hypocritical of them all. The Kashmir valley has been in turmoil and the use of force is the only distinctive approach of the centre to deal with the unrest among the people.

Build United Struggles for a Credible Alternative

THE political somersault by Nitish Kumar will rank as one of the biggest of its kind in India’s political history which, anyway, is replete with such opportunistic behaviour by bourgeois politicians. Nitish Kumar, after the success of the mahagathbandhan in the assembly elections in Bihar in 2015, had become the most prominent advocate of a grand anti-BJP alliance at the national level.  Even as late as in April this year, he had advocated the unity of opposition parties to take on the BJP.

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