Editorial

Modi Raj for the Super Rich

THE obnoxious speech of Narendra Modi on April 21 at Banswara, Rajasthan was notable for its vicious attack on Muslims and demonising any redistribution policy as a handing over of the gold and property of Hindus to the “infiltrators”. The bigotry displayed in this speech has understandably attracted widespread condemnation.

Spewing Hate and Bigotry

THE prime minister’s vitriolic speech of April 21, delivered two days after the first phase of polling of the Lok Sabha elections, has been widely condemned both in India and abroad.  The language and bigotry which he displayed to incite hatred against the Muslim community and the political parties whom he accused of favouring them were reminiscent of the rhetoric he employed in his speeches immediately after the Gujarat pogrom against Muslims that happened in 2002 when he was the chief minister.

West Asia – Tensions on the Rise

IRAN had fired dozens of missiles and drones on Israel in retaliation to the attack on its embassy in Damascus, Syria. On April 1, Israel attacked Iranian embassy and killed 13 people, including two top-ranked generals of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This is in violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations and 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations that explicitly ban any sort of attack on diplomatic premises.

Stop Modi’s Communal Electioneering

THE election campaign of the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is resorting to open appeals based on religion. It has made the Ram temple an election issue and dubbed some of the opposition parties as being against the temple and Lord Ram. This is a blatant violation of the model code of conduct and some of the speeches should come under the purview of relevant provisions of the Indian Penal code for inciting hatred and inflaming religious sentiments.The chief offender has been Narendra Modi himself.

Protect Democracy: Scrap PMLA, Defang ED

THE election manifesto of the CPI(M) for the Lok Sabha elections has raised an important issue which has a vital bearing on India’s democracy and the fundamental rights of citizens. This concerns the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and how it operates under the jurisdiction of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).The manifesto states “Replace PMLA with suitable law to prevent misuse. The ED must be divested of its law-enforcement powers”.This is a timely and necessary prescription, if democracy and the rights of the opposition are to be protected.

Kejriwal Arrest: Rise Unitedly in Protest

THE arrest and detention of Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of Delhi, by the Enforcement Directorate is a turning point in the steady erosion of democracy in India. This brazen assault on the democratic system is a first in many respects. It is the first time a sitting chief minister whose party commands more than four-fifth majority in the assembly has been arrested, for the first time the head of a national political party has been put behind bars.

Hindutva-Corporate Nexus Revealed

THE details of the electoral bonds scheme released so far have strikingly confirmed the existence of the communal-corporate, or more specifically, the Hindutva-corporate nexus in the country. As per the data available, the BJP has been the prime beneficiary of the bonds scheme getting Rs 8,252 crores since the inception of the bonds in 2018.  This amounts to 50 per cent of the total amount redeemed through bonds.  This was a cosy arrangement between the ruling party and the corporates, which was legitimised by the Modi government.

Election-Eve Manoeuvres

THREE developments have taken place in the last week, on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections – one is positive and the other two are negative. The first issue is the Supreme Court’s order directing the State Bank of India to submit to the Election Commission by March 12 the details of electoral bonds and asking the Election Commission to put it up on their website by March 15.  This order comes in the wake of SBI’s appeal for a time of four months till June 30 to submit all the details about the bonds.The Supreme Court has firmly rejected this appeal and finally the people will come to know

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