Tag Archives: Politics

Fazal problematizes the contradictory government stand vis-à-vis ban on cow slaughter and a rise in beef exports almost at the same time. The steps which cater to divisive populism fell short of engaging with the impact it had on the livelihood issues of farmers as well as people engaged in subsidiary industries. The pitiable condition of Gaushalas which fail to provide decent living conditions to the cows question the actual commitment of the government.

Divided into seven chapters along with a detailed introduction, including notes on sources, and conclusion, the book uncovers some of the aspects about both the universities which are hardly discussed and deliberated upon. For example, it is often stated that Jawaharlal Nehru once described Jamia as ‘a lusty child of the noncooperation movement’ and sent a special message on the Silver Jubilee of Jamia on 10 September 1946.

In a sudden move, on June 20, 1948, the Madras Ministry led by Omandur Ramaswamy Reddiar issued an order imposing Hindi once again on the population. The difference this time was that Hindi was imposed as an elective second language along with other south Indian languages.

In order to improve Census accuracy, Kumar proposes a number of measures such as strengthening bureaucratic accountability, streamlining Census schedules, securing the release of data on time, and engaging respondents more intensively

The introduction (‘Sojourning for Truth’) and the Epilogue (‘The Last leaf’) bring the book to our pressing present and show us the mirror. Bela recalls, she was a four-year-old when famine raged Bihar’s countryside in 1967 and she heard about poverty for the first time.

Bakshi drives home the point that if one has to remain true to Vivekananda’s teachings, then the issue of fanaticism needs to be tackled head-on. Interestingly enough, though, Bakshi argues that ‘the death-knell of all fanaticism’ is not a point of arrival, but an ‘arduous and an ongoing process’ (p. 107).

Needless to say, Modian Consensus: The Rediscovery of Bharat remains an appropriate intervention in the growing plethora of relevant analyses of current politics in India. The recently concluded general elections and the results thereof, however, appear to have put a spanner in the works of the developing Modian Consensus! Not only has the BJP suffered quite a noteworthy electoral setback, the role of coalition partners—and therefore, coalition politics in general—has emerged stronger and more robust

A lengthy discussion on the importance of the Constitution in the making of the Indian Republic is found in the chapter titled, ‘Citizen and Community’. The section provides critical insights into the complexities associated with the drafting of the Indian Constitution. The process of its drafting has been delineated in detail by the author. Along with underlining the important role that Ambedkar and other members of the Constituent Assembly played in the making of the Indian Constitution,

he pivotal chapters, ‘The Turning Point’ and ‘Behind High Walls: Naxalite Narratives’, mark a significant shift as the author delves into the Naxalbari uprising and the ensuing political mobilization in the twin cities of Naxalbari and Srikakulam during the 1970s. Through in-depth testimonies and case studies, the author brings to the forefront the lived experiences of women political prisoners like Kalpana Bose, Joya Mitra, Rita Banerjee, Rajashri Dasgupta and women guerillas such as Shanti Munda.

This brings us to John’s fourth issue in the book, that of caste; in discussing the Indian caste system in the fourth chapter, John contrasts the sociological and sacral conceptions of caste. He refers to Marc Galanter’s framework, which had put forward three models of caste—the sacral, sectarian, and associational models. Whereas the sacral conception of caste sees the different castes in India ‘as constituent parts of a unified Hindu religious order’

Beginning with a well-analysed nineteen-page Introduction, raising and underlining several issues and processes relating to the office of the Prime Minister, she quotes Atal Bihari Vajpayee saying, ‘The higher you go, the more lonely you are.’ This sets the tone of the analysis that shows a Prime Minister as a human, who attempts to survive amidst competing pressures, aiming to triumph politically. In the process, a VP Singh ends up changing the politics of the country for all time to come despite a short tenure.

The author has attempted to provide a general theory of nasty politics across contexts. He contends that despite the differences in the three aforementioned contexts, the rationale behind employing nasty politics is essentially the same. In all of these contexts, name-calling and insults are usually more acceptable than provocation and intimidation.

The ‘unity talks’ between these political groups envisioned the Hyderabad State as a single political unit within the Commonwealth of India. However, as Mantena explores the frictions between regional autonomy and national freedom further, the Hyderabad State administration saw these assertions by the political groups as attacks on its ‘historical identity as an inheritor of Mughal legacy in South Asia’. Along with overtly political groups asserting their political ambitions

This volume is a reflection upon the idea of a democratic, secular and inclusive India which KR Narayanan cherished. His rise as a Dalit boy from Travancore to India’s presidency embodied these values.

Divided into seven different sections that are modelled on a cookbook, Patel begins the first section by unpacking the nuts and bolts of the state, highlighting the remnants of the colonial past that continue to haunt the present. A major section of the book is about foregrounding the contradictions entailed in the Constitution and the actual workings in the everyday.

The book’s four chapters examine four widely held social media theories in detail. Terms such as ‘Love Jihad’, ‘Population Jihad’, ‘Forced Conversions’ and ‘Muslim Appeasement’ have made their way into our everyday conversations. This book forces us to look closely at these words that have infiltrated our quotidian conversations and pushes us into asking the right questions.

The Supreme Court of India put the sedition law on hold, suspending pending criminal trials under the section, and asked the Union to reconsider the British era law, which was a paranoid response to the 1857 rebellion,

Maya, Modi, Azad is focused on Dalit politics in Uttar Pradesh (UP), critically examining the decline of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) after its dramatic loss of power in the 2012 Assembly elections.

Purkayastha’s view is singular, having first been jailed during the 1975 Emergency and then again in October 2023 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act when he and his NewsClick colleague Amit Chakravarty were arrested. Alongside the arrests, the residences of several journalists and people associated with NewsClick were also raided.
Purkayastha and Chakravarty continue in jail.

In beginning her book by repeatedly invoking the image of Gandhi’s prayer meetings as a counter to the violence of the Partition, the author is emphasizing a conception of secularism that many others have noted as specific to South Asia. At these prayer meetings,