Ambedkar’s armies

Saharanpur’s Bhim Army is part of the tradition of organisations for the self-defence and cultural assertion of the Dalit community

Raja Sekhar Vundru |JUNE 09 2017

The Bhim Army in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh has brought movements of Dalit assertion to the forefront once again. In fact, it is being seen as an alternative politics for the community. However, the outfit is, in fact, one in a long line of pan-Indian Ambedkarite assertions. Coinciding with B.R. Ambedkar’s 77th birth anniversary in 1968, the Bhim Sena was born in Gulbarga, Karnataka, created by an Ambedkarite Dalit leader in the Nizam’s Hyderabad, B. Shyam Sunder. Bhim Sena was a volunteers corps, seeking equality and self-defence. Soon, it was able to strike terror amidst the perpetrators of atrocities against Dalits. Shyam Sunder was Khusro-e-Decaan,

THE INDIAN EXPRESS

Venezuela’s Descent Into Dictatorship

Protesters in Caracas, Venezuela, on Friday. CreditAgence France-Presse — Getty Images / Picture from THE NEW YORK TIMES

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EDITORIAL | MARCH 31 2017

A ruling this week by Venezuela’s Supreme Court stripping the nation’s legislative branch of all authority — and vesting that power in the court itself — moves a country already beset by violence and economic scarcity one step closer to outright dictatorship.

The decision means essentially that every arm of Venezuela’s government is now under the thumb of President Nicolás Maduro, whose supporters have gone to great lengths to wrest authority from the National Assembly, which has been dominated by a slate of opposition parties since early 2016. The country’s top court, which is packed with Maduro loyalists, had already invalidated every major law passed by Congress. On Wednesday, as part of a decision involving the executive...THE NEW YORK TIMES

Victor and the vanquished

BJP’s dominance could turn into hubris. But what if opposition’s despair turns into more timidity?

PRATAP BHANU MEHTA | MARCH 13 2017

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Picture shows celebration / Image via Google

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Narendra Modi has scripted another spectacular political triumph. Before the election, there was a lot of hollow speculation; after the election, there will be many post-mortems. But there is no denying one straightforward fact: Modi is an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals of popular politics. He has reduced his competition to minions fighting over scraps. He has weathered every criticism. He has taken every risk and put himself on the line. He has defied every prediction, and written his own script of popular acclamation. No conventional wisdom of politics applies to him. Modi still manages to make other parties look like tired, corrupt, negative emblems of the past; people still repose faith in him as the energetic, clean, dynamic, hopeful repository of the future. No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, it will be churlish not to acknowledge this political fact.

The election consolidates the BJP’s dominance. The BJP’s triumph in UP, coming on the heels of a strong showing in local polls in Maharashtra and Orissa, consolidates its electoral dominance. This is made more robust by its social dominance — its social base now has an unprecedented depth and breadth. It has negated ossified…

THE INDIAN EXPRESS

Pakistan humiliated by south Asian countries’ boycott of summit

SEPTEMBER 28 2016

| JON BOONE AND MICHEAL SAFI |

Four south Asian countries are to boycott what was set to be a historic regional summit in Islamadad in November, dealing a humiliating blow to Pakistan and isolating it diplomatically.

India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Bhutan all said they would pull out of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meeting following a collapse in relations between Pakistan and India, the subcontinent’s nuclear-armed rivals.

Statements by the region’s foreign ministries echoed India’s criticism on Tuesday night, which blamed “increasing cross-border terrorist attacks and growing interference of the internal affairs of member states” for Delhi’s decision to boycott the conference…THE GUARDIAN

DONALD TRUMP’S SNIFFLING, HUMBLING DEBATE DEBACLE

 

SEPTEMBER 27 2016

| MATTHEW COOPER |

“How are you, Donald?” Hillary Clinton asked as she shook her opponent’s hand onstage Monday at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. She wasn’t going to use the “Mr. Trump” honorific like some sort of Apprentice contestant. Trump, of the other hand, asked her if “Secretary Clinton” was a good label, then slipped and used “Hillary” a few times.

Debates are often won or lost on such details, or on how well you prepare and execute. If you’re attacking Janet Yellen, the head of the Federal Reserve, who is not exactly a familiar name, you’re wasting your time. Trump did just that, while for most of the debate, Clinton was calm and assured. She was not easily rattled. Most importantly, she exploited her opportunities and…NEWSWEEK

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Press Pointed Attacks in Debate

NBC host looks on as Donald and Hillary warmly greet each other

SEPTEMBER 27 2016 |  PATRICK HEALY and JONATHAN MARTIN 

Donald J. Trump relentlessly attacked Hillary Clinton over trade and her private email server during their fiery first debate on Monday night, often brusquely interrupting her, while Mrs. Clinton portrayed Mr. Trump as unqualified for the presidency and lacking facts to back up his arguments.

After initially approaching Mrs. Clinton with uncharacteristic restraint, even making clear to her that he would address her as “secretary,” Mr. Trump confronted her aggressively. He noted that her husband, Bill Clinton, signed the North American Free Trade Agreement into law and accused her of wanting to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

“Nafta is the worst trade deal ever signed everywhere,” Mr. Trump said, invoking a pact that is deeply unpopular in several swing states, and then added that the Trans-Pacific Partnership “will be almost as bad.” After Mrs…NEW YORK TIMES

Ten Years And Waiting

MAJA DARUWALA | SEPTEMBER 22 2016

Anniversaries and birthdays are joyous occasions. The 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s judgement in the Prakash Singh case should be one of them — a reason to look back with pride at the court’s seven directions in its September 22, 2006, verdict aimed at propelling police reform. The judgement was intended — but perhaps not expected — to kick-start police reform.

On paper, the directions pull together recommendations generated since 1979. They make up a scheme, which, if implemented holistically, will cure common problems that perpetuate poor police performance and unaccountable law enforcement. The design requires states and the Centre to put in place mechanisms to ensure that: The police have functional responsibility while remaining under the supervision of the executive; political control over the police is kept within legitimate bounds…INDIAN EXPRESS

Justice eludes

SEPTEMBER 20 2016 | PRASHANT BHUSHAN AND RAVINDRA BADGAIYAN | INDIAN EXPRESS

A lackadaisical and limping judiciary has far more serious consequences for society than the harm it inflicts on individual litigants. It is rule of law that distinguishes us from pre-historic barbaric societies. The very foundation of civilised society rests on justice. Today, corrupt elements in government, business, politics flout the law with impunity and without fear of punishment. The authority to punish lies with the judiciary. The police, the CBI and even the much-publicised Lokpal can only…INDIAN EXPRESS

Capital Cop-out

MAJA DARUWALA | SEPTEMBER 09 2016 | INDIAN EXPRESS

Delhi accounts for 25 per cent of the crime — 670,000 plus criminal cases in 2015, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) — reported from the 53 mega cities in India. The city beat its own record of the previous year by three per cent.

The steady climb in crime figures for the city could be because people are reporting more crimes, police stations have become more accessible, and police are indeed registering complaints. That said, Delhi remains an unsafe city. The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative’s 2015 Crime Victimisation and Safety Perception report of Delhi and Mumbai households found that in Delhi, only half of crime victims actually went to the police and only half of the reports were registered. So the actual number of crimes could be four times higher than the official figures.

While crimes by ordinary people are underreported, the exceedingly low numbers…CONTINUE READING