Columnists

Christophe Jaffrelot

Christophe Jaffrelot is senior research fellow at CERI-Sciences Po/CNRS, Paris, professor of Indian Politics and Sociology at King's India Institute, London, and non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He offers valuable insights on South Asian politics, particularly the methods and motivations of the Hindu right in India.

The case for extending constitutional protections to Muslim and Christian Dalits

Tue, Apr 26, 2022

Christophe Jaffrelot, Phillip Varghese write: They are primarily Dalits and their Muslim and Christian identity is secondary, as evident in several cases of atrocities against Dalits

Criminal Procedure bill will not make Indians safer

Tue, Apr 05, 2022

Aditya Sharma, Christophe Jaffrelot write: It empowers police, governments to conduct such intrusive investigations with little accountability and few legal guidelines

India’s stance on invasion of Ukraine is troubling

Thu, Mar 24, 2022

Christophe Jaffrelot, Jean-Thomas Martelli write: It has reduced the war to a territorial conflict between two comparable evils, invisibilising civilian resistance and diluting the responsibility of Russian aggression.

Why it is important to remember Ehsan Jafri

Tue, Mar 01, 2022

Christophe Jaffrelot writes: Freedom fighter and unionist, Jafri belonged to the tradition of progressive politics in Gujarat.

Tackling India’s unemployment wave

Wed, Jan 12, 2022

🔴 Trishali Chauhan, Christophe Jaffrelot write: Across sectors, age groups and gender, there has been an increase in joblessness, which cannot be blamed solely on the pandemic

What NFHS-5 data reveals about gender in India

Thu, Dec 30, 2021

🔴 Christophe Jaffrelot, Trishali Chauhan write: There have been small steps towards progress, although Indian women still lag behind in literacy, and gender-related violence has increased in many states

Across India, minorities are overrepresented in jails

Sat, Dec 11, 2021

🔴 Christophe Jaffrelot, Maulik Saini write: This is a clear indication of the communalisation of the police that tends to prevail, irrespective of the ideology of the ruling party.

Why India’s pro-rich, anti-poor taxation policies must change

Sun, Nov 21, 2021

Christophe Jaffrelot, Vihang Jumle write: Taxing the well-off could help raise resources to deal with important issues like climate change.

Why India’s green façade is cracking

Fri, Nov 12, 2021

Christophe Jaffrelot, Hemal Thakker write: Even though it has invested in renewable energy and announced a net-zero target, there is a gap between the announcements and the ground reality, as is evident from the promotion of coal.

EU, India and the Indo-Pacific

Thu, Oct 21, 2021

Christophe Jaffrelot writes: India does not figure prominently in the EU's Indo-Pacific strategy. The Chinese challenge might change that.

The BJP’s Patel conundrum in Gujarat

Thu, Sep 30, 2021

Christophe Jaffrelot, Sharik Laliwala write: Recent reshuffle does not address socio-economic issues plaguing the state and has faulty electoral arithmetic, thus leaving open a window of opportunity for Opposition

Can BJP balance caste aspirations of voters with its core Hindutva appeal?

Tue, Sep 21, 2021

Christophe Jaffrelot, Prannv Dhawan write: The recent ministerial reshuffling in Union government and stance on OBC reservation show the party’s growing investment in caste politics.

Why a caste census is needed — and why it may not see light of day

Sun, Sep 05, 2021

Prannv Dhawan and Christophe Jaffrelot write: It would provide up-to-date data to calibrate reservation, but threaten social justice claims of a caste-conscious compensatory discrimination regime.

What happens to India’s ‘plurilateralism’ after Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

Fri, Aug 27, 2021

Christophe Jaffrelot writes: Geopolitical trends in the region and beyond point to the difficulty of sustaining contradictory pressures in New Delhi's foreign policy

How do Indian Muslims and Hindus compare in their attitudes towards identity and politics?

Sat, Aug 07, 2021

Christophe Jaffrelot writes: There are many similarities as far as the faith and tradition are concerned, but complete divergence when it comes to attitudes towards political culture.

Pew survey reflects growing affinity between majority community and Hindutva

Thu, Jul 22, 2021

Christophe Jaffrelot writes: Beyond this, it also illustrates the decline of reformist attitudes and resilience of caste.

Why is the Indian government so afraid of Twitter?

Fri, Jul 09, 2021

The social media platform is a casualty of the government’s fear of dissent — and it’s not the only one.

What makes PM Modi immune to political accountability?

Thu, Jun 24, 2021

Christophe Jaffrelot writes: It’s not just charisma, but also his image of ‘saintliness’ that protects him.

Supreme Court’s verdict on Maratha reservation ignores inequality within intermediate castes

Mon, Jun 07, 2021

This episode is one more missed opportunity by both – the state and the court – to acknowledge the growing socio-economic differentiation within the dominant castes, something the leaders of these castes do not recognise either.

What blinded government to the devastating second wave of Covid?

Mon, May 17, 2021

Among the obvious factors are hyper nationalism, concentration of power in the hands of a few and reliance on pseudo-scientific remedies.

In healthcare, Gujarat is in BIMARU league

Wed, May 05, 2021

With less than Rs 5 allocated for daily healthcare expenditure per person in its budget, Gujarat fares badly on numerous health indices.

Minority report: Polarisation in the Bengal polls could have repercussions for the state’s politics

Fri, Apr 16, 2021

The ongoing elections acquire significance not only because they may define the state and the country’s future, but the limits of the BJP and its Hindutva juggernaut could also be tested

What Ashoka University controversy says about the failures of private institutions

Fri, Apr 02, 2021

Greater push towards privatisation has implications for academic freedom and diversity in education institutions. For a more just, equal educational system, the state must have a role