Opinion & Edits

Delhi hate speech case: A missed opportunity for justice

Aijaz Ahmed: A Marxist for our times

A David versus Goliath battle is set for 2024

As RIMC turns 100, a celebration of its legacy of courage

Delhi hate speech case: A missed opportunity for justice

Rekha Sharma writes: Police pleaded that the time was not right to file cases, despite the availability of evidence. Even more disturbing was the court’s acceptance of this plea.

Aijaz Ahmad: A Marxist for our times

Prakash Karat writes: His theory drew upon the tradition of anti-colonial, anti-imperialist movements. His contributions to the intellectual resources of the Left movement will remain an enduring legacy

March 15, 1982, Forty Years Ago: 20-point programme

The National Development Council gave its stamp of approval to the prime minister’s 20-point programme. According to Planning Minister S B Chavan, the approval was given with one state, Tripura, expressing reservation.

As RIMC turns 100, a celebration of its legacy of courage

Ashok K Mehta writes: Several alumni of the Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun, have distinguished themselves in service of the nation.

A David versus Goliath battle is set for 2024

Coomi Kapoor writes: The opposition has to take on a behemoth well-entrenched in government, bureaucracy, politics and the media

An Argentine couple lived on the road, travelling for 22 years. Meanwhile, the world changed — and hopefully, didn’t

For all that has changed in 22 years — poor countries have become middle-income ones, wars are back, as are tensions on the high seas — some things hopefully haven’t.

RSS worry about Muslims in government machinery is a worrying backsliding after signs of outreach

It comes at a time when the BJP’s electoral successes in the latest round of assembly elections should have paved the way for building on that outreach, not retreating from it.

India, Pakistan have acted with maturity in wake of missile incident. Delhi must conduct thorough probe, fix responsibility

Delhi and Islamabad must, at the very least, resume talks on conventional and nuclear confidence building mechanisms that have not been held for many years.

Monetising surplus land held by state is a good idea, it needs to be done with transparency, sensitivity to public interest

Considering that land monetisation is a complex process, entrusting this work to a separate agency is the right way to go about it.

Why the West should focus on China

Whatever the outcome of the Ukraine conflict, it heralds a transformation of the current world order

Selective cattle slaughter could be introduced in UP to contain the stray animals menace, keep dairy viable

The UP government should, as a starting point, allow slaughter of male cattle. These are the ones causing real havoc, both in fields and in streets.

March 14, 1982, Forty Years Ago: Ustinov’s Visit

The chief of the army staff General V K Krishna Rao is believed to have postponed indefinitely his visit to France in view of the next visit by Soviet Defence Minister Marshall Dmitri Ustinov who is arriving in Delhi on March 15.

Ukraine invasion, global wheat supply and India’s opportunity

Increasing wheat exports will not only reduce its food subsidy bill, but also compensate for the higher costs of imports of crude oil

How Ukraine was let down

Its hopes of democracy, socialism were belied

Message from New India in recent election results

It wants new ideas and a government with the right intent to keep the country firmly on the path of growth and development

BJP’s electoral victories are a result of a new kind of welfarism

The state offers benefits to citizens as acts of benevolence to bargain with them in the realm of competitive electoral politics

Voting for a ‘new’ India

It was not a bad slogan and indeed a worthy cause, but the tenor of the gathering indicated that it came from an old Congress playbook from a time when the language of political power was English.

Single-minded voters and others

P Chidambaram writes: We have just witnessed the results of elections in five states that are as different as the five fingers of a hand. I followed the course of the elections in three of the five states and shall therefore restrict my observations to those states.

Shades of grey: Red lipsticks, leather boots

Age-appropriateness is actually about bowing to everybody’s expectation but your own. The jersey top has to cover the hips, the kurtas must be comfort-fit, the sari cannot be a bright red, the make-up must be minimal, and the hair better not dyed anymore. Perhaps the right word should be age-attractiveness.

Looking for Jinnah at Azad Chowk, Moti Paneli

The RSS featured Jinnah among 200 “eminent persons” from Gujarat, at a recent exhibition organised as part of its Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha. The caption accompanying the photograph had said, “A barrister who was initially a staunch patriot, later the creator of India’s Partition on basis of religion.”

Inside Track: Who held the reins?

Conventional wisdom was that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would be under pressure if he won Uttar Pradesh narrowly; if it was a grand victory, he was here to stay and emerge as a potential successor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But nothing is ever certain in politics. The UP victory was as much Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s as Yogi’s.

How ‘Jhund’ challenges what we expect from mainstream cinema

Ria De writes: It holds multiple stories and genres, languages, skin tones, hair, bodies, genders and abilities, defying conventional logic of film narratives.

March 12, 1982, Forty Years Ago: Basu Sees Conspiracy

The West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu said that the Congress (I) administration had hatched a “conspiracy” not to hold elections in the state. He said that the plan was to somehow bring the state under President’s rule and delay elections till that time.

BJP’s position in Manipur: Fluid and consolidating

Kham Khan Suan Hausing writes: It remains vulnerable to power struggles amongst leaders even as it establishes itself in the state.