Since 2014, the BJP juggernaut has swept elections and changed India’s discourse on secularism. I have often criticised the Congress party for resorting to soft Hindutva, fearing that its historical secularism is costing it votes. The Congress felt that the […]
Soft Hindutva to hard on hate: Rahul’s secular pivot welcome Read More »
India will not be able to choose its policy stance in 2023; it will have to react to a very volatile global situation. In a best-case scenario, growth could zoom to 7%. In a worst-case scenario, it could sink to
2023 could be anything, from boom year to crash Read More »
The current fiscal deficit is already 6.4%, and this needs slashing in the medium term. However, that may not be possible in the short term, with a recession staring us in the face. That strengthens the case for a status
The case for a status quo Budget Read More »
The next general election in May 2024 is still some way off. But 2023 will be a dress rehearsal for the final act, with assembly elections in no less than nine states. After the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) thumping victory
Is Opposition unity possible, and does it matter? Read More »
India has rarely been number one in the world in anything—save failures. It was once number one beggar for foreign aid and food aid. For decades, it was number one in the number of poor people. But how things have
How India went from ‘fragile five’ to Sensex-ational Read More »
Some BJP spokespersons believe that foreigners are trying to sabotage India’s economic growth by spurring agitations against projects of national importance. No, such agitations are intrinsic to democracy. The latest example was the stalling of construction at the mega-port at Vizhinjam,
Why India must learn to live with agitations Read More »
Please rethink your demand to abolish the National Pension System (NPS), the great reform that your own party enacted in 2013. Your party has brought back the old pension scheme (OPS) in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, two states where it rules,
Fund-mentally disastrous: Why a return to Old Pension Scheme is a giant freebie Read More »
Many are excited that India has become president of the G20, representing the world’s 20 biggest economies. But will this be little more than ceremonial? Cynics say the G20 is of little use other than photo-ops for its leaders. Created to organise
India must use G20 to push for weaker dollar Read More »
Not a day goes by without apocalyptic predictions of climate disaster. The COP27 summit in Egypt reiterated sundry climate targets while independent analyses oozed gloom and doom. The Economist had a cover story titled “Goodbye to 1.5 degrees,” groaning that the race to limit
No gloom and doom, we have solutions for climate change Read More »
The key hypocrisy in this story is that India’s private radio stations want to broadcast current affairs, but are prohibited from doing so. They are not allowed to generate any current affairs content, and can only repeat AIR news broadcasts,
Why government should stop telling television channels what to broadcast Read More »
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