Last week’s column exposing Medha Patkar’s claims on the Sardar Sarovar Dam drew responses like how dare you attack a great activist; large dams are bad; dam resettlement has a terrible history; tribals have been the biggest victims of displacement. […]
The real story of how Narmada dam oustees became crorepatis Read More »
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the US and its Nato allies quickly imposed tough sanctions on Russia, including the freezing of its foreign exchange reserves and suspension from the SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) payments system that
Who’s sanctioning whom? How the Ukraine screenplay has been reversed Read More »
Inaugurating several projects including a canal bringing Narmada water to Kutch, Prime Minister Modi said last week that Medha Patkar and her “urban Naxal” friends had opposed and delayed the Narmada project that had greatly benefited Gujarat. In fact, the
Medha Patkar was wrong on Narmada project Read More »
Is Bangladesh, the latest applicant for an IMF loan (likely to be $4.5 billion) going the same way as Sri Lanka and Pakistan? No, the other two went to the IMF after emptying their coffers whereas Bangladesh is seeking precautionary
Bangladesh’s Stitch in Time Saves Nine Read More »
After hailing India’s achievements in 75 years of Independence, I am today ashamed of being an Indian. We all know that the quality of justice in India can be unpredictable, and how sometimes evil triumphs and innocents languish in jail.
Bilkis case: Those who deserve noose should not be garlanded Read More »
India’s 75 years of Independence are replete with major achievements but failures too. Compared with several other developing countries, India falls short of a first division on most counts but merits a high second division. I am proud that a
Not a first division but a high second: The hits & misses in our 75-year journey Read More »
Chief Justice N V Ramana has, astonishingly, waded into the controversy of political parties promising endless freebies that could plunge countries into disaster. He says political parties do not want to curb such excesses, so a specialised body should tackle
A fundamental problem of democracies: What constitutes good and bad freebies? Read More »
Last week, I congratulated the Supreme Court in the Mohammed Zubair case for castigating police misuse of procedures to penalise free speech. Alas, its verdict upholding the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) will encourage the very harassment it had
SC’s verdict on PMLA encourages harassment it had criticised Read More »
India is currently the world’s fastest-growing major economy. Hurrah. But the combined fiscal deficit of the Centre and states exceeds 10% of GDP, horrendously high by international standards. High fiscal deficits can spur high growth for some time, but then
A global recession will pose enormous fiscal challenges. India must be prepared Read More »
Democracies prize free speech and criticism of public figures. Even false criticism of public figures does not qualify as slander in the US and other countries unless accompanied by malice. This can be irksome to politicians. Former Tamil Nadu chief
Netas should not go overboard on defamation suits Read More »
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