If concurrent Lok Sabha and Assembly elections were to be a reality, it would go against the political diversity essential for addressing the social diversity of India. Though spoken about for quite a few years, simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies seem to be fast on their way to becoming a matter […]
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A journey for liberty
During the Dalit Asmita Yatra from Ahmedabad to Una, locals said in a steady voice that they simply want justice, not revenge ‘Jai Bhim’ and ‘Azadi, Azadi’ are the two signature slogans of the >Dalit Asmita Yatra from Ahmedabad to Una that culminated in a massive rally on August 15. There were several unique features of this yatra . […]
कब तक लूटेगा जनता का धन?
After Ink Fiasco, Do the Rajya Sabha Polls Need to Be Revamped?
Election Commission doesn’t have full authority to avert another pen fiasco in Rajya Sabha polls, by Jagdeep Chhokar (Congress suffered a blow in the recently held Rajya Sabha polls after an independent candidate backed by it lost the elections. At the centre of the controversy was the usage of a pen, other than the ink […]
Cost to Country: What Should MPs and MLAs Be Paid
The recent advertisement by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat House Committee reiterates that our ‘public’ representatives and ‘public’ servants do not consider public money to be their own, and thus show little accountability in its expenditure. The issue of salaries for members of parliament (MPs) and members of legislative assemblies (MLAs) has been a matter of […]
Surreptitious FCRA Amendment: The Empire Attempts to Push Back
The government appears to be seeking to counter news reports that are critical of the planned amendment to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. Since The Wire broke the story of the proposed surreptitious amendment of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010 (FCRA) to let the BJP and Congress off the hook for illegally accepting donations from foreign companies, there has […]
BJP, Congress MPs Must Recuse Themselves From Voting on FCRA Amendments
Given the obvious conflict of interest, the party MPs must make the honourable decision to opt out of voting on the amendments. It was reported in December 2015 that a “proposed amendment to section 2 (1) (h) of FCRA, 2010, has been sent to the law and finance ministries for their comments,” which would “make funding easier […]
A story of reckless lending
The problem of NPAs points to banks’ vulnerability to political pressure P. Vaidyanathan Iyer, in ‘Govt plans to defuse ticking bank bomb’ (The Indian Express, February 01), deserves congratulations for bringing out in public a proposal to set up an asset reconstruction company (ARC) with equity contribution from the government and the RBI, to deal with the […]
Towards Openness
Budget promises more transparency in poll funding. But why anonymous donors? The 2017-18 Union budget had an unusual feature, a section titled “Transparency in Electoral Funding”. Many commentators have hailed it as a positive step. But is it? An interview with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in this newspaper is revealing. He stated: “The present system […]
The Lokayukta Travesty
Because laws do not work, they are worked. The shenanigans of the UP government over the appointment of the Lokayukta (‘How Akhilesh Yadav tried to handpick Lokayukta until Supreme Court cracked down’, The Indian Express, January 12) is merely the proverbial tip of the iceberg. It is common experience that a large proportion of appointments […]