An attempt is being made to change the narrative so that the proposal is seen as something the Election Commission wants rather than an agenda the Modi government is actively pursuing. On October 6, the Hindustan Times reported the observations of election commissioner O.P. Rawat in Bhopal in response to questions on the possibility of holding simultaneous elections […]
Although the BJP says demonetisation will target unaccounted money, it and other national parties have in the past failed to submit their income tax returns and disclose sources of donations. With its recent move to demonetise high-value currency notes, the government claims to be fighting the problem of black or untaxed money that has become […]
When a government which says it wants to remove black money tries to defend acceptance of foreign money by political parties and opposes transparency of political funding, doubts arise about its actual intentions. In the middle of the prime minister’s ongoing campaign against black money, an appeal filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress […]
केन्द्रीय सूचना आयोग के फैसले को डस्टबिन में डालने के बाद सरकार राजनीतिक दलों को सूचना अधिकार कानून 2005 के दायरे से बाहर करने की जुगत में है। सरकार के इस प्रस्ताव पर लेफ्ट-राइट किसी के भी ऐतराज करने की गुंजाइश नहीं है। पारदर्शिता और खुलासा हमेशा से ‘पड़ोस’ की वस्तु रहे हैं और राजनीतिक […]
The demand that political parties function democratically must come from the people Suhas Palshikar gave sound advice to those who wish to set up and run political parties in an appropriately titled article, ‘How to have a good party’ (IE, October 24). The article was followed, the next day, by Sanjaya Baru advising “an institute of management education” […]
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 […]
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 . […]
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 […]
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 […]