From Madhya Pradesh to Delhi to Jharkhand to Chhattisgarh, agencies of the BJP governments have literally been on the rampage. The fake encounters, the oppression of people fighting for their rights, and the curbs imposed on the media bring back memories of the Emergency days.
“Every generation must keep reflecting on the Emergency period in an unbiased manner so that no future political leader can even wish to commit the same sin.” This was one of the points stressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Ram Nath Goenka (RNG) journalism awards function in New Delhi on November 2. He also spoke about other issues concerning the media, particularly on the need to maintain credibility in journalism. It was the kind of performance that should have won him hands down an award for the most ironic political speech if there was ever such a category of awards.
The timing for bestowing such an award would also have been perfect since the months of October and November have been characterised by unparalleled violations of human and democratic rights by not only the Modi government but also a number of State governments headed by his associates in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). From Delhi to Madhya Pradesh to Chhattisgarh to Jharkhand, agencies of the BJP governments have literally been on the rampage. The abuse of power and the administrative machinery took many forms. From fake encounters to oppression of people fighting for their rights to ill treatment of a deceased military veteran’s family to a ban on a leading television channel, such incidents brought back memories of the Emergency days. While almost all these incidents were attributed to BJP governments, a security-level collaboration between the Andhra Pradesh government, in which the BJP is a minor partner of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and the Odisha government, led by the Biju Janata Dal, resulted in a massive strike on left-wing extremists (LWE), once again giving rise to suspicions that questionable methods of assault were employed.
Esta historia es de la edición November 25, 2016 de FRONTLINE.
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Esta historia es de la edición November 25, 2016 de FRONTLINE.
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How Not To Handle An Epidemic
The lockdowns were meant to buy time to put in place appropriate health measures and contain the coronavirus’ spread, but they have failed to achieve the objective and heaped immense misery on the marginalised sections of society. India is still in the exponential phase of the COVID-19 infection and community transmission is a reality that the government refuses to accept.
Tragedy on foot
As the COVID-19-induced lockdown cuts the ground beneath their feet in Tamil Nadu, thousands of migrant workers are trudging along the highway to the relative safety of their upcountry homes.
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Scapegoating China
As the COVID-19 death rate spikes and the economy tanks in the United States, Donald Trump and his advisers target China and the World Health Organisation with an eye to winning the forthcoming presidential election.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
No love lost for labour
Taking advantage of the lockdown and the inability of workers to organise protests, many State governments introduce sweeping changes to labour laws to the detriment of workers on the pretext of reviving production and boosting the economy.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Understanding migration
When governments and their plans are found to be blatantly wanting in addressing reverse migration, exercises such as the Ekta Parishad’s survey of migrant workers throughout India can be useful to work out creative long-lasting solutions.
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
