EACH YEAR , CONSTITUTION DAY IS observed routinely on November 26 to mark the adoption of the Constitution of India on November 26, 1949, with leaders making solemn speeches and exhortations. This year, too, it was no different with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the joint session of Parliament to mark the 70th ConstitutionDay.Opposition parties boycotted the function to register their protest against the manner in which the Centre and Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had colluded to install a minority government in the State and thus facilitated horse-trading. So the official function at the Central Hall of Parliament could only be an exercise in symbolism. The Centre, according to reports, has planned a year-long awareness campaign across the country on the constitutional rights of citizens and to make reading of the preamble to the Constitution mandatory for all Central and State government officials.
The political developments in Maharashtra between November 23 and 26, which were triggered by the controversial decision of the Centre to lift President’s Rule in the State, suggested that rather than the people and officials, it is the high-ranking constitutional functionaries in New Delhi and in the States who need to learn the values of the Constitution in order to succeed in achieving its goals.
On November 23, President Ram Nath Kovind issued a Proclamation, saying:
“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of article 356 of the Constitution, I, Ram Nath Kovind, President of India here by revoke the Proclamation issued by me under the said article on the 12th day of November 2019, in relation to the State of Maharashtra with effect from the 23rd day of November, 2019.”
There was nothing unusual about the wording of the Proclamation, except what it concealed: its timing.
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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.
