Q/Are you satisfied with the performance of the alliance in the District Development Council (DDC) elections?
A/Given more time and a level playing field, the alliance would have definitely fared better. The elections came as a surprise, and then our candidates were not allowed to move freely to campaign. We needed more time to unite our grassroots workers.
Q/How were the candidates prevented from campaigning?
A/The government detained many of our candidates at different venues under the pretext of security and did not allow them to move out for campaigning. Candidates who were at their homes were not allowed to visit their areas. The location and distribution of polling booths [deliberately] favoured particular parties.
Q/You said the government was using the police to coerce your elected candidates to change loyalties.
A/The government machinery is being used to tempt and intimidate the DDC members to switch sides and stop the alliance from getting the chairmanship. The police have got involved at the top level in this notorious operation. The choice is, you either fall in line and take the money or you go to jail. Those police personnel who don’t want to play ball have to face the music in different ways. Whatever good the government of India tried to portray by conducting these elections has been squandered away.
Q/A majority of voters in the Kashmir valley stayed away from the polls.
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Denne historien er fra January 24, 2021-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
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Men eye the woman's purse
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When trees hold hands
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Ms Gee & Gen Z
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Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
