BETWEEN THE LINES
71 years on, frosty relations continue
It was August 12, 1947, three days before India became free. My father, a practicing doctor, summoned us, the three brothers, and asked what our plans were. I told him that I wanted to stay in Pakistan just as the Muslims would in India.
Lynching to nowhere
More gruesome details about the Alwar lynching have come to light. Rakbar Khan, the victim, could have been saved if the police had acted in time. In fact, the force stopped for tea and wasted three and a half hours in reaching the victim to the hospital. He bled to death. If one were to put all the pieces together, one would come to the conclusion that the police delay was deliberate.
Can Imran Khan be the man of the people?
The army in Pakistan seems to have devised a way where a particular person is elected even without a valid cause. Imran Khan is a product of such phenomena. Long before the latest elections, his name was tossed around.
Dangers to secularism
I recall after the Independence, politician and diplomat Syed Shahabuddin articulated the Muslim point of view. He did not ask for separation but suggested a self-rule for Muslims within the country. Nobody took him seriously, not even the Muslims because the partition had brought misery to both the communities.
Rift in India-US relations
An autocrat can really unhinge a democratic system. This is what President Donald Trump is doing. But he is also turning into an imperialist power.
A modicum of truth
I feel honoured that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken notice of my criticism. Indeed, he praised me and said: “I respect veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar ji, he fought for freedom during emergency, he maybe a harsh critic of us but I salute him for this.” The prime minister and I are on the same page when it comes to the criticism of the emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, the then prime minister.
An apology overdue
Certain dates are so important in a nation's history that they cannot be forgotten.
A false step
Pranab Mukherjee is a man of all-political affiliations. He has occupied the highest position as a Congressman and has also floated a political party with a few of his associates in the Congress. But one can call him a self-made man in the political arena. He has accepted the invitation to visit the RSS headquarters at Nagpur to address the cadre.
Another futile attempt to switch over to Hindi
It was then Home Minister Gulzarilal Nanda who brought the question of Hindi to the fore.
Back to square one
We are back to square one. The Supreme Court has offered advise to the two parties, those who want the Babri Masjid to be reconstructed and those who claim that the site is that of Lord Rama's. In its judgment, the court has advised the different parties to sit together and sort out the problems through negotiations.
Discrimination laces democracy
However democratic we may be, discrimination on the basis of caste system has not diminished. Every day, in some part or the other, there are instances of Dalits being burnt alive. Only the other day, Dadri, near Delhi, was the scene of a Dalit family being consigned to fire.
Is the judiciary in peril?
Delhi University teacher GN Saibaba has been sentenced to life imprisonment for his links with Maoists. With due respect to the court, I beg to differ with the punishment.
A divided nation
The appeal to voters is still on the basis of caste and creed. Although the Election Commission has banned invoking the name of religion or community, political leaders continue to use them so blatantly because they know that Muslims [in India] do have a say when it comes to elections.
Seeming peace on the border
The good news from the India-Pakistan boundary is that it is calm. Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar has said in an interview that
V.K. SASIKALA vs. O. PANNEERSELVAM: WHO WILL TAMIL NADU CHOOSE?
Politics in the South is no different from that of the North. The personality cult dominates in both. People go mad over the leaders they prefer, and even go to the extent of self-immolating themselves in frenzy. The government has banned the practice but it has failed to stop it.
Ridiculing the Mahatma
It is hard to believe that the government financed Khadi Board printed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's picture in the familiar pose of
Centre-state relations going sour
One development which has gone unnoticed in the confrontation between Trinamool Congress and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is the delineation of relations between the centre and the states.
Indus Water Treaty: Can it be updated?
Islamabad has asked the World Bank to honour the Indus Water Treaty executed between India and Pakistan in 1960. This is in