Briefing

Rohingya refugees
Rohingya refugees face deportation threat
The return of military rule in Myanmar has upended the lives of the Rohingya refugees in India where they face the terrifying prospect of being deported by a Central government hell-bent on exploiting the situation for political gain.

COMMUNALISM
Petition challenging constitutionality of 1991 Places of Worship Act admitted by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court admits petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, giving rise to fears that this will reopen old wounds that were sought to be healed by the provisions of the Act.

INDIA & UNITED STATES
India now a major defence partner for the US as it gangs up on China
The U.S. recognises India as “a major defence partner” as it prepares for a confrontation with China. The special status gives India access to military technology but it comes with a caveat that India must not buy arms from Russia.

Controversy
The plot thickens in the case involving Sachin Vaze and the discovery of explosives near Mukesh Ambani’s home in Mumbai
Details emerging from the investigations into the bomb scare incident near Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai and Sachin Vaze’s involvement in it seem to indicate that the situation is less about the initial case and more about politicians and their desperation to hold on to power.

Maharashtra
High-voltage drama rocks Maharashtra government following the arrest of policeman Sachin Vaze
What started as a criminal case following the arrest of policeman Sachin Vaze flares into a political crisis for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government even as COVID-19 numbers reach new highs in the State.

Temple entry ban on Muslims
After temple entry ban, Dasna Muslims now suffer social apartheid
After a Muslim boy was assaulted for drinking water inside a temple in Dasna near Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, the surrounding areas have turned into a hotbed of communal tension.

COVID-19 Update
Spiralling irresponsibility behind rising number of new COVID cases in Maharashtra
Non-compliance with safety measures is causing numbers to rise in Maharashtra.

Party Affairs
Congress rift in Jammu and Kashmir and its larger political ramifications
The rift in the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir and the aggressive posturing by G-23 supporters in the party are a pointer to a larger discontent brewing over Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.

Movements
Four months on, the farmers’ protest continues unabated
Despite the steadfast indifference of the Narendra Modi government and its refusal to hold talks, the farmers’ protest has not seen any abatement. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has now announced fresh plans, including a march to Parliament from all all border points.

BIHAR ARMED POLICE BILL
Manoj Jha, RJD: ‘Protest will continue until Bill is withdrawn’
Interview with Prof. Manoj Jha, RJD spokesman.

COVID-19 Update
Second wave of COVID-19 in India
Even as India is in the throes of a second wave, having failed to use testing as a means of checking the spread of the pandemic, all that the Central government has done is to emphasise “COVID appropriate behaviour” and place the onus on the States.

Interview: Anil Chaudhary
‘The GNCTD Bill is unconstitutional and goes against the very nature of federalism,’ says Anil Chaudhary of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee
Interview with Anil Chaudhary, president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.

Interview: Sitaram Yechury
Sitaram Yechury: ‘The BJP should understand that without States, there is no India’
Interview with Sitaram Yechury, general secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist).

ASSAM ASSEMBLY ELECTION
The communal narrative in the Assam Assembly election
The BJP’s obstinate stand on the CAA, the resentment of those excluded from the NRC list and the unity of the opposition threaten to undermine its efforts to retain Assam.

BIHAR SPECIAL ARMED POLICE BILL
Bihar: Makings of a police raj
The opposition parties in Bihar have come out in protest against the Nitish Kumar government’s decision to create a special armed police force with draconian powers, a Bill for which was passed in the Assembly amid unprecedented scenes of violence.

Interview: Sanjay Singh, Aam Aadmi Party
Sanjay Singh: ‘A cruel joke on the people of Delhi’
Interview with Sanjay Singh, Rajya Sabha member, Aam Aadmi Party.

Interview: Sanjay Singh, Aam Aadmi Party
Sanjay Singh: ‘A cruel joke on the people of Delhi’
Interview with Sanjay Singh, Rajya Sabha member, Aam Aadmi Party.

COVER STORY
When laws subvert the Constitution
A solidarity against inhuman and unconstitutional laws is a democratic imperative in present-day India.

Cover Story
Federalism in peril
The Delhi government Bill and other legislative measures adopted by the Narendra Modi government and State governments headed by the BJP fit in well with the Sangh Parivar’s long-term project of dismantling the symbols and institutions considered anathema to the ‘Hindu ethos’.

The GNCTD Act
With the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021, the Centre has usurped the Delhi government’s powers
With the passing of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021, the Centre has usurped the Delhi government’s powers and overturned people’s mandate in favour of the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi.

Temple entry ban on Muslims
After temple entry ban, Dasna Muslims now suffer social apartheid
After a Muslim boy was assaulted for drinking water inside a temple in Dasna near Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, the surrounding areas have turned into a hotbed of communal tension.

Controversy
The plot thickens in the case involving Sachin Vaze and the discovery of explosives near Mukesh Ambani’s home in Mumbai
Details emerging from the investigations into the bomb scare incident near Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai and Sachin Vaze’s involvement in it seem to indicate that the situation is less about the initial case and more about politicians and their desperation to hold on to power.

Maharashtra
High-voltage drama rocks Maharashtra government following the arrest of policeman Sachin Vaze
What started as a criminal case following the arrest of policeman Sachin Vaze flares into a political crisis for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government even as COVID-19 numbers reach new highs in the State.

Movements
Four months on, the farmers’ protest continues unabated
Despite the steadfast indifference of the Narendra Modi government and its refusal to hold talks, the farmers’ protest has not seen any abatement. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has now announced fresh plans, including a march to Parliament from all all border points.

COVID-19 Update
Spiralling irresponsibility behind rising number of new COVID cases in Maharashtra
Non-compliance with safety measures is causing numbers to rise in Maharashtra.

COVID-19 Update
Second wave of COVID-19 in India
Even as India is in the throes of a second wave, having failed to use testing as a means of checking the spread of the pandemic, all that the Central government has done is to emphasise “COVID appropriate behaviour” and place the onus on the States.

Covid-19 Update
Recent research throws light on the significance of the role T-cells play in immune response against the coronavirus
Recent clinical research work carried out on COVID-19 convalescent patients has shown that the role of memory T-cells is significant in providing protection against the newly emergent variants.

COMMUNALISM
Petition challenging constitutionality of 1991 Places of Worship Act admitted by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court admits petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, giving rise to fears that this will reopen old wounds that were sought to be healed by the provisions of the Act.

INDIA & UNITED STATES
India now a major defence partner for the US as it gangs up on China
The U.S. recognises India as “a major defence partner” as it prepares for a confrontation with China. The special status gives India access to military technology but it comes with a caveat that India must not buy arms from Russia.

Controversy
The plot thickens in the case involving Sachin Vaze and the discovery of explosives near Mukesh Ambani’s home in Mumbai
Details emerging from the investigations into the bomb scare incident near Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai and Sachin Vaze’s involvement in it seem to indicate that the situation is less about the initial case and more about politicians and their desperation to hold on to power.

Maharashtra
High-voltage drama rocks Maharashtra government following the arrest of policeman Sachin Vaze
What started as a criminal case following the arrest of policeman Sachin Vaze flares into a political crisis for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government even as COVID-19 numbers reach new highs in the State.

Temple entry ban on Muslims
After temple entry ban, Dasna Muslims now suffer social apartheid
After a Muslim boy was assaulted for drinking water inside a temple in Dasna near Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, the surrounding areas have turned into a hotbed of communal tension.

COVID-19 Update
Spiralling irresponsibility behind rising number of new COVID cases in Maharashtra
Non-compliance with safety measures is causing numbers to rise in Maharashtra.

Party Affairs
Congress rift in Jammu and Kashmir and its larger political ramifications
The rift in the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir and the aggressive posturing by G-23 supporters in the party are a pointer to a larger discontent brewing over Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.

Movements
Four months on, the farmers’ protest continues unabated
Despite the steadfast indifference of the Narendra Modi government and its refusal to hold talks, the farmers’ protest has not seen any abatement. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has now announced fresh plans, including a march to Parliament from all all border points.

BIHAR ARMED POLICE BILL
Manoj Jha, RJD: ‘Protest will continue until Bill is withdrawn’
Interview with Prof. Manoj Jha, RJD spokesman.

COVID-19 Update
Second wave of COVID-19 in India
Even as India is in the throes of a second wave, having failed to use testing as a means of checking the spread of the pandemic, all that the Central government has done is to emphasise “COVID appropriate behaviour” and place the onus on the States.

Interview: Anil Chaudhary
‘The GNCTD Bill is unconstitutional and goes against the very nature of federalism,’ says Anil Chaudhary of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee
Interview with Anil Chaudhary, president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.

Interview: Sitaram Yechury
Sitaram Yechury: ‘The BJP should understand that without States, there is no India’
Interview with Sitaram Yechury, general secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist).

ASSAM ASSEMBLY ELECTION
The communal narrative in the Assam Assembly election
The BJP’s obstinate stand on the CAA, the resentment of those excluded from the NRC list and the unity of the opposition threaten to undermine its efforts to retain Assam.

BIHAR SPECIAL ARMED POLICE BILL
Bihar: Makings of a police raj
The opposition parties in Bihar have come out in protest against the Nitish Kumar government’s decision to create a special armed police force with draconian powers, a Bill for which was passed in the Assembly amid unprecedented scenes of violence.

Interview: Sanjay Singh, Aam Aadmi Party
Sanjay Singh: ‘A cruel joke on the people of Delhi’
Interview with Sanjay Singh, Rajya Sabha member, Aam Aadmi Party.

COVER STORY
When laws subvert the Constitution
A solidarity against inhuman and unconstitutional laws is a democratic imperative in present-day India.

Assembly elections
Kerala Assembly election: LDF government on its path to a record second term in office as predicted by all opinion surveys
The LDF banks on its achievements on public health, education and infrastructure development fronts to weather the challenges posed by the Congress-led coalition and the BJP.

Puducherry Assembly election
Puducherry Assembly election: Two fronts, too many problems
The main combines in the fray continue to trade charges even as they are plagued by internal issues.

Tamil Nadu Election 2021
Vanniyar reservation in Tamil Nadu: problems ahead
The Tamil Nadu government’s decision to provide exclusive reservation to Vanniyar will sow the seeds of dissatisfaction among other castes within the MBC category, disturbing social harmony.

Tamil Nadu Election 2021
Tamil Nadu Assembly election: Crucial role of straight contests
A study of past elections indicates that the 131 constituencies where the Dravidian majors are facing each other directly hold the key to determining who will emerge as the single largest party and form the government.

Tamil Nadu Election 2021
Tamil Nadu Assembly election: Winds of change
The DMK-led alliance forges ahead in the last leg of the campaign as the AIADMK government’s decision to give internal reservation for Vanniyars within the MBC quota proves to be counterproductive in southern and northern Tamil Nadu.