Independence Day came and went with Chinese soldiers still occupying Indian territory along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). It is about time the Modi government answers some serious questions. Why did Prime Minister Narendra Modi fail to execute the longstanding response to Chinese intrusions: a quick, focused counter that creates bargaining space and facilitates …
Continue reading What Modi needs to explain about China’s intrusions
After the furore over the Modi government imposing President's Rule in Congress-ruled Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand -- in seeming defiance of the Supreme Court's 1994 Bommai judgement -- supporters have pointed out that previous governments have used Article 356 more frequently to remove state governments: https://twitter.com/rupasubramanya/status/714094610306322432 There are two obvious problems with this line of argument: Legitimacy. It fails …
In his 25 Sep 2014 speech at the launch of Make in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the initiative as a "lion’s step" towards promoting Indian manufacturing and generating millions of jobs. Amitabh Kant, who oversees the programme, stated in a subsequent interview that "Make in India is like a movement reflecting a new mindset of growth in …
Continue reading Ab ki baar, cut-and-paste sarkar: the case of Make in India
In an Indian Express op-ed on 11 January, political scientist Paul Staniland argues that we shouldn’t lose too much sleep over Pathankot-style terror strikes because “despite understandable public outcry and past success, these spoiler attacks will be increasingly ineffective for the Pakistani military and its non-state allies”. One reason for this, he argues, is that …
In a pointed analysis on Scroll.in using data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Shivam Vij shows that the rate of rioting in India (per 100,000 population) has fallen continuously since 1992, reaching a plateau around 2003 and remaining pretty much constant since then. Vij is correct that the Manmohan Singh years have been the most …
Continue reading Manmohan years still most peaceful despite riots uptick in 2012/13
Chunauti 