Vikas Pathak

Columns

The day when revenge came disguised as justice

Calls for retributive violence do not constitute justice. Fair trials and stringent punishments do.

Columns

The New Right shows signs of disdain for education

Conservative, or moderate right wing, thought in India was one of the main agencies for the provision of quality education in the country over the last 100-150 years. That seems to have dramatically changed, and the present right-wing surge is being seen as synonymous with a new approach where quality public education is to be shunned as “elitist”.

Columns

What makes Pragya Thakur admire Nathuram Godse

For Pragya Thakur, as for Godse, nationalism is about Hindu hegemony and even supremacy. And, so, the killing of Mahatma Gandhi, the bridge between Hindus and Muslims in trying times, is not an act of treason. For those who value India as a nation belonging to all citizens, it remains treason.

Columns

Maharashtra secular CMP suggests Sena’s break with Hindutva

The Congress-NCP-Sena Common Minimum Programme also offers something for the Shiv Sena’s core constituency – it promises 80-% reservation in jobs for local youth, thus upholding its agenda of standing for a strong regional flavor in a state that houses Mumbai, India’s financial capital.

Politics

Maharashtra: Understanding the BJP and Ajit Pawar’s shock-and-awe alliance

Political parties would not have plumbed new lows but for their new belief that the masses appreciate this. They believe that people these days value quick action that shocks and awes more than consistent, reasoned, behaviour...

Columns

Amid JNU protests, here's what you need to know about educational subsidies

Fee hikes, like the ones announced by JNU and the IITs, will deny people equality of opportunity, with education remaining an option only for those who can afford it. The fact that many talents would never be able to get a chance to rise in life and serve society cannot be denied.

Politics

Congress and Sena coming together marks a new shift in politics

Secularism isn’t any longer the glue for the opposition. The new mood is one of anti-BJPism, reminiscent of the anti-Congressism of the 1960s and 70s, which would bring ideological foes together.

Columns

What are the social implications of the Ayodhya verdict?

The Ayodhya verdict, which hasn’t fortunately led to frenzy, spawns multiple possibilities, depending on how the stakeholders – meaning community leaders -- act in future. It can be best if other disputes aren’t raised, for if they are, it may just signal a complete shift in power relations in support of the majority.

Politics

Making sense of the Ayodhya judgment and its message

The Supreme Court, while interpreting the Hindu litigants' claim to the disputed land as stronger, tried to balance things by offering Muslims an alternative plot of land. The judgment was more than a mere title suit verdict; it sought a closure to a long-standing dispute.

Politics

What you need to know about the Ram temple dispute and verdict

The Ram temple movement had fundamentally altered the course of Indian politics, giving the BJP a boost and bringing the primacy of the Congress to a close.