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06 May, 2009

Forming A Stable And Better Government
From A Hung Parliament

By Dr. Satinath Choudhary

Much has been made out regarding likely instability of the government out of hung parliament or fractured or fragmented mandate, which can actually give us a better, fairer and even more stable democracy than the ones obtained from a single party majority, lopsided or otherwise

14 March, 2009

Why BJP Went Back To Ram
By Gladson Dungdung

BJP is in a do or die situation. One should not be surprised if the Congress emerged as the biggest party in the next general election and instead of UPA another alliance headed by the Congress take oath at the centre as the people need peace, security and development instead of Ram Temple. In that case, Advani will lose a chance to say Jai Shree Ram forever and might blame his party leaders or lord Ram for it

06 March, 2009

Celebrity Influence In The Lok Sabha Election
By Abdullah Khan

Politics, which was once described as cesspool by none other than the Amitabh Bachchan continues to be in that frame but has, in fact, become dirtier and murkier. For the glamour world, celebrities from the world of cricket and cinema are not new to the political power circles. But with elections to the Lok Sabha round the corner, the bollywood and the cricket fraternity have suddenly become a fertile candidate outsourcing agencies for all major political parties

For The People By The People, Finally!
By Anjali Singh

Mooted by well known columnist Kuldip Nayar, People's Politics Front has been formed to build a political alternative in the country so that people's issues can be brought to center-stage

24 November, 2004

Big Winner In Indian Elections
Remains Best Kept Secret

By Thomas C. Mountain

The BSP increased the percentage of the national vote total it recieved in 2004 to 5.35% from 4.17% in 1999, over 25%, continuing a trend by increasing its percentage of the popular vote by nearly 50% since the 1996 election

19 July, 2004

Emergent Challenges Before The New Government
By Goldy M. George

The major challenge now is how the UPA government reverse the trends of imperialist globalisation and Hindutva fascism.In the past the Communists and Ambedkarites have taken the challenge against these two outgrown trends. Could they continue to resist and combat them?

20 June, 2004

Speedily Implement The CMP
By Praful Bidwai

The UPA has a historic opportunity on its hands-to transform domestic politics and India's global role. It must not squander it through indecision or pusillanimity

19 June, 2004

Options Before The BJP
By Valson Thampu

It would be a mistake if the BJP assumes that a return to militant Hindutva can revive its political fortunes

16 June, 2004

Hardline Hindutva Or Rudderless Drift -
The future of the BJP

By Praful Bidwai

The BJP can at best hope to operate as a pressure group, representing sectoral upper-caste interests. That's exactly what the Jana Sangh was

Indian Elections-2004: Implications
For Democratic Polity

By Ram Puniyani

Social movements will be faulting in their commitment to social issues if the divisive politics is not combated at social level. And this government must feel duty bound to morally uphold these initiatives for harmony and the efforts in the directions, which strengthen the grass root bonding and amicable atmosphere

15 June, 2004

How The Bharatiya Mundan Party
Took The Experience Of Defeat

By Githa Hariharan

Even a leader like Milosevic appeared on national television in October 2000 to make a gracious speech conceding defeat.In the elections of 2004, we witnessed a somewhat different kind of response to defeat — a response that ranged from sulky silence to farcical theatrics

06 June, 2004

New Secular Government And Its Secular Tasks
By Asghar Ali Engineer

The government by the United Progressive Alliance inspires confidence among minorities and the poor. However, this initial confidence has not only to be sustained but strengthened through proper action

05 June, 2004

Welcome UPA, Without Illusions
By Praful Bidwai

Unlike the common minimum programme of the United Progressive Alliance, government formation has been messy and driven by exigencies. P Chidambaram is an ideologically driven neo-liberal who, like many other Harvard Business School graduates, remains dedicated to "free-market" doctrines. Neither Mukherjee nor Shivraj Patil can be accused of being imaginative or firm in adhering to principle

03 June, 2004

Sonia Gandhi And The Hypocrisy
Of The Saffron NRIs

By Vijay Prashad

In the darkest of nights, the stars are seen clearest. The rule of Hindutva was a dark night, and the struggles of India's people had the luster of stars. Let us hope that these stars will rule their leaders, egg them to justice and refuse to entertain intolerance and cruelty again

01 June, 2004

Victory Of Secularism
By Asghar Ali Engineer

The minorities should have full faith in the Indian democratic system. Many Muslims had despaired that no change is possible. Some even joined BJP out of this desperation. All of them have been belied

Celebrating The BJP's Departure
By Praful Bidwai

The UPA's mandate is not just for growth or development. It is for equitable growth and for development which has people right at its centre. It is for healing and repairing the secular fabric of India, which has been severely damaged by the NDA over the past six years. It is for reintegrating the values of humanity and decency into the very core of Indian politics

25 May, 2004

India Rejects Neoliberalism And Communal Politics
Report By Insaf

Although the BJP led coalition was comprehensively beaten in the recent elections one should not look away from certain important factors. The progress made by the Congress appears to be the result of circumstantial and accidental factors while the BJP appears to be well entrenched and spread all over India despite apparent set backs

Three Cheers For Indian Democracy
By Ram Puniyani

Rot is setting in different aspects of India's polity and administrative machinery. Social welfare schemes related to education and health are collapsing. The sufferers of all this are of course the poor and deprived. And they have voted against the policies, which are ruining their lives

24 May, 2004

The Fight Must Go On
By Ganesh S. Iyer

The elections have seen the rout of the BJP from the political arena.The monster of communalism still stalks Indian society and has the potential to catapult its practitioners to power. The fight against communalism must go on

21 May, 2004

BJP's Allergy To Democracy
By Praful Bidwai

Sonia Gandhi's renunciation of the primeministership exposes the BJP as an egregiously intolerant party, which is deeply uncomfortable with democracy, and has contempt for political decency and Constitutional law

19 May, 2004

Sonia Gandhi's Dilemma
By Niranjan Ramakrishnan

A combination of religious and political interests in India is trying to subvert election results by forcing the congress president Sonia Gandhi keep out of the prime ministership applying a distinction based purely on race -- bypassing the constitution!

Exit Chandrababu Naidu
By George Monbiot

The poster boy of neoliberalism, Chandrababu Naidu is voted out in Andhra Pradesh

17 May, 2004

Is Sonia Gandhi Eligible To Become
The Prime Minister?

By Ram Puniyani

Is being a citizen not good enough for holding any post of the people find you fit enough for that? Sonia Gandhi or no Sonia Gandhi the guidelines should be derived from the constitution

‘Feeling Good’
By Beena Sarwar

Indian elections, a view from Pakistan

Bye, Bye, Mr. American Pie Vajpayee
By Niranjan Ramakrishnan

Atal Behari Vajpayee's tenure as prime minister of India will be remembered, as a squandered opportunity, mistaking galloping consumption for real upliftment

14 May, 2004

BJP Defeated In India
By Harish Khare

The Indian electorate has decisively rejected the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance and has voted in a Congress-led coalition spearheaded by Sonia Gandhi

Let Us Hope The Darkness Has Passed
By Arundhati Roy

For many of us who feel estranged from mainstream politics, there are rare, ephemeral moments of celebration. Today is one of them. The rightwing BJP-led coalition has not just been voted out of power, it has been humiliated

Rural India Humbles Vajpayee
By Edward Luce

"This is a cry of impatience for corrupt and self-serving politicians to finally start delivering the goods."

Mass Media vs Mass Reality
By P. Sainath

Elections 2004 brought back to the agenda the issues of ordinary Indians

Sonia's Journey From A Small Town In Tuscany
By Randeep Ramesh

Sonia Gandhi's rise from small-town, postwar Italy to the whitewashed British Raj bungalows of Delhi is a story of love and death in India's political cauldron, culminating in the most sensational victory since India became independent in 1947

27 April, 2004

The Responsibility Of The Voters
By Ganesh S. Iyer

Elections 2004 are going to be a defining moment for Indian democracy. This election perhaps may decide whether this country remains secular or it turns theocratic under the Hindutwa fundamentalists. The responsibility of the voters is tremendous

25 April, 2004

BJP's Overtures To Minorities
By Ram Puniyani

This election (April2004) is very crucial to survival of Indian democracy. Its also crucial for those who want to bring in Hindu Rashtra, as having been in the seat of power from last six years, the victory in this election will give them a lever to push forward their agenda at a higher speed

22 April, 2004

Power, Reality & Dream Merchants
By Aman Namra

Dream merchants have again arrayed pawns & pieces of dreams and promises on the chessboard of Indian election. Common masses are being lured and beguiled by the major parties

21 April, 2004

India Shining – Lies, And The PR Firms That Sell Them
By Raja Swamy

The BJP-NDA’s “India Shining” PR campaign is a project of the global PR giant ‘Grey Global Group’. The 7th largest PR firm in the world, Grey Global’s operations have earned notoriety in the United States on account of the activities

20 April, 2004

The Shadow People
By Bhaswati Chakravorty

Orissa’s migrant labourers are always away from home during elections

The Bizarre World Of Realpolitik
BY N C Gundu Rao

Intimidatory tactics now adopted in the run-up to the polls veers on the edge of fascism and bodes ill for a democracy

18 April, 2004

Muslim Dilemma In Atal Times
By Zafar Agha

Election-2004 is surely a difficult election for Indian Muslims.Vajpayee's image-makers are recasting the BJP as another liberal party.The Congress's attitude towards Muslims has been and is still, "vote us but don't expect anything from us"

Congress-BJP And Electoral Choices
By Ram Puniyani

What ever be his stated motives the likes of Arif Mohammad Khan are joining BJP, is it that a sheep, outraged by the inefficiency of the shepherd deciding to befriend the wolf himself?

17 April, 2004

Voting For Your Favourite Millionaire
By P. Sainath

It is quite likely that most — if not all — of those elected could be worth, on an average, between Rs. 50 lakhs and Rs.1 crore. How representative will they be of voters whose annual average income does not exceed Rs.12,000?

Saffronisation, Adivasis And
The Politics Of South Gujarat

By Dionne Bunsha

It is because political parties have deflected attention from development that many voters may not turn up to vote. Not in disgust. But simply because many villages such as Kadvali are empty. Migrants cannot afford to vote

07 April, 2004

Bharatiya Janata Party: Political
Agenda-Economic Policies

By Ram Puniyani

Essentially BJP is not a party of modern era, the one, which can keep all the economic and social progress in tune with times. More so it is very biased and partial towards a narrow social groups

25 March, 2004

Goa- Secularism Under Threat
By Rajan Narayan

The choice before the people in the Parliamentary elections in Goa is between a corrupt Congress and an equally corrupt and rabidly communal Bharatiya Janata Party. Tragically it is the senior leaders of the minority community who are colluding and conniving to further the designs of the BJP. RAJAN NARAYAN warns that voting for the lotus will endanger the
unique tradition of communal harmony and fusion which is Goa's most cherished and precious legacy

23 March, 2004

A Manifesto For Democratic India
By Harsh Mander

First discussion draft ll for the conference on RESISTANCE to be held in DELHI on 4 th April in the context of the General Election of 2004

22 March, 2004

Shining Delusions
By Praful Bidwai

BJP claims that India is shining, but a closer look reveals to the contrary

21 March, 2004

Tampering With Voting Machines
By Dr. Satinath Choudhary

"I am worried that the electronic voting machines may simplify
hijacking of the upcoming election." An Open Letter to the Election Commission, India

BJP's Consolidation Will Be Hard
To Break In Chhattisgarh

By Yogendra Yadav

The BJP's real success in consolidating its base in Chhatisgarh has been in dividing the adivasis, who constitute about 32 per cent of the population

18 March, 2004

Is Vajpayee Another Nehru?
By Mani Shankar Aiyar

They cannot be compared. They are, in fact, a study in contrast

15 March, 2004

The Millions Who Cannot Vote
By P. Sainath

By having elections in April when millions of the poor migrate in search of work, we are simply excluding an ever-growing number of citizens from the vote

10 March, 2004

Stampeding Through The Heart Of India
By Raja Swamy

Mr. Advani begins his yatra from Kanyakumari hoping to garner as much political mileage as possible, while stampeding on the heads of hapless Indians, with thousands of paramilitary cadres hell-bent on destroying any pretenses of democracy left in India

05 March, 2004

Elections 2004-Protents For Future
By Ram Puniyani

A victory for BJP in the coming national elections in India, with or without allies will push the country more towards the goal desired by RSS. The creeping fascism in the society can be transformed into an aggressive Moditva as and when planned

04 March, 2004

Can India 'Shine' Under Hindutva?
By Asghar Ali Engineer

Those who think that India can politically shine only if secularism goes strong can never accept a dispensation in which the BJP is a dominant partner. And the day BJP wins majority of its own one can expect all kinds of steps to convert India into Hindu Rashtra. Then India will never shine again

25 February, 2004

Hindutva Culture And Electoral Alliances
By Nalini Taneja

Despite the recent victories in the assembly elections one can say that in electoral terms the BJP remains just where it was in the last round of national elections. In ideological terms it is much stronger than it was in the last round, primarily because its social and political vision finds favour with and reflects the prerogatives of the ruling classes better than any other party

21 February, 2004

India Shining: Ram, Raymond
And Goan Holidays

Advani admits that the NDA government got the 'feel good' inspiration from a Raymond Suiting ad. Hence you have the glossy ‘India Shining’ images chasing and mocking at you wherever you go

10 February, 2004

Why It Is Imperative To Defeat BJP
By Harkishan Singh Surjeet

General Secretary of the Communist Party of India, Marxist argues why BJP and its allies should be defeated in the forthcoming parliament elections

30 January, 2004

Ayodhya Mayhem Machine As Mascot
By I.K.Shukla

Mr. Vajpayee has announced he would launch the poll drive for Lok Sabha with Ayodhya Pranam (Salute to Ayodhya). This is tantamount to declaring that the electorate has to vote Hindu Terror back to power

22 January, 2004

Is ‘Feel Good Factor’ Good Enough For NDA?
By Pankaj Vohra

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) started with an advantage over the Congress initially, its inability to forge a concrete alliance in the southern states would not only become a cause of great worry for the party but could also tilt the balance in favour of its opponents