R Raj Rao

BBC

Ask the people what they want!

Opinion
Instead of having closed-door video conferences with Chief Ministers, why can’t the Prime Minister have a video conference with representatives of the public? And I mean grassroots representatives, not political representatives who live in ivory towers.
Yahoo News

Teetotalitarianism!

Opinion
At a time when the coronavirus has led to an economic catastrophe all over the world, India is a noteworthy example, certain industries, which do not interfere with the principle of social distancing necessitated by corona, but definitely with the principle of social justice, should be allowed to function. The liquor industry is one such.
narendra modi

Of Lives and Livelihoods

Opinion
The Prime Minister does not talk to us. He talks down at us, undermining our intelligence. His speeches begin with much rhetoric. He delays coming to the point. In his 14th April speech, he spoke of restrictions being relaxed from 20th April onwards, provided we obediently followed the rules, exactly as, say, a kindergarten teacher speaks to her students.
Seperation

The uncertainty of the laxman rekhas seperating us

Quick Reads
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown in India on 24 March, he asked us to draw a “Lakshman Rekha” outside our houses and not step out of it. He said that if we did not do so, we would recede by 21 years. Now, it isn’t clear what he really meant by that. Economically, the 21-day lockdown has already taken us back by much more than 21 years.
Coronationalism

Life and dignity in the times of 'CoroNationalism'

Opinion
It seems to me that the coronavirus has aided the ruling dispensation in its nationalist project. As Suhas Palshikar has suggested, it has automatically swept under the carpet critical issues before the government, such as the abrogation of Article 370 and the controversial CAA and NRC bill and enabled the regime to disband the protests at Shaheen Baug, which for months they were unable to do.
army kashmir

Welcome to the rule of ma'jor'ity

Opinion
Home Minister Amit Shah went on ranting on the floor of the Lok Sabha how the scrapping of Article 370 would be beneficial to the Kashmiri people in terms of integrating them with the mainstream. Really? If that were so, and there was cause for jubilation and celebration, why were the people of Kashmir themselves not out on the streets dancing and distributing sweets?