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Demographic trend and the Hindu vote
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was convinced Muslims couldn’t coexist with Hindus. It’s another matter that he used a different excuse to further his agenda. Something that purportedly went by wanting to protect rights of Muslims in a Hindu majority India. Thus came into existence the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The country’s...
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Assam Riots 2012: A saga of death and denial
This is a guest post by a friend and well wisher of Centre Right India. The author can be found on Twitter as @vivekbabaji While Tarun Gogoi may dismiss that the entire state of Assam is not burning and only a few districts are it also goes on to highlight the...
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Illegal migration – A serious issue
This is a guest post by a friend and well wisher of Centre Right India. The author can be reached on Twitter at @IgnitedBrain This article attempts to explore the dangerous side of illegal migration that has plagued India for decades. The on going Assam riots have triggered a new...
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Historians in a bubble
As defined by its constitution its primary object is the “promotion and encouragement of the scientific study of Indian history”. That is the main objective of the Indian History Congress, a body with 9,000 members as claimed by its website. What does “scientific study” mean? Here’s what Wikipedia says –...
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The Warped Minority Debate
“All of us sitting here on stage have been outspoken advocates of secularism & the rights of Muslims” said a prime time TV news debate anchor on a panel debate at Jaipur Literary Festival. It is quite an interesting quote. Read it again. Much of the debate on minorities and...
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Book review: Lies with long legs
I came across this title last year while I was looking for a book on the Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT). There is plenty material exploring the scientific, geological, archaeological evidence debunking the theory. However I wanted something that examined those who proposed this theory, scrutinized their scholarship and saw how...
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“Meaningful autonomy” and article 370
“Meaningful autonomy” is the considered recommendation of the three interlocutors appointed by the UPA government for Jammu and Kashmir. This is according to what we have gotten to hear from the media and other sources so far. The report has not yet been made public. Until that happens we will...
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AFSPA and the debate in vacuum
A new storm is brewing over the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). We can credit this development to the young Chief Minister ofJammu and Kashmir Mr. Omar Abdullah who could not help but “think out aloud” wondering if he could lift the AFSPA from certain areas. The purported rationale...
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Secularism – the definition
Secularism: a doctrine that rejects religion and religious considerations That is how the Princeton University dictionary defines it. That of course is a short description. But who coined the word? Why did he/she coin it? What did he/she mean by it? The various encyclopedias tell us that one British...
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Open thread: Help chronicle events subverting constitution
Some pretty questionable political entities have been talking of the parliament and constitution lately. Barring a few exceptions almost all such talk is shrouded in rhetoric and completely bereft of facts. And it seems that those better at rhetoric succeed in creating a favourable impression about themselves and their party....
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Why cries for “no death penalty” are bogus
President Pratibha Patil confirmed the death sentence awarded to former Prime Minster Rajiv Gandhi’s assassins. The sentence itself came about after a long trial process in our courts. One would think that law being followed to its logical conclusion would be welcomed by all. But this is not the case....
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Debate or driving a wedge?
That our TV and newspaper debates have become didactic is increasingly apparent. But are they without any purpose? Without any motive? Why do opinion makers feel compelled to lead people in a certain direction? And does this direction lead people to a certain political choice while steering them away from...
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Why so didactic?
What is the overwhelming feeling one is left with when one has just experienced yet another primetime TV news debate or has read a column by our star TV journalists? Does one feel having experienced a debate? Does one feel all points of views were expressed? Does one feel the...
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Fanatical Secularism?
Secularism is the belief that government or other entities should exist separately from religion and/or religious beliefs. In one sense, secularism may assert the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and the right to freedom from governmental imposition of religion upon the people within a state that is neutral...