Inder Malhotra

Mar 31, 2010
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Inder Malhotra

Polity & its plight

Without doubt Narendra Modi’s victory in the Gujarat Assembly elections, third in a row, is impressive. Yet many, principally the Congress propagandists, are trying hard to downplay it. Union finance minister P. Chidambaram’s declaration of his party’s “clear victory in Gujarat, too”, in addition to that in Himachal Pradesh, was pathetic.

Armed forces remiss, discipline amiss

From the Olympian mess that the Indian Olympic Association has made — and for which the International Olympic Committee has suspended it — to politicians in power or with clout shooting with impunity anyone, including police inspectors on crime scenes, the country is replete with intolerable monstrosities.

Talk peace, talk two-state solution

Those who believe that nothing more needs to be done after the Israel-Gaza ceasefire are dangerously mistaken.

A twisted tale of two parties

In a remarkably short time the shifting sands of Indian politics have brought about a change of fortunes between the country’s two mainstream parties, the Congress and the BJP.

With reshuffle, will UPA find its rhythm?

Like its belated new surge of economic reforms, the reshuffle of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s council of ministers is a “big bang” affair. The question, however, is whether the changes would produce the desired result, which would depend not on the shake-up of the old cast but on its performance.

Where’s the political will to fight rapes?

Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s sudden visit to Jind in Haryana was heartening. For she had gone there to meet the family of a dalit victim of a particularly ghastly rape in a state that seems to have become a land of unending rapes and other sexual assaults on women, especially those belonging to dalit families.

Mindless austerity

At a time of declining production, rising inflation and unchecked fiscal deficit — some hints from responsible quarters suggest that currently this deficit is a little higher than six per cent, as against the budget target of 5.1 per cent — austerity in the government’s spending is not just necessary but a must.

Fatuous defence of Shinde’s gaffes

One thing can be said with certainty: Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, the man in the eye of the storm over his baseless and bizarre statement that the country would “forget” the coal scam the way it had the Bofors, was not born with a silver foot in his mouth. Indeed, he is a man of modest origins who began his life as a bailiff in the sessions court at Solapur in Maharashtra, and later became a sub-inspector in the state police.

Near and dear

Though by no means unexpected, the enraged reaction of Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa to a friendly football match between visiting Sri Lankan schoolboys and a team of customs officials in Chennai is deeply distressing.

Death by apathy

Contrary to the earlier impression, the tragic crisis in Assam, created by last month’s orgy of violence and arson between the Bodos living in Kokrajhar and adjoining areas administered by the autonomous Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) and the non-Bodos, principally Muslims, in neighbouring Dhubri, hasn’t ended.

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