ThePrint Opinion Mailer | Saturday 16 April 2022 | In My Opinion By Neera Majumdar, Assistant Editor | | |
If you are looking up at the sky for rain, you’ll be disappointed despite IMD’s prediction of a ‘normal’ monsoon this year. In the finer details lie the threat of droughts, intense rainfall and low crop yield, pointed out agriculture expert Shweta Saini and former agriculture secretary Siraj Hussain. The other storm struck when Amit Shah wanted to make Hindi the go-to official language in all states. Opposing English in the government sector has dangerous implications for Dalit/Adivasi communities, wrote author and activist Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd. And why is it that Bengal and much of North India failed to produce any Ambedkar, Phule or Periyar? The Bombay and Madras movements were led by the oppressed castes, whereas the Bengal Renaissance was a Bhadralok project, wrote Dilip Mandal. Meanwhile, violence in Bengal points to one clear thing – Mamata Banerjee’s TMC is its own opposition. The intra-party fight over power, money and clout is leading to more attacks and bloodshed, wrote political analyst Rajat Roy. JNU is back in the headlines. Shedding blood over food choices on campus is hard to digest. The JNU unit of the ABVP is a terrible advertisement for the RSS students’ wing, wrote alumni and political editor DK Singh. Across the border, there is a new PM in Pakistan. But Imran Khan’s changes will take years to undo – he, like Zia-ul Haq, wanted to make the country a religious state. Jinnah never did, wrote Pakistani advocate Yasser Latif Hamdani. | | Anything that disrupts monsoons, affects the economy. And 2022 won't be different. Read more... | | | | First Brahmins benefited from the pro-English agitations of Tamil people. Now Amit Shah's agenda is harming Shudra/Dalit/Adivasi global job prospects. Read more... | | By Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd | | | | | Almost all prominent social reformers and anti-caste leaders emerged in two geographical and administrative locations—Bombay and Madras presidencies—during British rule. Read more... | | | | Opposition parties in West Bengal are so weak and demoralised now that they don't put up any meaningful resistance to the TMC. But that space has been filled by the TMC itself. Read more... | | | | Get ready for fractious debates on JNU with two arguments — It's home to ‘anti-Hindu’ elements, and RSS wants to dictate food choices. Both are baseless. Read more... | | | | Religion was just not the point of the idea of Pakistan. Imran Khan's mix of faux patriotism and religious populism will plague the country for decades. Read more... | | | | | Read more of ThePrintOpinion here. You are receiving this because you are a reader of ThePrint and posted a comment or signed up to receive this newsletter. We appreciate your feedback. | | | |