| Think of all the insult, slander, and calumny TDP leaders have heaped on Prime Minister Modi over time – terrorist to traitor. Why is the BJP allying with Chandrababu Naidu after all this, asked DK Singh. Jagan Mohan Reddy must be disappointed about Modi-Shah turning from friends into frenemies. But a smart politician that he is, he can’t miss the silver lining.
Heading for a third straight term in power, on the back of a trio of outstanding state assembly election victories, the thrust of the BJP’s 2024 election campaign is clear: one party, one election. But it needn’t be Opposition-mukt Bharat, wrote Subhasish Ray. No matter how much the elected populist leaders centralise political power, there are always some institutional opportunities for oppositional politics, even if circumscribed. Belarus and Turkey offer examples of how this can be done.
The role of political workers in the election campaign is underrated in the blinding lights of the star candidate. But a new survey looked at the differences between the BJP and Congress workers in Madhya Pradesh. It asked them three questions. Rahul Verma and Pawas Pratikshit analysed the findings.
A large share of Indian states’ total subsidies is spent on providing free electricity. Ninety-seven per cent of Rajasthan’s and 80 per cent of Punjab’s and Bihar’s total subsidy expenditure went toward electricity in 2020-21. But two other important dimensions are often overlooked in the context of state finances, wrote Renuka Sane.
I urge you to read three solid Ground Reports by my team. They unearth frustrating, fascinating and forgotten tales from across India.
RWAs in Indian cities are becoming self-appointed governance bodies that dictate who can live where. And it is affecting Muslim residents the most. Their moral policing tactics have made them akin to urban khap panchayats, wrote Shubhangi Misra. Animosity toward Muslims is evident in society WhatsApp groups and in the lack of assimilation of Muslim residents within these communities.
After the dizzying success of the movie 12th Fail, there has been a lot of attention on UPSC coaching institutes. One legendary hub is Mukherjee Nagar in Delhi. Hundreds of thousands of Indian youth flock to this neighbourhood every month to fulfil their UPSC dreams. But Delhi isn’t the only one. Nootan Sharma wrote about Chennai’s coaching hub in Anna Nagar and delved into what's similar and different between the two.
Krishan Murari travelled to Rajasthan and told us about a phenomenon called Gramdan villages. What began as an ambitious social revolution in the 1950s of donating land for the benefit of the entire village under Vinoba Bhave is today nothing short of a curse for the villagers. There are over 200 Gramdan villages in Rajasthan and the system has emerged as a stubborn obstacle in the 21st-century quest for economic aspiration and growth. | | | | Jagan must be disappointed about Modi-Shah turning from friends into frenemies. But a smart politician that he is, he can’t miss the silver lining. Read more... | | | | | | | No matter how much the proclivity of democratically elected populist leaders to centralise political power, they are bound to leave some institutional opportunities for oppositional politics. Read more... | | | | | | | A survey of 206 respondents after the 2023 Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, revealed fascinating differences in the average responses from BJP and Congress workers. Read more... | | | | | | | Many states dedicate a large portion of their subsidies to free electricity, but the true financial burden doesn’t show up in budget documents. Read more... | | | | | | | The larger national mood and conversations about hijab and namaz are percolating to the lowest citizen groups, the RWAs. Muslim residents are self-censoring and keeping a low profile and visibility to avoid trouble. Read more... | | | | | | | From Sivarajavel IAS Academy to Officers IAS Academy, hostels, libraries, eateries and study halls, Anna Nagar has established itself as serious UPSC coaching hub over the last decade. Read more... | | | | | | | Vinoba Bhave inspired many people to donate their land for collective ownership in the 1950s and 60s. Now, some Gramdan villages are fighting for ‘freedom’. 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. | | | |
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