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An independent publication carrying authoritative opinion and the best of Indian reportage. Edited by Siddharth Varadarajan, M K Venu and Sidharth Bhatia.

10/12/2024

S.M. Krishna, former external affairs minister and Karnataka chief minister, passed away today, December 10. He was 92.

The news agency PTI has quoted a family source as having said that he was ailing for some time.

Krishna was born in Karnataka’s Mandya district in 1932. He first won the Maddur state assembly seat in 1962 as an independent.

Read more at:
https://thewire.in/politics/s-m-krishna-former-karnataka-cm-and-external-affairs-minister-passes-away

10/12/2024

We must ask for no references to Gaza/Palestine/Israel as it’s a very sensitive topic in our area. If these topics are included it drastically changes our risk management plans for events. Thus for safety and harmony we kindly ask the guest speakers avoid these topics and any questions about it that come up.

Sam Wallman and I received this message from our publicist, one day before an event at a suburban library about our coauthored book.

Read more at:
https://thewire.in/world/a-future-of-dust-on-gaza-writers-have-a-responsibility-to-take-sides

10/12/2024

Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia will contest the upcoming Delhi assembly elections from Jangpura instead of Patparganj, a seat which he has won three times, and which will now be contested by new entrant to the party, Avadh Ojha.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) released its second list of candidates, which included 20 names on Monday, December 9, which saw former UPSC coach Ojha being named in Sisodia’s traditional seat. Ojha only joined the party last week.

Read more at:
https://thewire.in/politics/manish-sisodia-delhi-elections-jangpura

10/12/2024

It certainly cannot be a mere coincidence that two sitting judges of the Allahabad High Court should have allowed themselves to be persuaded to share a Vishwa Hindu Parishad platform. And judging from the tone and tenor of one of the two judge’s intemperate remarks on the VHP stage, not much persuasion was needed. To add insult to injury, the High Court’s premises were at the VHP’s disposal.

Read more at:
https://thewire.in/law/hindutva-jurisprudence-and-a-gauntlet-thrown-down-at-chief-justice-khanna

10/12/2024

In the first structured diplomatic engagement after the Awami League government’s ouster, India on Monday (December 9) expressed its desire for a “mutually beneficial” relationship with Bangladesh, while raising concerns about the safety of minorities.

Bangladesh, in turn, voiced apprehension over “propaganda” by the Indian media and the repeated statements made by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who remains in exile in India.

Read more at:
https://thewire.in/diplomacy/india-bangladesh-first-foreign-secretary-level-talks-after-hasina-ouster

09/12/2024

The members of the INDIA bloc are planning to move a no-confidence motion against vice president and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, The Wire has learnt from sources.

According to sources, the Congress party is steering the resolution and seeking the support of other INDIA parties. Sources added that a total of 70 signatures have been obtained. However, sources in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) said that their signatures had not yet been taken.

The development comes after the Rajya Sabha saw heated scenes and repeated adjournments on Monday (December 9) as the Treasury benches demanded a discussion on the alleged links between the Congress and US billionaire George Soros accusing the Opposition party of collusion to “destablise” parliament and derail India’s economy. Accusing him of being partisan, Opposition members said Dhankhar was allowing a discussion on the issue despite rejecting notices under Rule 267, and also accused the Treasury benches of diverting attention from the bribery allegations against the Adani Group in the US.

Read more: https://thewire.in/politics/opposition-mulls-no-confidence-motion-against-vice-president-jagdeep-dhankhar

09/12/2024

Eat less meat, fly less, don’t use plastic: The changes we need to make to lower global emissions can often be tough sells. But one effective strategy is a win-win. Retrofitting buildings to be more energy efficient could drastically reduce emissions, while also making residents healthier, more comfortable and more financially secure.

“It’s a case where we can have our cake and eat it,” says Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, an environmental scientist and climate expert at Central European University in Vienna and vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

This is no marginal issue: Buildings and construction account for at least 37 percent of global carbon emissions. Partly, these are operational emissions — keeping the lights on and keeping buildings warm or, increasingly, cool enough for people living and working in them. But as buildings become more energy efficient and their energy sources increasingly renewable, the carbon produced by the materials and construction of the buildings — known as embodied carbon — can make up more than half of their environmental impact.

Read more: https://thewire.in/science/the-great-green-building-makeover

09/12/2024

‘House Paralysed’: VP Dhankar Keeps Mum as BJP MPs Discuss Soros-Cong Despite His Rejection

Zeeshan Kaskar reports

09/12/2024

Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has made a disruptive intervention in oppositional politics by offering to lead INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) ostensibly to make up for Congress’s deficient leadership against the Narendra Modi juggernaut.

This has created an impression that the opposition is grappling with an internal power struggle and that its collective struggle against RSS-BJP dominance is not on top of its priority list.

Banerjee had said in an interview some days ago, “I had formed the INDIA bloc, now it is up to those leading the front to manage it. If they can’t run the show, what can I do? I would just say that everyone needs to be taken along.” Asked if she would take charge of the bloc, she said: “If given the opportunity, I would ensure its smooth functioning.”

Read more: https://thewire.in/politics/mamata-banerjee-rahul-gandhi-india-bloc

09/12/2024

In August 2022, France’s President Emmanuel Macron went on a major visit to the north African country of Algeria. As part of the tour, Macron visited the coastal city of Oran, where he drove out to see Disco Maghreb – the home of raï music. Raï, which means opinion or advice, refers to a musical genre developed in Oran out of popular wedding music performed with hand drums, flutes and clapping. With the influence of Egyptian popular music and new instruments from the trumpet to the guitar, raï or wahrani music took up modern themes of love and despair, and of course politics. With the start of the anti-colonial war led by the National Liberation Front (FLN), raï singers were encouraged by the FLN and by society to sing about the struggle. In the 1964 song called El Khayene, Ahmad Saber sang, O traitor, your days are numbered. No matter how long it takes us, we will hold you to account! It was to the home of this form of music that Macron had come.

Read more: https://thewire.in/world/france-get-out-african-sovereignty

09/12/2024

Addressing an event organised by the Hindutva extremist group Vishva Hindu Parishad, a sitting judge of the Allahabad high court, Shekhar Kumar Yadav, said that India would function only as per the wishes of the “majority,” referring to the Hindu community, and fell just short of endorsing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s provocative slogan calling for Hindu unity, ‘Ek rahenge toh safe rahenge.” He even used the controversial term “kathmulla” to refer to a section of Muslims who engaged in practices such as having four wives and triple talaq, describing them as “fatal” to the nation.

In a controversial 34-minute long speech delivered by him in the library hall of the Allahabad high court on Sunday, December 8, Justice Yadav made several references to the “ills” in the Muslim society, commenting that Muslim children could not be expected to be “tolerant” and “generous” as they are exposed to violence, “the slaughter of animals” from an early stage. In comparison, Yadav said, Hindus were taught about kindness from an early age and hence their children had non-violence and tolerance ingrained in them.

Read more: https://thewire.in/communalism/shekhar-kumar-yadav-allahabad-high-court-communal-event-speech

09/12/2024

Sanjay Malhotra, a 1990-batch IAS officer from the Rajasthan cadre, has been appointed as the new governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a three-year term, starting December 11, 2024. He is currently serving as revenue secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

As revenue secretary, Malhotra has handled tax policies related to both direct and indirect taxes. His extensive career spans various sectors, including power, finance, taxation, information technology, and mines. Malhotra holds a degree in computer science engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and a Master’s in Public Policy from Princeton University, USA.

Read more at:
https://thewire.in/government/sanjay-malhotra-appointed-new-rbi-governor

09/12/2024

India’s urban youth were once considered the backbone of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) political narrative – a demographic lured by promises of job creation, economic reform, and national pride. Yet, the findings from the recent YouGov-Mint-CPR survey highlights how far from reality this is. With 84% of the survey respondents being millennials and post-millennials, it is clear that the government’s policies have failed to deliver on the aspirations of those it claims to champion.

The employment mirage

For a generation raised on the rhetoric of “achhe din“, the survey paints a grim picture of economic reality. And vindicates the repeated data that despite their best attempts, the government has failed to counter, that the unemployment record under the BJP has been catastrophic. Compared to 2022, a significant number of young people now find it harder to secure jobs. While the BJP continues to boast of headline-grabbing infrastructure projects and corporate incentives, urban youth are asking for something far simpler – real opportunities and also the means to realise it.

Read more: https://thewire.in/politics/what-young-india-really-wants

09/12/2024

| In conversation with Karan Thapar, Talmiz Ahmad explains the alleged coalition of Turkey, Israel, and the US to reshape ’s geopolitical landscape, targeting Assad, Iran, and Russia.

Watch the full video on our YT channel

09/12/2024

The high voter turnout in the September and October legislative assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir demonstrated that, despite five years of near-total political disempowerment and strict military rule, Kashmiris have not lost their faith in democracy.

However, this fragile trust could be irrevocably shattered if the Narendra Modi government follows through on its determination to execute Yasin Malik, the chief of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), for a crime that occurred 34 years ago. While few Kashmiris may actually like Malik, he commands widespread respect.

Read the full piece by Prem Shankar Jha here:
https://thewire.in/society/yasin-malik-death-sentence

09/12/2024

| Meenakshi Tiwari is joined by Kallol Bhattacherjee and Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty to discuss how political shifts in Bangladesh impact India, especially the Northeast, with a focus on border security and communal tensions.

Watch the full episode on our YT channel

09/12/2024

A researcher was asked to prove his Indian citizenship before getting the answer to a query he had filed under the Right To Information Act, The Telegraph has reported, noting that this was a “very unusual occurrence.”

The state public information officer at Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital asked Sabir Ahamed, a researcher associated with Amartya Sen’s Pratichi (India) Trust, to prove his citizenship after he applied for information on medical administration in Bengal.

Ahamed, who is described in the report as a national research coordinator at Pratichi, had sought data from all 23 medical colleges in Bengal on their students, faculty and administrative employees, including details such as social groups to which they belong.

Ahamed sought to assess the representation of underprivileged groups in medical education and administration, he told the paper.

He also told Telegraph that he has made frequent use of the RTI and has filed “more than 2,500 applications in various departments of state and central governments” since the law came into being.
This is the first time he was asked for citizenship details. The SPIO’s communication said:
“In response to your RTI application…, the undersigned would like to mention that you have not declared in the said application that you are a citizen of India. Therefore we are unable to are unable to answer your queries until you provide proof of your Indian Citizenship.”

09/12/2024

The Narendra Modi government frequently posits India as a ‘Vishwaguru’ or world leader. How the world sees India is often lost in this branding exercise. Outside India, global voices are monitoring and critiquing human rights violations in India and the rise of Hindutva. We present here fortnightly highlights of what a range of actors – from UN experts and civil society groups to international media and parliamentarians of many countries – are saying about the state of India’s democracy.

Read the fortnightly roundup for November 15-30 here: https://thewire.in/media/india-globally

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