-The Indian Express Elections are short term contests, but the political project of Democracy is a long game. Democracy is not just a set of institutions but also a set of values. The institutions are, minimally speaking, free and fair elections, an elected Parliament containing an executive and an Opposition to hold it accountable, an independent judiciary, a nonpartisan bureaucracy, a free media, and security of existence for all citizens. Democratic values...
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Amartya Sen slams Modi govt over abrogation of Article 370, says I am not proud as an Indian
-National Herald ‘Classic colonial excuse’, said Amartya Sen about the govt explanation of its decision of security clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir as preventive measures to prevent backlash that might cost lives Slamming the Narendra Modi government over scrapping of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, Nobel laureate Dr Amartya Sen said that it only emphasised majoritarian rule "as opposed to sustaining the rights of all human beings. I don't think ultimately...
More »How Consultative Has India's RCEP Strategy Really Been? -Albertina Almeida
-TheWire.in There is little doubt that the smaller stakeholders and businesses within India's informal economy have the most to lose, and yet their voices are not being heard. “Concluding RCEP [Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership] this year is the region’s ‘collective interest and highest priority’”, trade ministers of the proposed pact are reported to have announced after their meeting in China in early August 2019. India was interestingly not represented by trade minister Piyush...
More »Monarchy to long-term CM to instability: how did Sikkim get here? -Esha Roy
-The Indian Express Political instability is new to this relatively young state, where Chamling served as Chief Minister for 25 years starting 1994. New Delhi: Last week, Sikkim’s longest serving Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling, became the sole elected Opposition representative in the Assembly after the remaining 12 Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) MLAs defected, with 10 joining the BJP and another two joining the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM). Political instability is...
More »Incisive interventions that blunt the RTI's edge -Suhrith Parthasarathy
-The Hindu With the kernel of the Information Act under threat, the independence of the information commission is in peril When we describe India as a Democracy what do we really mean? Are we referring merely to a system of popular sovereignty founded in universal adult franchise? Or are we suggesting something more — perhaps an assurance, grounded in the Constitution, of a set of rights, of the rights, among others, to...
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