Founding Editor: Daya Varma (1929-2015)
Editors: Vinod Mubayi (New York) and Raza Mir (New Jersey).
Editorial Board: Ram Puniyani and Irfan Engineer (Mumbai); Pervez Hoodbhoy (Islamabad); Dolores Chew (Montreal); Vamsi Vakulabharanam (Amherst); Ajay Bhardwaj (Vancouver).
Circulation/website: Feroz Mehdi (On behalf of Alternatives, Montreal).
NEPAL
Monarchy ended a fortnight ago. Girija Prasad Koirala of the Nepali Congress resigned as the Prime Minister on June 27, 2008. Prachanda of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) is likely to be the next Prime Minister.
INDO-US NUCLEAR DEAL: IS THE LEFT GOING TO FALL ON ITS OWN SWORD?
Vinod Mubayi
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPM, has threatened to withdraw support for the Congress-led government of Manmohan Singh, which would precipitate parliamentary elections a year earlier than due. The issue is the Indo-US nuclear deal, which the Indian government supports but CPM thinks will push India into strategic alliance with the US. The likely beneficiary of this confrontation will be the champion of Hindutva, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
MARCHING INTO HISTORY OR OBLIVION – LAWYERS LONG MARCH
Kiran Omar
The unlawful removal of the Supreme Court and High Court judges by Pakistan by President Pervez Musharraf in November 2007 triggered a major resistance, which was joined by a large section of the civil society. All political parties made the restoration of the judiciary as a key point in their platform during the February 2008 elections. However, the coalition government that came to power is dragging its feet on this important issue.
DEMOCRATIC POSTURING: SECTARIAN AGENDA: CAN BJP BE COMMITTED TO PLURAL “INDIA”?
Ram Puniyani
With all its virtues, parliamentary democracy has room for a party with minority popular vote to form a government as recently happened in Karnataka; it also allows opportunistic politics, which can hide real motives as is the case with BJP. The actual agenda of BJP is dictated by its loyalty to RSS and BJP stand for a Hindu Rashtra, no matter what it says from time to time.
BJP RISING TO POWER AGAIN?
Asghar Ali Engineer
All major political formations are preparing for the parliamentary elections in India due in 2009. The main contenders are the Congress and the Hindu nationalist party BJP but both need alliance to gain majority. What is the agenda of different parties and why? Do political equations favor BJP, which just formed a government in the Southern part of India for the first time?
SKEWED MEDIA APPROACH TO TERRORISM
Yoginder Sikand
In this essay, Yogi Sikand writes how the Indian media ignores terrorist attacks by hardcore Hindu fundamentalist groups and leaders like Bal Thackeray but goes on and on against Muslims if a Muslim group is involved or the identity is unknown. He refers to a Urdu booklet, titled ‘Hamara Hindustan Aur Uske Fazail’ (‘Our India and Its Glories’), by the late Maulana Syed Muhammad Miyan, which provides evidence that India occupies the status of a Holy Place in Islam, which commands Muslims to revere India.
THE “ANGRY HINDUS” AND THE MUSLIMS
Kaleem Kawaja
Day in and day out the “angry Hindus” charge the power structure in India with the allegation that the government is eager to go out of its way to please Muslims. Since currently it is not possible to blame Muslims for oppressing Hindus, the attack is launched against the government for minorityism. The anger of these Hindus is directed at both the perceived appeaser and perceived appeased. The disregard for truth is extraordinary indeed.
INDIA’S RESERVATION POLICY DEBATED IN CANADA
Jai Birdi
While debating the Reservation policy in India, Chetna Association concluded that the policy has helped Dalits in different ways, writes Jai Birdi.
MIGRANTS FEEL HEAT AFTER JAIPUR BOMBS
Sanjoy Majumder
The life of nearly 350 Bangladeshi families on the outskirts of Jaipur has taken a further downwards dive since the bomb blast, which killed nearly 60 people, reports Majumdar for BBC News.
THE FAILURE OF SUCCESS AND THE FAILURE TO GOVERN: ‘REST OF THE WORLD’ AS CULPRITS FOR OIL INFLATION
Atul Sood
The claims of the mainstream media that India and China are culprits for oil price increase has little substance and attempts to hide the role of speculators and financiers on whose behalf the global economy is being run. The Indian government could easily cut oil duties and raise income tax and thereby share the burden of oil price increase either with corporate India or the large Indian consuming middle classes. The threat of bringing the government down in India, on oil price increase, mostly by the left parties, defies logic, especially when, bulk of the rural population and poor households still depend on their energy needs on solid fuels; the increase in oil and related product price is more of a concern for the upper income groups and that too in the urban areas. The real challenge then is to convert the fight against oil price increase to a fight for access to cleaner and efficient energy for the poor households.
SHIFTING BALANCE
Pritam Singh
As global capital moves East, developing economies need to understand the importance of not aping the entrenched lifestyles of the West.
QAWWALI AT HINDU MANDIR IN MONTREAL
Daya Varma
I got an email from Arif Khan, one of the organizers of the Kabir Cultural Center, informing me of “Qawaali at Hindu Mandir in Montreal” that was held on April 6, 2008. I found it an exciting event and sent this information to a few friends; here are their responses:
A PLAY: ADAAB MAIN PREMCHAND HOON (Good day! I am Premchand)
Ideal Drama and Entertainment Academy (IDEA) has been staging 4 one-act plays by legendary writer Munshi Premchand in its series “ADAAB MAIN PREMCHAND HOON”.
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