South Asia

South Asia

Today’s UPA-Left meeting will ignore the real and rational arguments just as the debate so far has done

As the United Progressive Alliance-Left joint committee on the US-India nuclear deal meets today, it’s highly unlikely that the Left will agree to any further negotiation on the agreement. Whether or not this meeting substantively discusses the safeguards (inspections) agreement drafted with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Left’s veto will probably stand.

Short of an early election, the deal is dead for all intents and purposes, at least for now.

Requiem for the India-US nuclear deal?

JUST days after the United Progressive Alliance launched what looked like a determined last-ditch effort to ram through the United States-India nuclear deal, the agreement seems ready to go into cold storage, if not oblivion.

It’s almost certain to miss the US political timetable, which requires that the deal be sent to the Senate by May for ratification. After that, it would be near-impossible to pass it before the presidential election. This is a major victory for India’s Left parties and the peace movement.

A budget for the urban rich, not farmers

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The Indian government's write-off of farmers' debts will not end the grave agrarian crisis that has driven 150,000 farmers to suicide and pales into insignificance beside the tax concessions offered to corporate taxpayers and rich individuals.

CONTRARY to media hype, Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s latest budget does not set a new direction. Nor does it address the huge imbalances in India’s recent growth pattern.

Afghanistan and the Pakistan crisis

Scarce attention to poverty alleviation and blind reliance on military might has brought the western forces in Afghanistan to a standstill. Putting Pakistan into the equation is a key to any solution in Afghanistan.

India needs some healthy populism

With elections 14 months away, the Congress Party lacks a clear political strategy: if is to win the elections it should rely less on 'media training' and more on the policies and programmes that prioritise the interests of the majority.

NOW that India has to have the next general election within 14 months, if not earlier, the Congress is making moves to face the contest, if not quite fight it. It’s doing so without its heart in the exercise.

The Pakistan verdict: an Indian view

The voter has severely punished the PML-Q's stalwarts, including a galaxy of former Ministers and Pakistan's most venal and shrewd politicians. They belong to well-entrenched "political families" with strong clan and kinship connections. They know which side of the bread is buttered and typically win all elections -- no matter on whose ticket. Their ignominious defeat clarifies the central meaning of the results.

The message for Musharraf is simple. He asked the people to vote for his supporters. They resoundingly rejected his appeal.

Pakistan votes for democracy

The vote against the ruling coalition headed by the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), a puppet of Gen Pervez Musharraf, is a referendum against the establishment, including the army, and a vote for democracy.

The Pakistani people, long chided, cheated, and put down by military rulers, have emphatically affirmed their democratic sovereignty and delivered a stinging verdict against the ruling coalition headed by the Pakistan Muslim League (Q), a puppet of Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Bringing Raj Thackeray to Book

Instigators of hate speech in Mumbai have enjoyed impunity for too long, and the release of Raj Thackeray, the leader of xenophobic Navnirman Sena party, after only three hours, will not spread the message of tolerance.

AFTER much dilly-dallying, the Mumbai police finally arrested Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief, Mr Raj Thackeray last week for inciting ethnic violence and rioting. This is a non-bailable offence, which entails imprisonment for up to 3 years. Yet, Mr Thackeray was released on bail within a mere 3 hours.

Musharraf's missiles

Western leaders lecture Pakistan's president on democracy, while ignoring a much greater threat: the country's nuclear arsenal

Three days after President Musharraf returned to the continuing political crisis in Pakistan, he found time to travel to an undisclosed location (on Friday) to witness the test of a nuclear-capable missile.

Stockmarket illusions

The most striking dimension of today's world economy is its huge and uncontrolled financialisation, which is not being invested in production and is merely benefiting a few multi-billionaires.
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