The current farmer agitation is one of the major protests.  It is an unprecedented protest which includes the participation of 12 million farmers and 14 million truck drivers.

It is a matter of great public concern that many rounds of talks and the seize around the nations capital borders have remained inconclusive.   Many national celebrities from various fields have decided to return their state honours in a show of solidarity with the agitating farmers. The farmers fear that the gains of the new farm laws would not percolate down to them.  And have expressed fears they may lose their negotiating power to the large corporates. 

 By pushing these laws in haste, the Government has lost out on the virtues of consensus.  It could have ensured the acceptance of its policies had it addressed the angst of the farmers.

The central Government claims that farmers will have unfettered freedom to sell their produce at higher prices in any market in India hereafter under the new legislation but the farmers fear of corporates dictating procurement terms is not altogether unfounded. With the dismantling of APMC Mandi’s and the government having no power to keep a watchful eye on the deals being struck between farmers and traders, there seems to be a greater possibility of farmers being exploited by the heavy cartelised corporate giants. Also, state governments stand to lose the revenue from the APMCs which fund the various farmers-related Welfare measures. The farmers proved that they cannot be fooled easily. And that they are aware of the nexus between the government and these corporates. Farmers feel that the major benefactors of these farm bills will Adani and Ambani's, who are known to be quite friendly with Prime Minister Modi and the ruling dispensation.  Adani, for that matter, is an expert in using political connections for business advantages. He also did that in Australia in ways that made the public put up placards saying “stop Adani.” India is different since Modi came to power. Adani's net worth increased 121% per cent to more than $26 billion by getting government tenders to build infrastructure projects.

The unloved question here is how to ensure that the reforms do not lead to monopoly or cartelisation. Equally important is the issue of federalism as Agriculture as such, is a state subject. The states play a crucial role in this sector, but they have been scarcely involved in the passing of agriculture laws.

Farmers have always borne the brunt of the natural calamities like floods, drought. And they labour endlessly in inclement weather. It's a pity that these annadatas themselves have to sit on roads to get their voice heard.  

According to the Global Hunger Index 2020, India ranks 94th among 107 countries, in terms of hunger and continues to be in the “severe” hunger category. This index is also an indicator of the poor human development of the country. Now, India is behind most of its south-Asian neighbours, including Bangladesh. Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Pakistan ranked 75, 78, 88 respectively, are also in the same category but are above India. Nepal ranked 73rd and Srilanka 64th are better off and are in “moderate” hunger category.

Many factors contribute to India’s “severe” hunger and the other hand the collective net worth of half of nation’s 100 richest people on 2020 Forbes India Rich list saw a rise of 14%. Sensex, an Index Of 30 companies actively trading on Bombay Stock Exchange, used to observe “the overall growth, Development Of particular industries, ups and downs of the Indian Economy closed at 38,673 points on March 31st 2018. One needs to consider all these, along with data released with the National Statistical Office, which shows that the Economic growth slumped to 11year low of 4.2 per cent in 2019-20. One school of thought holds that the rise in wealth-despite Corona -inflicted downturn-was partly due to the cut in corporate taxes from 35% to 25% last year. If you see the GHI, India is just better than Afghanistan among all south-Asian neighbours. Instead Of concentrating on religion, etc. Our policymakers need to wake to the reality of the situation and adopt a convergent approach to tackle this problem faced by our country.

The problem of hunger both in urban and rural areas should be tackled differently, as numerous factors contribute to this” severe” hunger status. There is a lack of stable employment, due to frequent migration, many have not registered with the system and hence do not receive the required benefits, not to forget the poor public distribution system. It’s advisable to have an autonomous PDS based on community-led procurement and storage. There is also a need to hold negotiations between centre and states on food and nutrition security measures and India needs to reevaluate its economic reform strategy and consider course correction to feed the hungry and create opportunities for gainful employment.

 I read a newspaper editorial titled ”Disastrous Disinvestment policy” which decries the move to disinvest profit-making public sector enterprises. A closer look at the PSUs on the chopping block reveals the flawed thinking on the part of the Govt whose only objective appears to be to handover profit-making state-owned companies to the favoured corporate groups. The government has failed the public sector by too much interference, reducing the autonomy of the management in respect of pricing, employment, purchases and marketing etc. If you recall, the dismantling of PSUs under the guise of disinvestment began during NDA1, which ended up disinvesting 7 PSUs, and the present dispensation has disinvested as many as 23 PSUs disregarding the interests of agitating employees. It is ironic that our PM who claims to have sold tea on Railway platform, during his childhood, should be contemplating to sell the very same Railways.  And I also feel, it’s preposterous to privatise LIC, an iconic organisation which is the pride of India with over 40 crores policyholders, having assists worth 30 lakh crores? Yes, its a fact that there are some inherent problems, like excess workforce, obsolete technology, inefficiency, lack of accountability etc. The public sector as such, is nobody’s baby, competition from the private sector, politically influenced unions. In my opinion, the burning problems of poverty and unemployment cannot be addressed without due support from the public sector. The government needs to change its policy on PSUs from disinvestment to revival and sell only those enterprises which cannot be revived at all. It also warrants a re-look at the move to sell of PSUs to raise resources. There is also an urgent need to strengthen the independence and autonomy of PSU boards.

 Bihar witnessed 52.24% turn out, in the first phase of Assembly Election, seems that people have voted wholeheartedly despite the ongoing pandemic, which itself is a sign of vibrant democracy. Bihar elections are no litmus test either for BJP-JDU combine, or LJP or even Mahagatbandhan, because each party has failed Bihar in every possible way. Nitish, who like a trapeze artist jumped from Lalu’s swing to catch BJP rope in time, made a mockery of the mandate. BJP shamelessly accepted the bait and went on to govern as if they are elected to rule.

If you see the trend of the campaign, vast crowds are turning out to attend the public meetings addressed by RJD’s Tejaswi Yadav in a clear indication that the young leader has captured the imagination of Bihar electorate. People’s response to such rallies enables us to see which way the wind is blowing. His promise to create 10 lakh new jobs, seems to have galvanised the youth. In contrast, Nitish turned out to be faring poorly in every way. He made booze ban his main plank. Of late his government has been facing flak over its handling of pandemic, particularly in the wake of the return of the lakhs of migrant workers to the state and resultant rise in unemployment and rural distress. The widespread damage caused by floods has further added to the woes.

Narendra Modi Ji has conveniently skirted his failure to fulfil the promise of special state status, and special package for state and establishment of a central university in Bhagalpur made in the run-up to 2015 Assembly Elections. As such Bihar is at the bottom of the pyramid of economic indicators, while Nitish being the CM of the state for 15 years, so he cannot blame Congress as usual for their failures, at least in this case.

Lok Jan Shakti‘s Chirag Paswan’s open hostility towards Nitish, and his idolisation of Modi Ji highlight that some moves in the game of politics are at times beyond our comprehension, as Lalu, the patriarch of RJD is in Ranchi jail, while veteran Sharad Yadav has been suffering from ill-health, and a prominent Dalit leader Ramvilas Paswan died recently. Their heirs seem to have not just taken over the reins but have also taken over the narrative this time. The LJP which has a strong Dalit support base, reiterated support to Modiji, while fielding candidates against JDU, has lent its credence to the argument that it was part of saffron party’s long term strategy to edge out Nitish.

As such Bihar being a politically significant state and the election results are bound to have a significant impact on the course of national political scenario.we may have wait for the remaining schedule to be finished to come to some conclusion 

t’s shocking to note that ahead of Bihar polls, the BJP has come out with a promise of free Covid vaccines for all in the state if voted to power. Deplorably the vaccine has become part of poll rhetoric even if it is non-existent. It's appalling to see that ”a party with a difference” is dangling the non-existent vaccine in front of Bihar voters to woo them. The electorate is sought to be dehumanised when they are asked to barter votes for vaccines. I feel it’s a sheer moral bankruptcy to attempt to make political capital out of a pandemic that has discombobulated our lives.

More shocking is the governments of Tamilnadu, MP following the suit by announcing free vaccine for all, as elections are going to take place soon, while TS also not lagging in offering free vaccines, keeping Dubbaka & GHMC Elections in view, without realising that it’s implicitly saying that official benefits will now flow selectively among those who vote for it as quid-pro-quo, which sounds as bad as a public threat. Worse, it is not just another instance of poll populism -- it’s an attempt to manipulate the anxieties caused by the most lethal pandemic to have ravaged the world in more than a century. No doubt poll promises have no face value anywhere on earth. Still, BJP promises every Bihari a free vaccine if voted to power is not acceptable. Anyway, such promises of unrealistic nature where no vaccine is at near sight, let alone completely ready in midst of a pandemic are unfair. This only proves that the party is fearful of being defeated and hence is selling this fear of pandemic to the people. If the Centre wants to give away vaccines free of cost, they have to do so in the entire country not only Bihar or so.

After the dismal performance of the JDU-BJP coalition in handling pandemic, the returnee migrant issues, and not to forget the recent floods, the NDA must be offering free vaccines to woo the electorate. It should instead focus on improving the conditions in core sectors like Education, Employment,&Health care, etc 

If cynical opportunism is what BJP is playing at, to defend its electoral position in Bihar then Bihar can also ask about the promise of a “special package” that has been spoken of ad nauseam by CM Nitish for more than a decade. Politics over the vaccine, taking the center stage instead of addressing pressing issues of reviving the ailing economy and growing unemployment affirms that all political parties have a single point agenda to win elections at any cost using all gimmicks.

When health has been State subject the governments have to take a call over the distribution of vaccine once it gets ready under the universal program while all political parties jumping into the fray to make all tall promises like a free vaccine is a serious issue that requires the urgent intervention of Election Commission, lest it will be a mockery of an entire poll system.

The Bombay High Court granted bail to Rhea Chakraborty who was pronounced guilty by certain TV channels for driving actor SSR to suicide, siphoning off his money, and dealing narcotic drugs. The court observed that Chakraborty was not guilty of any offense of embezzlement of opium, External dealing narcotic drugs, financing illicit trafficking, and/or any other offense involving commercial quantities. Ever since the 34-year-old actor was found dead, many news channels had falsely cooked up theories of his murder, a witch-hunt against his girlfriend Rhea. There is no need to pinpoint which are the channels and who are all the anchors shouting from housetops, everyone knows, who are all doing this type of dirty tricks to get TRP ratings and political patronage. Under pressure from the media trial, the case was handed over to CBI for further investigation.

Media is supposed to be the fourth pillar of democracy and report unbiased news. This case is a perfect example of how media houses sensationalise news rather than reporting facts. They have become a tool for political parties to disseminate their political propaganda to polarise the masses. Further news debates are being used as a platform to distract people from important issues rather than being informed.

There was no denying the fact that in addition to investigations and interrogations Chakraborty must have become the target of patriarchy, politics, and media trails. Notwithstanding the absence of solid evidence to prove that she had hand in his death, she was still labeled as a “murderer”, worse she received rape and murder threats. Many news channels declared her guilty even before the law did.

However numerous questions arise from this drama that surrounded the false murder case. The most unfortunate aspect being the wastage of precious time and resources by the investigating agencies to delve into a case that had been constructed on speculation, allegations, and wild imaginations.

Chakraborty admitted that social criticism and media trails had adversely affected her and her family’s mental health. What kind of democracy are we living in where an accused person undergoes all kinds of mortification, trails, and alienation before she is even proved guilty? Nobody can forget the day she was manhandled by the media. A woman’s image was tarnished for the vested interests of others. I feel, she deserves a public apology from the perpetrators, while there is an urgent need for implementation of rules laid down by existing media regulatory bodies, and it is important both Centre and state governments show maturity and rise above partisan political considerations in dealing with such complaints.

Unfortunately, it looks like "Beti Bachao" is just a mere slogan for our honourable Prime Minister. Not a day goes by without a report of a rape case or sexual harassment, at least from Dec 2012, when a 23-year-old physiotherapy student was gang-raped in a moving bus in Delhi. She ultimately succumbed to injuries. Now despite protests by opposition parties demanding justice for Hathras victim, it’s shocking to hear another rape and murder of a Dalit girl in the same state of UP (Balrampur). This shows the Law&Order has completely failed in UP. Criminals and convicts have become fearless, and it’s a really sad state when we have to demand justice and protection from the government. When we will all be treated equally and women feel safe? Hathras rape and murder of a 19-year-old girl speaks of volumes about the harrowing conditions in which young girls live their lives. BJP shall cry for the blood the rapists and gun for the government, wherever they are not in power but will behave differently in states where they are in power. UP police’s step to cremate her body in the dead of night, by apprehending and threatening the victim's parents, who were held “hostages” in their house and couldn’t even see her face or perform the last rites. The UP Government is famous for staged encounters and nexus with criminals and denying the 19-year-old dignity even in death, is appalling. This is the state ruled by a person who calls himself a “Yogi” who looks the other way, encouraging his administration to do the same while the defenseless pulped female victim was treated worse than a discarded rag and unceremoniously cremated by cops. Even stray puppies receive more attention.

India reported 405861 cases of crimes against women in 2019, and UP tops the list with 59853 cases, according to the annual National Crime Record Bureau’s “crime in India” 2019. From 2018, the rate of crime against women has risen by 7.3 percent, with the country recording an average of 87 rapes every day in 2019. Assam reported the highest rate of crimes against women at 117.8 per lakh population.UP also had the highest number of crimes against girl children under the POSCO Act, with 7444 cases followed by Maharashtra, 6402, and MP 6053 cases.

Before forgetting the Hathras the shocking gang rape in Balrampur was a shame. This is the country where women are personified as Goddesses but they are treated without least sense of humanity. Is it not crucial to know where are we going? Is it not our responsibility to protect our daughters from these gruesome happenings?

 It was alarming to read a news item that the world's largest democracy India, has plummeted ten places to 51st position in Global Democracy Index 2019.  The white paper released by The Economic Intelligence Unit lucidly points out that the credit for this ignominy goes to our iron-fisted policies of the party in power, like NRC, J&K, Internet clampdowns, CAA, etc. This index is the barometer to how the international community is looking at us in this scenario. The news item has also pointed out that if things continue to worsen in this manner, India will find itself on the brink of getting demoted into an authoritarian state. The last time Indian democracy faced an existential threat was during the Emergency. Unfortunately, we are repeating history.

We should follow Norway, which is one of the most secular and democratic countries of the world, instead of paying undue attention to Pakistan. Some countries that were above our country's index have slipped to 51st position, with a score of 6.90 out Of 10. We must try to beat the champions Norway (score 9.87) instead of slowly moving towards Pakistan( score 4.25).

A vibrant democracy and secular ideals also helped Norway achieve the top rank in the 2019 Human Development Index. India should try to emulate Norway and improve our 129th rank in HDI instead of being obsessed with Pakistan that got 152nd rank.

It is a matter of grave concern that India's downward trend continues even with the World Press Freedom Index, where it dropped from 133rd rank in 2016 to 140 in 2019. Alarmingly we are inching closer to 150th ranked Pakistan. We must reverse this trend and have a healthy competition with numero-uno Norway. 

 Read an article titled “a plural legacy more vital than ever” it makes it clear that Jawaharlal Nehru was seen by Mahatma Gandhi as the man with the ability to scan wider horizons and carry forward his message of unity in diversity. In Gandhiji's mind, Nehru was the quintessential democrat, accommodative of dissent, free from racial prejudices and religious bigotry, and completely committed to secular principles. Besides he was an undisputed man of masses in 1947, therefore a natural choice to be the first PM of India. The misconception propagated by vested interests, that Nehru in his ambition to become PM, divided India, is a grotesque misrepresentation and travesty of fact. No PM after Nehru has enjoyed the international stature and acceptability Nehru did in the 1950s: so it’s just an illusion to think that respect for India in the rest of the world has gone up in the last few years. 

Now of course the present leadership is successful in trying to erase all good done earlier and also in erasing its current failures too. Otherwise who remembers that Demonetisation was a blunder, the consequences of which are still plaguing us? Who recalls the spectacle of 450 million people, rendered jobless overnight, walking from big cities to their native hinterlands where only misery awaited them? That migration of March -April 2020, will remain etched in the collective memory of India for generations to come. While it is a fact that some decisions hurt the country so badly and are remembered for long even if they are not discussed in public. One such decision was to scrap the original agreement with France for the purchase of Rafale fighter jets. A new agreement was signed to buy fewer Rafales at three times the originally agreed price. India lost heavily for the sake of benefiting a private party who appeared on the scene with no previous experience.  

Ever since the present dispensation came to power we have been witnessing complete vilification, demonetisation, and obfuscation, of many of their adversaries and all the leaders of anti-colonial struggles, particularly Jawaharlal Nehru.

After all, we live in times when Nehru’s contribution to the modern Indian society is often questioned and derided. The removal of Nehru’s name from state-sponsored history textbooks is the culmination of a motivated smear campaign. Nehru is blamed for the partition in their election campaigns, and parliament, evoking cheers from his MPs. This needless desk thumping and slandering of previous governments only strengthens the perception that BJP lives in the past and uses and misuses it to coverup its follies and disastrous decisions like demonetisation and badly implemented GST.

Right-wing influencers and trolls alike present alternative facts and accusations that present, Nehru as a westernised degenerate, who embodied the opposite of what an ideal Indian should be. But this sort of vilification is to be expected from those with majoritarian tendencies. Trying to erase Nehru’s imprint on the country is a tall order because he is part of modern India’s DNA. Throw Nehru out of the equation and you end up undermining India. And the survival of India depends upon the retrieval of the Nehruvian legacy by the people of this country as no political party is committed to retrieving it.

 It is tragic our government has no data on the number migrants who died while on their way home by foot, during the initial lockdown. It seems the lives of the poor are not worth counting. Since the government doesn’t believe in any kind of data collection that has not been commissioned by it. It denies that there have been any migrant deaths during the pandemic-induced lockdown. This denial of reality by our esteemed government is not only brutal but also shabby disowning of its responsibilities in keeping the nation together in the middle of an unprecedented crisis. It was accentuated by the sudden announcement of total lockdown, with no contingent planning and preparations put in place to meet the inevitable fallout of such an abrupt move and affecting the most vulnerable sections. I was flabbergasted to read in the press about the solicitor general saying ”that no migrant was walking on the road.” This was contrary to the facts as all TV channels were covering live, labourers trudging long distances -- many of them hungry dehydrated, and walking barefoot under the blazing sun. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reacted rightly tweeting ”if you have not counted, have the deaths not taken place? Also, how can the Government discount deaths that were recorded by its own Railway Ministry? Many migrants who died on Shramic trains that were organised much later to ferry them back home? Or were run over by trains as they fell asleep on the tracks, exhausted and beaten? More than 1400 road accidents killed 750 people including 198 migrant workers between March 25 and May 31st according to the newspaper reports.

On the one hand, the government had proudly announced a package of Rs 20 lakh crores, to meet the losses that occurred due to lockdown, along with infinite advertisements about it. On the other hand, it has simply denied sharing the actual position of migrant labourers. The working class along with the farmers are regarded as the backbone of the economy and if they remain unemployed, then the GDP of the nation will never and ever recover. The Government must seriously consider the situation as the GDP is at an all-time low, and the unemployment has broken all previous records. Till we value the laborers, recovery will be a chimera, a smart India a paper town. Besides, “atmanirbharata' can truly take off when we value and respect fellow human beings and not deny their existence.

 In his recent monthly “Mann ki bath” radio monologue, our Hon’ble PM exhorted to rear swadeshi breeds of dog, in more numbers and make more number of swadeshi toys to meet the domestic and global markets for toys. This country has far more serious problems than inadequate numbers of swadeshi dogs and toys. Just 3/4 days ago we have also seen him feeding peacocks and peahens on the lawns of his residence. Most of his countrymen are not in the fortunate position he is in, to emulate him and feel light-hearted. Here he can as well take the credit that he has thought out of the box, in telling to rear more Indian dogs and manufacture more Indian toys to his pet theme “Atmanirbhar Bharath” But I fail to understand how the two endeavours will in themselves go to alleviate the distress caused by Covid19, contain the spread of the disease, revive the economy halt, loss of jobs and create new jobs in any significant measure? 

Instead, Central and state governments should construct new government hospitals rather than statues, temples, parliament buildings, and secretariats. While states want to build their bungalows and secretariat. Neither of them is interested in building new hospitals and infrastructure for schools. Even to this day, many government schools have no adequate toilets separately for ladies /gents. We have been seeing how horrible the situation is in government hospitals, with no beds, no proper toilets, no infrastructure. Disheartening images of inpatient wards inundated in Hyderabad, water falling from the roof on the patients in Bareilly government hospital, pigs roaming inside one hospital in Bangalore, and many more.

Every one knows Corporate hospitals and schools bribe political parties for not developing government schools and hospitals. I'm afraid it will take more concrete steps to get Corona patients treated than clapping or lighting a candle. They get the right treatment only if we have enough hospitals and doctors in the public sector. This is the time to learn lessons, looking at the grim COVID situation in government hospitals. Both Central and state governments should realise and start construction of medical colleges and hospitals, and improve infrastructure adequately so that the poor and middle-class citizens get some relief and we are geared to deal with such situations in the future.

 In an unprecedented move, both Centre and State Governments (where Assembly session is due) are opting to do away with “Question Hour” using the curtailed Monsoon Session Of legislatures. The term’ Pandemic ‘ has now become a convenient excuse to use it, the moment Governments face anything unpalatable to deal with. As such this monsoon session now in legislatures, (state&Central), is very important, as we are passing through a serious and difficult situation wherein, it’s required to draw the attention of the governments on issues of Migrant crisis, Unemployment crisis, Economic slide to unprecedented negative levels, authentic information on Chinese incursions, and GST compensation, etc, which are all burning issues being faced by the country. Surprisingly the ‘pandemic’ is not coming in their ways for laying foundation stones, Demolition/building secretariat, etc. Given the current Pandemic, a short session could be right, but it could have been planned better, by allowing select issues, and short times, etc, but resorting to a total suspension of Question Hour is nothing but autocratic, and atrocious, it’s just a bulldozing mechanism. The Governments Of the day shouldn’t take the law into their hands just because they have a brute majority.

Specifically, when it comes to Loksabha, No Question Hour, No press conferences, No audit of PM-CARES, no transparency in governance,-overall no democracy seems to be the rule, but I'm surprised to note and find, that the present dispensation always make it point to remind us about Emergency regime day in day out. It appears COVID Pandemic is being confidently used as an excuse to coverup failures like GDP contraction, reimbursement of GST dues, etc. Furthermore, in MP the government was successful in toppling, while in Rajasthan, it was tried but failed, during the period of lockdown, all this would have been raised, had there been the Question Hour, this could be one of the important reasons in doing away with the Question Hour, is all that people think.

The step is a blatant attempt to curb the voice of members which amounts massacre of the democratic rights of the people and their representatives.

 We have seen the social media has not only been used as propaganda tool but has been weaponised to create a wave of opinion and manipulate the public perception. Russia was first accused of data mining ,hacking and using details to influence the US election.Social media has penetrated so deep into the lives of people in all over ,especially in India, where it can cause immeasurable damage to the unity and brotherhood among people if there are no checks and balances on its functioning.The startling disclosures of TheWall street Journal that FB took no action after BJP MLA Goshamahal, Hyderabad,posted accusing Muslims of intentionally spreading Corona virus, and plotting against the nation and waging a “love jihad” campaign by seeking to marry Hindu women. The report quoted that Ms Ankhi Das FB publicity Director in India,was against taking these posts down ,and informed colleagues that “punishing violations by politicians of PM Modi’s party will damage the company ‘s business prospects in India” , borders on its collusion with BJP.FB was inclined to the view that it was better to ERR on the side of commercial success and refrained from taking a firm stand.,WSJ story stated that “Ankhi Das provided BJP with favourable treatment on election-related issues” What is shocking is a fact about FB interference Atleast in General Elections in 2019.There are two interesting developments linked to it.One-visit of our Hon’ble PM Modi ji to FB HQs in US in 2015,.The other is , appointment of  Ankhi  Das as Head Of FB India,who belongs to ABVP.

 Infact when Rahul pointed out that BJP &RSS control FB&WatsApp, I didn’t believe,as generally politicians make such wild allegations against the ruling,but If WSJ didn’t reveal the facts ,BJP would have dismissed it and dubbed his party as anti- nationals and traitors.Luckily it was supported by US ‘s famous News Paper WSJ.As such,he speaks truth I believe,unlike other top ruling leaders.Earlier also when Corona virus came,he pointed out in January beginning,but as usual it was taken lightly,now we are facing the music for our inaction, even on economic situation also he cautioned after taking inputs from international experts in Economics ,but no use,Ofcourse it’s debatable issue separately.

   If social media is allowed to serve the political interests of ruling establishments for its commercial gains ,it will not only lead to social tensions but also influence the voting choices of the people paving way for mockery of democracy.

As a responsible media company FB must fulfil all the legal ,regulatory and ethical obligations that are applied to any publisher .There must be a level playing field for all shades of public opinion to be expressed on the platform.No doubt there is strong case for subjecting social media giants to rigorous regulatory scrutiny in view of their growing influence on society.A parliamentary committee on IT headed by Mr Shashi Tharoor has rightly decided to seek explanation from FB about alleged violations in content control.The company’s India chief has been accused of favouring the ruling party and encouraging dubious practices.

 The recent decision of Madhya Pradesh Govt’s decision to reserve all state jobs for the sons of the soil is a retrograde step, which would set a dangerous precedent if implemented. If all states adopt this criterion, certainly it would lead to social disharmony and national disintegration. This rhetoric may work politically particularly during elections, and Mr. Chouhan must be shoring up some goodwill before the by-elections take place. But his priority should have been accommodating the reverse migrants in their home state. It was also reported in the press that the ruling party is facing indifferent prospects in the impending by-polls in the state. These by-polls will elect 24 MLAs, which are crucial for the party to retain power. If one recalls, ahead of last year Assembly Elections CM Fadnavis of Maharashtra, brought in this policy of sons of the soil, in jobs&educational institutions. This policy is gaining ground among states for short-term political gains, but does this pay the dividends is a mute question, and there is no definitive answer to that. Evidence on the ground suggests that it doesn’t necessarily yield positive results. If it did, Mr. Fadnavis would have continued, in place of Uddhav. Many will also question Chouhan, whether it’s legally tenable, as experts say it is violative of Art 15&16 of the constitution. Again the economy can’t run in water-tight compartments with the labour force walled off from each other. We can not be competitive in the world if we pursue such policies.

It’s indeed ironical that the ruling party which has enthusiastically extended domicile rights for land as well as jobs to non-locals and central employees in J&K, so far safeguarded as special rights and privileges under Art 370 &35A, is seen following the exact opposite policy in another state, why these double standards? It will no doubt set a dangerous precedent in these increasingly socially divisive times, that will not serve our economy well either.

In this day and age of internet and easy mobility, geographical boundaries are blurred and meaningless. Flourishing businesses are conducted irrespective of region, identity, country, or even continent. In such a scenario, excluding a jog seeker only because he is not a domicile of the state is patently discriminatory. Of course,  only the judiciary can decide whether it contravenes the law, and even for job seekers, the move denies them equality of opportunity.

 I have touched upon this issue almost 10 days ago. But I'm bringing it to your notice again as I feel it is an important issue concerning citizens, their rights, vis-a-vis freedom of speech, which is one of the important fundamental rights.

The SC bench held Mr. Prashant Bhushan, Advocate Of Public Interest Causes, guilty of the crime of contempt of court for his two tweets.  Mr. Bhushan was convicted in the case, but the court is yet to consider the quantum of punishment. In the meantime over 3000 citizens-including Advocates Along with 12 former judges -have signed a statement extending solidarity to Mr. Bhushan, arguing that his tweets were “a bona fide expression of concern regarding the functioning of the top court” and that the criticism coming from a senior member of Bar,” must be considered by the judiciary as an opportunity to introspect and strengthen the institution”. Justice Lodha, and yesterday’s Joseph Kurian’s statement, that the unseemly hurry in taking up this matter when there are other burning issues pending, seem to point to general apprehension that the bench was likely to convict him. Such an impression doesn’t auger well for a fearless and independent judiciary. It surprises me to know that an advocate who all through his life was present before the super court judges defending constitutional rights of people winning and losing, fighting, and challenging, was considered to have lowered the authority and held guilty. Perhaps the court considers that he has no freedom to pass two comments for which he was held guilty.

A strong and independent and fearless Bar is a precondition for an independent strong judiciary. Here in this case the worrisome part of Bhushan’s judgment is that it prods more questions than answers. To what extent can criticism be freedom of speech and an assault on an institution? Is the criticism of the Supreme Court illegal considering four of its judges held a press conference in January 2018, warning how judiciary was facing threats to its independence and criticising the then CJI? As I understand this judgment is not about curbing Bhushan’s adventurism. It has long term implications and could be interpreted as forbidding anybody from commenting on the judiciary, even if it’s based on logic, evidence, and jurisdiction.

In our constitutional scheme of things, the Supreme Court, no doubt plays a very important role in interpreting the law. But it can not arrogate itself the luxury of thinking it is above criticism. A public delineation of its laws shouldn’t be misconstrued as an attempt at the disruption of the entire judicial system. The courts should act on the criticism if and when it is found to be valid or its shoulders should be broad enough to shrug them. 

Former Supreme Court Justice Deepak Gupta once remarked that the right to dissent is the biggest and most important right granted by the constitution. Judges of the top court should be more tolerant of criticism, as Supreme Court is so great that one man's criticism cannot undermine it. But courts also should do introspection.

In my opinion, had the Supreme Court, been magnanimous and condoned Prashant Bhushan its image would have enhanced. The observation compliments and criticism should be taken with equipoise “applies to the judiciary as well. I'm hoping some of my FB lawyer friends and experts on the topic will also chime in their opinion to create awareness on this issue among people. 

 Kamala Harris ‘s selection as the running mate of Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden is a momentous one, in the ensuing US Elections. She is just the 3rd woman to stand for Vice-President of US after Geraldine Ferrero in 1984 and Sarah Palin 2008. As per the reports, it has electrified the hitherto lackluster Democratic campaign for the 2020 Presidential race. Indian-American WhatsApp groups exploded with joy that one of their own might make history as the first woman VP. The press in the US even mentioned her as “president in waiting.”

With the US extremely fractured today, Kamala possibly stands the best chance. That said, everyone expected Hillary to win landslide 2016 but we all saw what happened. It was also reported that Indian -Americans voted overwhelmingly for Hillary over Trump, in 2016, 77% to 16%, according to national Asian-American survey, conducted soon after the election. Now the question is how much does race or racism matter? Particularly at this point? We observe that Trump always trusted in his supremacist roots and won elections. After Floyd’s killing, it was down while Democrats exploited it fully.

The reports also say Ms. Kamala daughter of a Cancer Researcher Shyamala Gopalan an immigrant from Chennai, and Jamaican father Donald Harris a retired Stanford professor, made name for herself as a tough lawyer, politically ambitious enough to throw her hat in the ring as Biden’s challenger in primaries. But Biden chose Ms. Kamala from among cohorts of strong candidates. The anger against Trump's rule over his failure to handle Coronavirus pandemic and continued killing of blacks must be reworking the fabric of social equations to a large extent. However whether Biden-Kamala combo could convert this into votes is to be seen, as the American electorate is by nature quite traditional in voting habits I believe. It is also expected that the moderate voters of the suburbs and the working-class White voters may vote for Trump and it remains to be seen whether swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin which Trump won in 2016, will support Biden this time.

But as per reports, Trump is a bit nervous and in his more candid moments, he has admitted to a grudging respect for Kamala, publicly advising Biden that she would be the best pick, however it was time for Trump to unleash his characteristically colourful invective. In a press conference hours after she was announced, Trump began trying out a few familiar attack lines -similar to those misogynistic ones he used against Hillary —describing Harris several times as “nasty” as well as “mean” “ horrible, disrespectful and a liar, etc. Republicans will now do their best to portray her as a Left-winger. Despite the Indian community urging her to recognise her heritage (Black) she has consistently sought to downplay it.Incidentally, it’s pertinent to mention here that she is also a distant relative India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. So many in the Indian diaspora will celebrate her nomination.

 Will they be able to go beyond the standard Democratic campaign playbook and adroitly craft a fresh approach to take on politically weakened President Trump, who will nevertheless likely come out guns blazing? 

We have to see whether the Democrats pondered the deep lessons of Hillary’s loss to Trump in 2016 and come up with robust ideas to alleviate the economic pain of working-class Americans perceived to be the result of globalisation and immigration? 

 In the fag end of last July 2020, Mr. GS Vasu wrote an article with a heading “My Lords, the threat of contempt is not the Remedy.” This was written in connection with the contempt notice issued by SC to Advocate Mr. Prashant Bhushan. The other articles like “the chilling effect of criminal contempt“ And “A mortar cycle and the art of court management“ in another English News Daily etc have been coming. The July 28th Article, the acerbic, bold editorial had emphatically called for revisiting the idea of “scandalising“ in contempt law and ushering in judicial accountability. Those who matter in Judiciary could heed to such advice, which could only enhance the image and reputation of the top court, and our judicial system.

Prashant Bhushan, a very senior Advocate of SC and indefatigable campaigner of public causes, had posted two tweets one of them by and large factual, the other a comment against four past CJs. He could have been wrong in respect of the latter but it was a citizen’s perception of Judiciary. Yet contempt has been preferred suo moto, on the ground that the remark has brought the administration of justice into disrepute and sought the assistance of Attorney General KK Venugopal in the proceedings. Its true SC as an institution has to be defended when it acts within constitutional limits. However, an evaluation as to whether it has acted within such limits or preserved constitutional principles is a matter of opinion and does not amount to contempt. Mr. Bhushan must be a great activist and bold defender of people’s rights. Far from undermining the judiciary, he seems to be one who strongly believes in the strengthening of institutions through a healthy criticism. In   InduBhan’s Book about India’s top seven lawyers Bhushan is one. Venugopal ironically said,” we need more lawyers like Prashant.“ If leaders of the Bar and press do not critically evaluate the judiciary, democracy and the rule of law would be in peril. When asked about the judgments being criticised Justice Krishna Iyer said  "there is not enough criticism “ Such statesmanship is missing today. P Shiva Shankar the then Union Law Minister said in 1987 that SC essentially comprises people from the elite and had become a haven for “FERA violators, bride burners, and reactionaries”. But SC merely felt he could have avoided such harsh language. So instead of facing up to the facts, the SC is busy issuing notices to those who are taking pains to point out the decline of institutions tasked with upholding the constitution. The perception now is that Court sometimes doesn’t show a red light to the powers that be when they try to implement a political agenda in contravention to the letter and spirit of the constitution. The court must assert its independence and make it clear that it’s not amenable to be co-opted.

In a democracy, everyone has the right to dissent. The initiation of contempt proceedings by the judiciary against them is an attempt to stop such criticism. Are judges as humans not liable to err? Is corruption in the judiciary is a rarity? 

Over one million people contracted Covid19 in India so far. The situation is becoming serious day by day, as more than 30,000, cases are getting added each day. As per the Experts, the figure would reach 2.5 million by 15th August, if the same trend continues, as corona has become rampant in rural areas. Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Bihar, Karnataka, AP, Telangana, and Kerala, are in very bad shape with regards to Covid19. Centre, by deputing teams to these states, washed its hands off, making states responsible. It has not shown any seriousness other than using the data to claim that we are in a safe zone.
Governments around the world are rapidly expanding their health care capabilities, but in India, there is very little regulatory control over the private health care system. Some states are using a private pool of hospitals. Shutting down of hospitals is not a solution, but proper nursing protocols, genuine PPEs, ventilators, Oxygen cylinders, and dependable rapid tests are only the urgent need of the hour. Since states are unable to make use of private hospitals. The government Of India should announce health emergency and take over all the private hospitals in the country to fight COVID 19, and once the situation is eased, they could be surrendered back, with lock stock and barrel. The recent remarkable growth of the private health sector has come at a time, when public spending on health care at 0.9 percent of GDP, is among the lowest in the world. This proportion has fallen from an already low 1.3 percent of GDP under UPA in 1991 when neoliberal economic reforms began.
The government's common minimum program promises an increase in spending on health care from 0.9 percent to 3 percent of GDP in five years with health insurance schemes for poor families. In the past 2 years, although expenditure on health care has increased in absolute terms, the proportion of GDP it represents has declined. Many complaints are being lodged with the government regarding the exorbitant amount of money being charged by health care providers and causing hardships to the general public during this COVID 19 pandemic. Therefore it’s suggested that Govt Of India should pass an order under health emergency that COVID 19 should be treated at all private hospitals and Nursing Homes free of cost.

COVID 19 has made the opening educational institutions for in person classes looks highly unlikely at this point. In wake of this situation CBSE decided to reduce the syllabus. In this process of reduction it has pulled out a few very important chapters from its curriculum. While CBSE’s decision to reduce the syllabus to the extent of 30%, is welcome, but one fails to understand the very purpose of education when students will not learn anything about secularism, partition, citizenship among other subjects. The concepts of secularism, federalism, are very important, enshrined in our constitution, as basic tenets, and the decision to withdraw is too biased to accept, the motive behind this, is questionable. The board’s justification that it was meant to reduce the exam stress of the students due to the prevailing health emergency, situation and prevent learning gaps begs the question as to why these topics needed to be learned. A learning center must give scope to study all aspects. In fact, without proper study/ examination, the Government should always try to avoid meddling. A neutral approach will pave the way for free thoughts to thrive afresh.

CBSE As such not made a clear rationale behind dropping some subjects as ” dispensable” while retaining others as “indispensable.“ There is a strong case for every student to have exposure to India’s composite culture—its heterogeneity, diversity, and pluralism. It helps in the cultivation of tolerance as a virtue.

Are the curricula only meant to pass the examinations? For the students, textbooks are just an assemblage of facts that need to be understood or even memorised sometimes. Our pedagogical systems are disconnected from lived realities. It may be at the behest of political influence those chapters were taken out of the syllabus with a preconceived mind. Excessive involvement of the government in matters of schooling and pedagogy leads to fanaticism. The historical framework of anything which shaped the country to this position should find a place in learning material. Its time to evolve teaching methods that encourage students to apply facts to real-life problems while encouraging them to seek knowledge. The sad reality is that secularism and federalism are not practiced anymore. Nonetheless, it’s some consolation that the “banishment” of key components of what we all cherished as “liberal” education is “temporary “, only one-time measure and the expunged contents have not yet been replaced by new content propagating a constricted vision of India and the world.

The decision taken by Telangana Govt to set up a toll-free number to guide people facing Covid19 symptoms like breathlessness, sore throat, etc, through a call center is a welcome gesture to be appreciated by one and all. But much to the chagrin of virtuous people, all institutions are annihilating the primary code of adhering to the ethical values. In the existing scenario, patients of the Covid19 pandemic are still knocking the doors of hospitals, praying admission, but facing refusals, which is very unfortunate. Mohammad Nissar a folk artist of Hyderabad, allegedly not allowed in some private hospitals, but succumbed to the virus in Gandhi hospital, is a current example.
The proverbial “make hay while the sun shines” seems to be the mantra for greedy druggists or hoarders at the time of this COVID crisis. To mint money somehow, is their motto oblivious to the grave situation the country is going through. Even in the case of only antiviral drug Remdesivir, which is currently known for treating Covid19, hoarders have made it dearer, which is made available in the black market, for Rs 70,000 to 80000, per vial in some cities. The situation is alarming and serious and the government is expected to step in to stop hoarding of the life-saving medicines/injections, as its original price is between Rs 4800 or 5400 depending on the brand.
Further exorbitant billings, not expected by the patients, are shocking. Anything and everything which is a necessity and critical for patients well being are being converted into an opportunity for amassing pelf in the service-oriented fraternity as well. India has the third-highest number of Covid19 cases in the world. Since the first reported case in Kerala on January 30th, the virus had spread to every state in the country. While cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, etc are continuing to bear the brunt of the cases of COVID 19, the cases in Tier 2, Tier3 towns, and districts, are also rising.
Life has changed for certain. The outbreak of Covid19 and it’s rapid spread across the world within no time toppled systems that existed for centuries. Jobs have been laid off, salaries have been halved, physical closeness has become a big no, face masks have become part of the daily outfit, hand washing has become too frequent, sanitizer has found its place at wash-basin, drawing room, car, trouser pockets and everywhere. Countries have been locked down for months and thousands of scientists, medical experts, and researchers are working overtime to invent a remedy for this global pandemic. Yet the deadly virus continues to rampage, killing thousands of people, and pushing millions into quarantine. And the latest--India is fast running to top the list of the highest Corona affected countries in the world, we have surpassed Russia making us 3rd on the list. This is all due to our delayed actions, for which who is to be blamed, will leave it to your wisdom.
It’s not in good to have contentment considering the fatality rate which about one percent or below the total population. Already nearly 10,00,000 people have been suffering from it, and around 30,000 casualties and this number may grow exponentially in the ensuing season. One more swirling swine virus is likely to be floated by the diabolical dragon devil, which has no morals, no ethics, no humanity but with an ulterior motive to destabilise the people and the economy. Therefore how far this nation would be able to march forward risking the health of its people, is yet to be seen. However, efforts to develop the vaccine for Covid19 must be expedited to save mankind from the pandemic.

The recent encounter of gangster Vikas Dubey is more like a real-life imitating the reel life (not vice versa).
 Dubey's encounter in UP exposes the dangerous nexus between politics, crime and a rotten political system. The journey of Dubey whose men had massacred 8 police personnel when they raided his den was a depressing tale of the corrosive political culture in UP which made a mockery of rule of law. Dubey who is a product of political-bureaucratical-criminal nexus would have resulted in his death, sooner than later. 5 of his aids had been killed in separate gunfights in multiple locations. Dubey’s surrender and his aids encounter are raising many questions. Why kill? Why not capture alive?  These men would have been more valuable to the police alive than dead as they would have been able to shed light on don’s activities, Don too, if not encountered, would have revealed political-bureaucratic and criminal nexus. But if you see, police killing someone and calling it an “encounter” has become common now.  Dubey’s and his associates' encounters, felt like a movie plot of Manmohan Desai’s film (I'm not familiar with the directors of this generation).
We expect the government elected by the people to uphold the constitution not exploit the loopholes in the system and take advantage of it. Even hardened criminals do not deserve such death. They should be brought before the law. This is yet another addition to the alarmingly high number of extrajudicial killings over the last few months. The onus is on the state, and the judiciary to nip this trend in bud, lest we end up having a police force that sees it fit to bypass judicial procedures as and when they please. While I agree, that those engaging in crime must be brought to book, there is supposed to be strict adherence to the procedure.
The UP gangster Dubey may not have anyone mourning his death in a stage-managed accident-cum-encounter, responsible as he was for many killings, the last being 8 policemen. Does it sit easy on the conscience of the police, which has put out the most outrageous and improbable theory? Does it not indicate that the police patrons of Dubey and their protector policemen had too much to lose, had the don filled the details of the unholy politician-criminal nexus that has entrenched itself in the state in the mutually-self serving manner? Does this not damage Yogi ‘s image of a no-nonsense leader with zero tolerance for corruption and mafia, for good, considering he was personally supervising Dubey’s case? India is a democracy after all and even criminals with such intimidating rap sheets like Dubey have a right to justice, representation, and being heard in the court of law. Supreme Court has declared encounter killings as unlawful. A fair and transparent trial can not be dispensed with to satisfy cries for vengeance. Goading the police on to deliver instant justice, or even tolerating such behaviour creates an atmosphere of impunity that could lead to the murder of innocent people as happened with the custodial deaths in Tamilnadu. Support for such killings by police will not make society more just. Mob justice is no justice at all. When law -enforcers short circuit due process the damage to state institutions is severe and long-lasting. UP’s Police theory on why it killed Vikas Dubey doesn’t stand to reason. The politics of criminal nexus will never be exposed. This encounter is “encountering the truth. “

Today I came across a write up on the disengagement of Chinese forces, in Galwan valley. The author of the write-up heaped a lot of praises on Modi, which is agreeable but in the end, he talked about the failure of the government in 1962. Agreed this is a democracy, he is entitled to have his opinion, I welcome it. We can hardly expect an objective analysis from a Modi bhakt.
In reversing the image of India from the Nehruvian era, our PM aggressively highlighted his Foreign Policy, which has been built on hugplomacy and charisma, which is good for optics, but not for diplomacy, and especially not for China, which can not be bracketed with anybody. The fact of the matter is that we have failed to read China. Our PM visited China before becoming PM and as PM around 5 times in the last 6 years, total about 18 times he had meetings with Chinese PM, latest being Mamillapuram in Tamilnadu, and we have tried to please them by making many compromises, but all this didn’t work, and I don’t understand why the Border issues did not get frozen. Instead, we are getting intimidated, and if someone feels it’s great handling. I leave it to each person's wisdom. Our eastern neighbour continues to be as inscrutable as it was in 1962. If Nehru nurtured a romantic notion of civilisational loyalties, Modiji, graduated that to a shared sense of Asian leadership, one which saw even more Chinese investments in India and mounting trade deficit.
Coming back to the issue, the disengagement may be music to the ears but Chinese maneuvers are difficult to anticipate and hard to believe.
I'm curious to know if the claims of Chinese troops infiltrated deep into Indian territory already, then does this retreat mean anything at all?
Nehru, when China encroached he had the guts to call the parliament and make a statement, on the floor of the House, and didn’t conceal the facts. Now its a bit puzzling as well because if the PLA can pull back after just a phone call from Mr. Dowal, why was China allowed in the first place to breach LAC resulting in loss of 20 soldiers? Why was not NSA engaged in dialogue when tensions were mounting? However, it’s now amply clear that PLA did breach the LAC.
There is an uncanny resemblance between what is going on now on the India-China border with events in the run-up to the 1962 war. The debacle in the war was rightly blamed on the Nehru government, for its military unpreparedness. But now India is in a much better position to face china’s challenges, the situation in terms of the military equation is never the same as in 1962. In both cases, New Delhi failed to fully understand fundamental strategic objectives regarding India. Nehru could be impugned for his idealistic notion of Afro-Asian solidarity and his suspicion of America’s strategic designs that influenced his thinking on China, but present government whose foreign policy actions are transactional rather than idealistic considerations, seems to be equally naive about Beijing's long term strategic objectives. New Delhi has compounded its failure by indulging in reckless rhetoric regarding Aksaichin and POK. A senior cabinet minister’s declaration about liberating Aksaichin and recovering POK, while justifiable in terms of India’s legal rights to these territories, was ill-timed. This rhetoric coupled with few other issues could be the reason for the fiasco.
Most importantly PM should keep everything transparent, with a hawk’s eye on PLA movements, and use Parliament to keep the opposition and the nation abreast of developments. Silence would be interpreted as appeasement, something Chinese love to feed on.

It’s a laudable decision that CM of TS KCR, Government, decided to celebrate the birth centenary of our former prime minister Sri Narasimha Rao. He was a polyglot, polymath, and a proud son of Telugu soil (Telangana), who led a full five-year term despite having no full-fledged majority but by winning hearts of opposition with his soft, shrewd, stoic and strategic silence. It is not very often that destiny chooses certain leaders, and Narasimha Rao Ji was one such favourite child of destiny, who rose from a very humble background to become the architect of economic reforms, virtually reinvent India both at home and abroad. However, it’s ironic, that a man of such extraordinary erudition, political sagacity, and multifaceted accomplishments had to face humiliation in his twilight years and denial of dignity even in death by his party for which he had given his life.
Shekar Gupta, a senior Journalist who had close access to Mr. Rao as PM wrote in 2017” Rao was punished by the middle class for keeping the BJP out of power for full 5 years, why else would it hate someone who gave them so much, through economic reforms? Similarly, he was punished by the Congress party for keeping the Gandhi family out of power. For daring to believe that he could lead the party, and keep it in power, whatever the cost, in the absence of an active Nehru or Gandhi. It is for this sin that the very party that should have been so grateful to him now wants the law to take its course and would have celebrated his convictions and later did not allow his body to be brought into its HQs” Given his politically successful and administratively historic stint as PM, PV deserves a thankful recognition from his political alma-matter -The INC. The 100th year of his birth gives more than a century old party a chance to regret and recognise his contributions as Union Minister for decades, and silent but vibrant PM for half a decade. Its time for the High Command to apologise for its ingratitude.
Against this backdrop of situation, it’s commendable that both Centre and State Govts have reacted positively at last. If you recall, in 2014, TRS announced that his birth anniversary would be celebrated as a state festival. Now it has decided to organise year-long celebrations not only in the state but in over 50 places across the globe. TS CM, KCR’s announcement that he would request PM Modi Ji, to confer the “Bharat Ratna” posthumously on the latter’s predecessor PV. The 1991 economic liberalisation , abolition of license -permit raj, which his astute leadership is best known for, helped lift millions out of poverty. Since the whole world knows how he was sidelined, Modi Ji must look beyond party lines and confer the highest civilian honor upon him. 

A couple of days ago I saw a news report that China intends to occupy Ladakh. India-China tensions reveal the preparedness of China for any eventuality. Even while engaging in talks at the military command level, China seems to be preparing for confrontation, while India seems to be pinning hopes on ‘peaceful resolution ‘ and as of now its no exaggeration that India’s relations with China turned topsy-turvy after the recent violent clashes our soldiers had with Chinese. If you see, the present government has not spared a single occasion to criticise Nehru ‘s government for creating twin problems of China and Kashmir. If you observe now, our leader had visited China many times, in various capacities, and the Chinese leader too was invited to India. I have read that the meetings took place at different places, at different times for about 18 times. then should it not be discussed about important border dispute that has been simmering for decades? But whereas it has been increasingly dependent on a strategy to accuse Congress, for all this. The people of India wouldn’t be satisfied with the mere rhetoric of “saving every inch of our territory. “ When the reports and satellite maps show that that there are encroachments. The conflicting statements, Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar said on 17th June, that the Chinese side sought to erect a structure in the Galwan valley on our side of LAC, and on 19th our Honourable PM said no one had entered our territory. India-China relations have always been lopsided at India’s cost if we see history, Nehru went out of the way to promote China’s case at Bandung conference in 1955, but Zhou Enlai thought it was being patronised and we know the result, of having good faith. But after so many years, with so much enlightenment, things have not improved despite many moves made by the Modi government, to please China. I wonder who is to be blamed for all these failures, maybe they will still blame Nehru. Looking back during Dalai Lama’s visit last time, we were silent on Tibet, as China will not be happy, secondly when popular protests erupted in Hong Kong against China India maintained silence, there are many instances like this. The PM started a new tradition of the summit without Agenda with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2019 at Tamilnadu ‘s Mamallapuram. India’s personality-based approach to foreign relations also helps China. Our approach has seen Nepal taking unfriendly action, against India, it even hurriedly got it approved new map by its parliament, attaching to Nepal bits and pieces of territory that is, to put it mildly, disputed. Our Government has uneasy relations with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and  Srilanka. While Pakistan, it’s known. China is coolly exploiting the situation, by extending financial support to improve their infrastructure, and thereby provoking them against us.
Had the government been foresighted and proactive enough, our troops, instead of doing just patrolling in the area, would have been occurring the rightful position, in the Galwan valley. We could have preempted, also, the standoff that cost us the lives of 20 Indian soldiers, etc. This is not to say that India doesn’t have any option. We shouldn’t back down till the Chinese restore status quo ante on the LAC. The economic boycott alone will not be that effective. We should isolate China diplomatically by supporting Hon Kong, Tibet, while expanding our ties with Taiwan, work closely with QUAD, lend our support to Uighurs, and oppose its adventurism in the South China Sea. Our Defence preparedness should be in top gear for the limited purpose of restoring the sanctity of LAC. 

The current Indo-Chinese situation gives us a sense of Deja Vu. Looks like Chinese governments believe in a confrontational attitude and have antipathy towards peaceful coexistence.
I think India cannot tread a path of total confrontation, coerced by passion-driven public opinion.  It was easy to blame Nehru for everything that happened in 1962 but after more than 5 decades our position is no better, we still lost a colonel, 20 soldiers, and 10 members have been captured by them (released later).
Today I would like to focus on the most trending topic and also one that is on top of every Indian's mind at this point #boycottchinesegoods.
It’s not that easy to boycott Chinese products when they constitute a substantial percentage of our imports. Not only India, but China has also made several other nations, including the so-called Bigbrother US, dependent on it for various types of goods by its strategic export policies and humongous domestic capabilities built up over many years. To say goodbye to China needs an elaborative plan of action. India can not disengage from the business entirely. From Yoga teachers to IT behemoths, there are plenty of interests entrenched there. Here we need not get carried away by a nationalistic pitch but need to recognise our strengths and weaknesses, without getting downbeat. Everyone knows India doesn’t have enough economic muscle to flex around.
Undeniably Chinese products occupy much of the space on the shelves of shops and stores in India. China has not just developed a niche market, it has diversified into all products and overwhelmed the Indian market. Whatever their quality, Chinese products are relatively cheaper and more affordable and face no serious competition. Experts are divided on the issue of imports from China. While some endorse the boycott call, others favour more tariffs. For people to shift their brand loyalty they have to have an option. To what extent the ban will moderate Chinese behaviour towards India, is not clear. Whether the threat to boycott Chinese products, can be used as a bargaining chip at the negotiation table, too, is not clear. Self-reliance and “make in India “ are worthy goals which we should actualise.
Despite the obvious asymmetry between two nations —the size of India’s economy is one-fourth of China’s while Beijing enjoys military superiority—India continues to push above its weight. Therefore banning Chinese goods may be counterproductive, given the dynamics of bilateral trade. India imports a lot of intermediate goods from China and stopping that trade will affect the country’s ability to produce finished goods and the overall competitiveness of the manufacturing sector. Such a move will be counterproductive in the import-dependent sectors like automobiles, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and telecommunications, etc.
The harsh reality is that India’s poor share in global trade is a reflection of its acute lack of competitiveness. Domestic bottlenecks such as poor infrastructure, lack of reliable power, logistical delays, regulatory hurdles, and problems in enforcing contracts are some of the real culprits. Therefore to say goodbye to Chinese goods we need elaborate economic infrastructural planning.

Books have been my greatest company during this corona time and I have been able to finish reading 3-4 books in these last couple of months.
 The one I just finished reading is a Telugu book called “Itla Sutha” ,” Kurushetra Rahitha Mahabharata Gatha” which was given to me by my co-brother Srinivas Dy Commissioner (Customs&CE), and insisted that I should read it without fail, as it is written in purely old colloquial Telangana dialect, and subject though relating to Mahabharata, author Sri Varigonda Kantharao, fictionalised or reimagined it in a way he can do away with the Kurushetra Yudha. So to avert the war between Pandavas & Kauravas,  he made Karna switchover to Pandavas' side, as he is the firstborn son of Kunti. All this is hypothetical analysis but very nicely done. As I'm not used to writing Telugu on a keyboard, I'm directly posting the gist from the book here for a better appreciation of my FB friends.
ఇట్ల సుత’ ఒక అపురూప రచన. మహాభారత కథ దీనికి భూమిక. మహాభారత యుద్ధం జరగకుండా ఉండి ఉంటే ఎట్లా ఉండేది అన్న ఆలోచనే దీనికి మూలం. జననష్టదాయకమైన యుద్ధ నివారణకు ఒకటే ఒక మార్గం ఉంది. అది కర్ణుని యుద్ధ వైముఖ్యం. దాన్ని కేంద్రంగా తీసుకుని ఈ బృహద్రచన సాగింది. దౌత్య సందర్భంలో కర్ణునితో జరిగిన శ్రీకృష్ణుని సమావేశమే ఈ రచనకు ప్రాణం. తన ఆలోచనలకు అంగీకారం తెలిపిన కర్ణుడు పాండవ పక్షంలో చేరిపోవడంతో యుద్ధం సంశయగ్రస్తమైంది. దీనికి తోడు కుంతి కూడా కర్ణుణ్ణి కలవడం కూడా యుద్ధనివారణలో మరో ప్రధాన హేతువు. ఈ రెండు హేతువుల కారణంగా కర్ణుడు పాండవ శిబిరానికి రావడం వల్ల, ఇక్కడి నుండి కథ కొత్త మలుపులు తీసుకుంది. చివరకు యుద్ధం ఆగిపోయింది. ఇదీ స్థూల విషయం.

ఇందులో కర్ణునితోబాటు భీష్ముడు, కృష్ణుడు, శకుని, దుశ్శాసనుడు, దుర్యోధనుడు మొదలైన పాత్రల చిత్రణ చాలా విశేషంగా కనిపిస్తుంది. పాఠకుణ్ణి లోతుగా మూలాల్లోకి వెళ్ళి ఆలోచింపజేస్తుంది. కాని భారతమూలకథకు, ధర్మజుని పట్టాభిషేకానికి కర్ణ, దుశ్శాసనాదుల మరణానికి మాత్రం ఎటువంటి ఆటంకమూ కలుగకపోవడం విశేషం. కాకపోతే మరణాలు మరో కారణంగా సంభవిస్తాయి. అందుకే దీన్ని రచయిత "కురుక్షేత్ర యుద్ధ రహిత వచన కావ్యం" గా చెప్పాడు. ఈ రచనలో మరో ముఖ్యమైన విశేషం ఉంది. అది భాష విషయం - ఈ మొత్తం రచన తెలంగాణా భాషలోనే సాగడం ఒక ప్రత్యేకత. చాలా సాఫీగా, ఎక్కడా కృత్రిమత లేకుండా రచన సాగించిన వరిగొండ కాంతారావు గారు అభినందనీయుడు.

A few days back an article titled "Descent of Democracy" caught my attention.  As per that, the Democracy index is compiled by Economist Intelligence Unit, a UK based company. The index is based on 60 indicators grouped in five different categories, measuring electoral process, pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties. The democracy index is a weighted average based on the answers to the said 60 questions. In addition to numeric score and ranking, the index categorises each country in one of the four regime types namely full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes.
The ECIU published its latest report “The State of Democracy in the world in 2018”.As per the report Norway was at the top, scoring 9.87 out of 10, while North-Korea with 1.08 was at the bottom. Only 20 countries are Full democracies, while the largest number of 55 countries are under flawed democracies, with 43% of the world population. A third of the world population live in 39, hybrid regime countries, while 43 countries have authoritarian governments.
Among the SAARC countries India (41), Srilanka(71), are classified as flawed democracies, followed by Bangladesh (88), Bhutan(94), and Nepal(97) which are classified as hybrid regimes, with Pakistan (112), Afghanistan (143), being authoritarian.
Even though the author mentions about other countries but here I would stick with India as it is a matter of personal interest for us.
If we have a look at the EIUD index map in the region, we can understand the uniqueness of India’s democratic credentials, hailed as the largest democracy in the world hemmed in by hybrid and authoritarian regimes.
India, which had reached its highest-ever position of 27, in 2014(MMS Govt) just two ranks away from becoming full democracy, slipped to 42nd position last year, registering second largest fall in ranking after Indonesia, which fell by 20 ranks, to 68. Even though India has improved one rank 41, there has been no improvement in scores which continues at 7.23.
This is the worst ever ranking on the index of India. It's a mid-range country among flawed democracies with a high score of 9.17, in electoral process and pluralism (out of 10). But with a moderate record not crossing 7.5 on the rest of the parameters. A dismal score on the state of civil liberties and a decline in the performance of the government and pluralism led to a slump in India’s rank. What has adversely affected India’s rankings last year, according to the report, is the rise of “conservative religious ideologies “, vigilantism, violence, narrowing the scope for dissent, threat to minorities and marginalised groups, etc. Journalists are increasingly under attack, as a result, limited scope for fair reportage, the Indian media is only classified as “partially free” a fact also corroborated by “Freedom in the world report 2018.”
This report covers the period before the 2019 elections. After the general elections, the abrupt abrogation of Art370, unilateral division of J&K, inordinately long clampdown, and incarceration of political leaders in Kashmir, NRC fiasco, citizenship legislation, increasing political manipulation’s, etc could dent ranking further. Earlier with all alleged inanities in secularism, India managed to remain a steady democracy.
It’s apprehended that the present regime’s panache for the conservative religious ideology if pursued long, may transform the country into a theocratic state like Pakistan and Bangladesh from a secular Republic.

Today’s An English News paper carries a report on the front page with the caption “”Jobless Grads,PGs,now after MGNREGS works. I feel very bad ,because it’s heart wrenching.The Graduates and Post Graduates rendered jobless due to Covid19 crisis now have no hangups about taking up unskilled and labour intensive jobs under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural employment Guarantee Scheme .They are in sizeable Numbers among ,atleast 35,Lakhs people across the country who have applied for this Scheme MGNREGA since April 1st -the highest in the decade .

India lost more jobs since announcement of lockdown in a shoddy manner.As per the latest report one in every four Indians is unemployed now..The Corona virus-induced lockdown for the longest period in the world has triggered job losses that are unprecedented in the Indian history.Over 122 million people lost their jobs in April, last, according to Centre For Monitoring Indian Economy.What is more worrisome is that India had entered the lockdown with already high unemployment level.Report also says India lost more jobs since imposition of nation wide lockdown in March than the US did during Great Depression.At 27% the country’s unemployment rate is now four times that of US.

The disturbing scenes of desperate migrant workers fleeing cities on foot to return to their villages dominated TV screens and News paper columns,all these days .If you see the reports many large scale companies across sectors including retail ,automobiles, hospitality ,aviation etc have announced massive layoffs,while many small and medium businesses are likely to shut shops altogether.The job loss and salary cuts will slowdown further ,the recovery , even after pandemic..The much touted “Atmanirbhar Bharath Abhiyan””package contains long term measures,to ease credit and liquidity concerns but will have no bearing on immediate task of providing succour to the people impacted by pandemic.Since vulnerable sections need cash in their hands to feed their families,Centre should have ensured direct cash transfer to the poor ,but since it was suggested by the rival group’s leader ,it’s not acceptable,irrespective of the fact that the suggestion is good.

Upon recommendations by some friends, I read "Wings of Fire" by APJ Abdul Kalam. A very inspiring personality who needs no introduction.
He was known as a Missile Man and a “people’s President “. This book is his autobiography, covering his early life and his work in India’s Space Research and Missile programs. His story is a story of a man rising above his circumstances as he was born to a small middle-class boat owner in Rameswaram, Tamilnadu.
The first few chapters highlight the role of his family, relatives, and friends in setting him on the path to achieving his goals. They give readers a very good insight into his beginnings and make the readers intrigued and involved in the story.
It stresses the fact that youth should not be disheartened by failures. According to him, some hidden knowledge is within us with which we should convey. It drives the message home very hard especially for youth not to get bogged down in life due to personal tragedies and setbacks, and through his life experiences, readers can imbibe ways and means to overcome them. The early chapters are very engaging as we get a vivid picture of the country during the 1930-1950s. He also brings to fore the religious harmony which existed before partition of India.
After having completed his education, he wanted to become an officer in Air Force, however, he couldn’t clear the interview, in Delhi, then he went to Rishikesh, where he met Swamy Sivananda in his Ashram, and the reaction of Sivananda Ji was very interesting and prophetic.
“Accept your destiny and go ahead with your life. What you are not destined to become is not revealed now, but it’s predestined. Forget this failure, as it’s not essential to lead you to the destined path, search, instead, for the true purpose of your existence. Become one with yourself, to the wish of God”
  This book should be read by every Indian.The warmth, deeply passionate, story of a boat owner’s son who had become India’s most distinguished living technocrat. Students, HR professionals, and all the people dealing with men and matters should invariably read it, as you will get a lot of inputs on Motivation, Organisational Behaviour including abilities to be inculcated, etc.which are very important to survive.
But this book covers Mr.Kalam’s personal life very briefly which is strange for an autobiography.  I was curious to know whether he would mention about own self as to why he remained a bachelor throughout, and other activities outside the Space Research, etc.
One of the things that stands out throughout the book is Kalam’s positive thinking. He held many high ranking positions in various organisations yet he rarely mentioned anything about the lethargy/corruption, of bureaucracy or politicians. The secret of his success seems to be his ability to ignore negative things around him.

An unfortunate spin-off from pandemic has been the suspension of basic labour laws in many BJP ruled states like UP, MP, Gujarat. The other day one of my friends posted an item saying that the labour laws being useless, continuing since the Nehruvian era, laws with the socialistic approach, won’t serve any purpose, therefore the idea of suspension of labour laws will be the greatest virtue. But I am afraid, the suspension of labour laws and freehand given to Industries May lead to a wave of easy closures, and retrenchments, which will only worsen the unemployment situation in the country. It is true the labour laws need to be streamlined but is it the right time when millions of migrant labourers are out of jobs, and heading back to their home states? By diluting labour laws that guarantee some measure of protection against exploitation, we could be adding to their misery. But the justification being given is that they are coming in the way of economic revival.and as I understand, the economic revival is dependent on many factors such as right stimulus, tax breaks, and the support from concerned state governments, etc. I agree they were written in a different century, I feel, it rings true even today’s climate. Not Only is the brunt of the lockdown being borne by labour population but also their right to a dignified life is being threatened by these so-called unjust exemptions. Indiscriminate profiteering by capitalists at the expense of marginalised is nothing new for us, but coming in this situation marks a new low.
Instead of suspension of labour laws, I would have appreciated the government’s if they suspend the sedition law, which is being used and misused and abused by the government, at their will to suppress the common democratic right of criticism. Sedition means inciting people to rebel against the state. In the Indian democratic system, governments have always been criticised by political opponents and media. This was never interpreted as a rebellion against the state, previously, say about 10 years ago. British bureaucratic legalese is the hallmark of Sedition law that we are still following. Strangely many of our present-day elected leaders seem to believe that once elected they are above the checks and balances of democracy. The Govt Of Gujarat is the best example, wherein Mr. Patel a journalist was booked for sedition when he uploaded a report on CM which was very routine saying that there were problems between CM and BJP HighCommand.and such type of reports appear about many leaderships in many states. If the report is wrong, the CM and HighCommand could have denied or disowned it and the media would have published it. But the Government ensured that that CID filed an FIR against Patel under the sedition Act. On the other hand, police chief twisted the matter to say that because of Coronavirus he had been detained, not arrested but sent to the hospital for COVID treatment. Therefore thrusting this Act to prevent legitimate give and take in a democracy, is a very cheap trick. Parliamentary criticism of a government or minister is the essence of democracy. To say that such criticism is Sedition amounting to rebellion against the state, is it fair? It’s nonsense.
So instead of muzzling labour laws, if the center is having a will, the draconian Sedition Law should be amended forthwith.

India After Modi, populism, and the right, a book by Ajay Godavarthy, I had some apprehensions before starting to read this book. I felt the content of the book will be heavily tilted if the author is a Modi bhakt .
But all my doubts faded away once I started reading it. The author divided the book into 4 parts with a brilliant introduction which is the crux of every argument he made. Indeed the introduction itself could be seen as a summary of the whole book, but more importantly, it offers certain political concepts that are undoubtedly unique to populism. Part 1&2 are a critical examination of organisational structure and functions of BJP-RSS, in India.
India After Modi Book, attempts to address the divide between 'us & them" which grew steadily in politics. Do you sometimes wonder whether it will be repaired at all, in the future? Do you ever pause to reflect why emotions spill on the streets and why Democratic Institutions in India have been dysfunctional? All these questions addressed through an analysis of events like AwardVapasi, Demonetisation, the crisis of JNU, and other Higher Educational Institutions, including states of Bihar & UP, in his collection of Essays.
India After Modi doesn’t merely condemn but takes the job of critique seriously by pointing out the many ways in which BJP has offered numerous marginals and recently disempowered groups. This is a timely book that diligently captures the qualitative study of colonial India.
Though written before 2019 General Elections the book makes a lot of good observations on the future of Indian politics given the emergence of BJP-RSS combine. This book is not a blind critique of Right-wing populism despite it being written by a left-liberal. But as such, it is like a theory, and I can’t say it’s a must-read.
The Author Ajay Godavarthy is Associate Professor at the center for political studies in JNU, New Delhi. Earlier he taught at National Law School, Bangalore. He was also a visiting professor at the University of Hyderabad, and University of London 

This pandemic has hit both the Indian economy and the global economy harder than the 2008 recession.
We do not know now the duration and depth of this uncertainty of the crisis, but dealing with the after-effects of Covid19 will be a major economic challenge over the coming few years. If the Indian political leadership and entrepreneurs play their cards well, the nation is sure to witness a revolution post-Covid 19 crisis. This is because hundreds of multinational companies in sectors like automobiles, mobile phones, electronics, and textiles among others are considering moving their manufacturing base from China to business-friendly nations in Asia including India. The US has been openly criticising China in containing the Covid19 crisis and also its lack of transparency, while European nations too raised fingers at it. The need of the hour for our Government is, to introduce more reforms to attract investors. Multinational companies can be easily lured to India as India itself is a huge consumer market as well. The availability of skilled manpower, labour, and raw material will be of immense help, while their entry will boost our economy, provided our governments will try to exploit the situation.
The pandemic has impacted the world economy and India is no exception, but an hour of crisis government must salvage the economy by stopping all projects that are not essential, instead, the Centre has decided to freeze the hike in DA  for the government employees, and unsurprisingly Congress and Rahul were up in arms against the decision, and pointed out that government should have put on hold the central vista project, budget for Bullet train, etc instead of taking away money from the middle class, and I don’t think, it’s a bad suggestion, as the government seems to have kept aside enormous amounts for development projects, like Central vista, Bullet train, etc as the Govt must giving priority to development projects more than the people. Opening up the economy gradually without throwing caution to the winds can bring a smile on the faces harrowed citizens.  

After devouring many books based on socio-political personalities and history, this time around I laid my hands on a book titled "Why I Am a Hindu", written by Shashi Tharoor. Must admit its an unusual genre for me to pick up. 
Shashi Tharoor, a very prominent Member of Parliament, a diplomat, and he is also known for his sesquipedalian oratory and writing skills. 
He was awarded Ramnath Goenka’s award for excellence in Journalism for his book “The British Empire in India”. He was Under-Secretary-General in UN and a two-time Member of Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram.
  This book opens up our views on Hinduism, vis-a-vis our overall world view. It puts forth a balanced perspective on religion and its impact on current modern-day politics. Mr. Tharoor, one of India’s finest intellectuals, gives us a great insight into one of the oldest and greatest religions. In the first part of the book he takes us for a leisurely walk through the thickets of Hinduism, beginning with Vedas, guiding us through myths, and populist practices, etc. Its a very balanced book on Religion, as one can hope to write in these tumultuous times, and reminds us about pluralism.
 The author has distilled the important elements for us to easily understand the flavours of Hinduism. It addresses myriad questions that pop up in our brain like why do we have so many gods, the role of caste, why there is no single holy book, like Quran or Bible, etc. In today's divisive political environment it shows why it is important that Hinduism must retain its pluralism.  It is a handy book to reacquaint oneself with what Hinduism was and is, and what it’s not meant to be. He also discusses many great saints of Hinduism, such as Adi Shankara Ramanuja, Patanjali, Swamy Vivekananda, and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, etc. A must-read in my view. 

After observing lockdown for close to a month, now people of Telangana are feeling hopeful and positive that we are slowly inching towards normalcy.
PM Modi said during his televised speech that lockdown curbs would be eased in areas with lower or no incidence of COVID 19, after May 3rd. However, the extension is effective until April 30th. As May 1st is a national holiday, on account of May Day, which falls on Friday, then the country will go into the weekend. This lockdown comes with a hefty price tag, as it brought the economic activity, to a standstill barring a handful of industries that produce essential products and companies that offer essential services, all other public sector, and private units shut down their operations completely. Rough estimates say that economy has been losing close to Rs 40,000 crores a day on account of lockdown. On the count -21 days, cost India a whopping 8.4 Lakh crores and the extended lockdown will double this economic pain.
If you see, daily there is a great exodus of migrant labour. More than half million are just waiting to return home, and today only the policy for shifting them to their places has been announced. Therefore the economic activities will remain in deep hibernation for some more time now while acute poverty of unimaginable proportion in rural homes, once Corona threat vanishes is set to be the next serious concern.
The present government liquidated the country’s accumulated wealth to keep the fiscal deficit within limits. It also spirited out RS 1.7 lakh crores from the contingency reserves of RBI, assiduously conserved over time, with the tacit help of a willing custodian. Profitable PSUs paid high dividends repeatedly from the reserves. They are nudged to buy back Government stake in other PSUs. LIC, an all-weather milking cow, doubled its investment in risky PSUs from Rs 11.4 lakh crores to Rs 22.64 lakh crores, depleting it’s cash reserves by whopping Rs 10.7 lakh crores between 2014 and 2019. While revenue receipts were dwindling, Government announced a generous tax cut for our most beloved corporates.
When Covid 19 struck, our economy was already in meltdown, with ruling dispensation indulging in ritualistic denials. Unless some shrewd minds put heads together it’s very difficult for the country to come out of this mess. Lest the killer pathogen, Corona puts the economy too on a ventilator.

After finishing Jairam Ramesh’s book on Krishna Menon, another book “Journey Through Turbulent Times." An Autobiography Of HJ DORA,  a former Head of the police force of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.was readily available with me, which I could finish it in 2-3 days.  This 272 pages book deals with how piquant situations were tackled and averted by HJ Dora. This I picked up because Dora (not be mistaken with of the kid cartoon character) was a close acquaintance of my father (I can’t say he was a friend, like many of his contemporaries).
The autobiography titled above gives a fairly accurate account of several developments in the recent history of undivided Andhra Pradesh. The narrative technique employed by Dora effortlessly transports the reader into those days.
As a customary, the initial chapters deal with the writers' childhood, college, and University days.  Later he went to talk about his determination to join All India Services. He recalls vividly his training period and subsequent postings etc. Needless to say, the personal experiences of an officer of the caliber of Dora would be of immense value to any police department as every development explained in the book, has a valuable lesson in it.
He worked in various capacities as CP Vijayawada, CP Hyderabad, CMD APSRTC, CID Head later DGP. When he took over the reins as DGP, his biggest contribution to the state was the control of Left-wing Extremism. Any reader of this book expects that he would give a more detailed account of his experience as he took on the most powerful People’s War Group. For the reasons best known to him,  he merely narrated some of the sensational Naxalite attacks and how the police force which was at the receiving end turned the corner and hit back. Ultimately it was during his tenure that PW leadership had rolled back all its squads from AP and moved to Chhattisgarh.
I was prompted to read this book as my father always expressed to me that Dora was a very upright officer. I must admit that I was a little disappointed as I was hoping to read about secretive details of the strategies and tactics employed in fighting LWE in the Telangana Region. There are many instances which still are like mysteries wrapped in enigma on how the police managed to track Naxal teams or how they infiltrated, or how the police managed to win the hearts and minds of people. Or maybe he deliberately left out details of those counter-insurgency strategies he devised in this book so that he could deal with them in another book? This is the third book, so let us wait for another book for more details.