By Kalyani Shankar

By Kalyani Shankar How should the newly elected President Droupadi Murmu be addressed? When congress leader Adhir Chowdhury referred to her as ‘Rashtrapatni’ and claimed it was a slip of his tongue later, still minister SmritiIrani held the word as derogatory. Even when the first woman president, Pratibha Patil (2007-2012), took over, Shiv Sena supremo […]

The post Droupadi Murmu Can Make A Difference In The Life Of Tribals, If She Wants first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Dynastic politics is perhaps the antithesis of democracy. Critics say it is amongst many political evils in the Indian democratic setup where most parties, including the Congress, are being run like family enterprises. The paradox is many regional satraps have emerged in the past 75 years and co-exist in a democracy. More […]

The post Major Theme For 2024 Lok Sabha Polls Is ’Dynast Free Bharat’ first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Is the overpopulation a boon or a bane for India, and will we be able to convert its human resources to productive use? Experts say it could be a boon, but only if the people are involved in regulating it. The topic has come in focus as India will be the world’s […]

The post India Need Major Planning In Its Policies To Get Demographic Dividends first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Just as Shiv Sena split in Maharashtra, the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu is engaged in a power struggle between two former chief ministers, E. Palaniswami (EPS) and O. Panneerselvam (OPS). In a fast-developing drama, the EPS camp would like to relieve OPS of his present post of party treasurer and deputy leader […]

The post AIADMK Is Facing Another Split As EPS Marginalises OPS In Power Struggle first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Is the ongoing Maharashtra political crisis an ideological battle within the Shiv Sena or the inability of  Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to convince his Sainiks about his soft Hindutva? Or is it the BJP’s ambition to eliminate all non-BJP governments, or is it for the realignment of political forces? It is […]

The post Uddhav’s Soft Hindutva Is Being Challenged By Shiv Sena Hardliners first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Presidential elections are the buzz of the season as India is poised to get its new President next month following the retirement of incumbent Ramnath Kovind. Since Independence, these polls have witnessed close contests, surprises, and upsets. Generally, the ruling party gets its candidate elected, and the contests are a mere formality. […]

The post Presidential Elections In Last Seven Decades Have Been Eventful first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Elections and defections go together despite stringent anti-defection laws in the country. The law proves ineffective as the legislators are lured by money and position. The lawmakers skirt around the rules, find loopholes to their advantage, and defy them. In last week’s Rajya Sabha polls, Rajasthan’s BJP legislator Shobharani Khushwaha, Congress’s Haryana […]

The post Parliament Must Plug Loopholes In Present Anti-Defection Law first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Will a caste census trigger a disaster or settle the demand of many political parties? While it plays such a dominant role in our social, economic, and political life, it is strange that no credible Caste data has existed since 1931. Also, the prominent four main castes, Brahmin, Kshatriyas, Vaishya, and Shudra, […]

The post Caste Census Has Now Emerged As A Major Issue For Political Parties first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Why are the Indians curious about the British Royal family even after India’s Independence? Even the present generation of Indians know of Queen Elizabeth 11. We have listened to the nursery rhyme in our childhood, “Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been? I have been to London to look at the […]

The post Britain Celebrates Queen Elizabeth’s Reign’s Platinum Jubilee In June first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar The Composition of Rajya Sabha will soon mirror Lok Sabha giving an advantage to the ruling BJP. Though it might reach double digits, it will not gain the majority yet. Stakes are high for the BJP and the opposition parties because of the upcoming Presidential and vice-presidential polls in June – July. […]

The post Coming Biennial Elections For 57 Rajya Sabha Seats Significant first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Where does Congress go from Udaipur Chintan Shivir? Was the conclave an exercise in futility, or will it revive the party?  It all depends on the implementation of the decisions taken at the conclave. Congress President Sonia Gandhi said that the Shivir should not become a ritual. “I request your full cooperation […]

The post Congress Chintan Shivir At Udaipur Has Laid No Road Map To Take On BJP first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Tamil Nadu chief minister M. K. Stalin completed one year in office on May 7. He has emerged out of the shadows of his famous father and late former chief minister M. Karunanidhi. After winning the state last year, Stalin now had to live up to the voters’ expectations, as he assumed […]

The post M K Stalin’s One Year As Chief Minister In Tamil Nadu Shows Great Promise first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Once again, the role of the Governors has come to the fore after the Tamil Nadu state Assembly last week passed two bills clipping the powers of the Governor in the appointment of vice-chancellors. The harmony between the chief ministers and non -BJP ruled state governors has been disturbed for some time […]

The post Time Is Ripe For Giving A Close Look At The Present Powers Of Governors first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has taken a conciliatory step by not confronting the rebels in the party ( G 23) by postponing her decision on poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s entry into the party. It, however, does not mean that it will not happen, as she is biding time and preparing the ground […]

The post Sonia Is Firm On Bringing Prashant Kishor To Congress At ‘Right Time’ first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Will the poll strategist Prashant Kishor be an asset or a liability if he joins the Congress party? It is a million-dollar question as Kishor waits for the Gandhis to announce his induction. This speculation arose after Kishor had a four-hour meeting with the Congress top brass, including the Gandhis, on the […]

The post Can Prashant Kishor Shake Up Lackluster Congress From Within? first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar The 2022 presidential election will occur when President Ramanath Kovind’s term ends on July 25. Though it is more of an ornamental post as the real power exists in the hands of the elected Prime Minister, there are always speculations about the polls. It may be too early to speculate but the […]

The post Narendra Modi Has Started Exercises For Picking His Next Presidential Candidate first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar The ongoing Sri Lanka crisis finds echoes across the Palk straits in Tamil Nadu as refugees have started arriving in the state over the past fortnight. Since the Eelam war ended in 2009, this is the first time refugees have arrived on the Tamil Nadu coast. The crisis has further deepened with […]

The post Centre Has To Extend All Possible Assistance To Beleaguered Sri Lanka first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar The BJP has reposed faith in the incumbent chief ministers in all the four states where it won in the recently concluded Assembly elections. Whether it was a coincidence or by design, the big picture is clear: the party high command did not want to disturb the winning formula in these states. […]

The post BJP Opts For Continuity, Stability And Youth In CMs Choice first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Will the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal emerge as a challenger to  Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress Party, or both? No doubt winning Punjab will encourage him to spread his Aam Admi Party’s wings to other states, but can he achieve his ambition? It may be difficult as the other regional […]

The post Arvind Kejriwal Is Young, He Has Time In His Favour, He Should Work For 2029 first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Odds appear to favour the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The party is gung ho about its rosy prospects, as barring a few losses, the BJP’s winning streak doesn’t appear to be reversing. The party has retained four of the five states that went to the polls recently. It considers […]

The post Congress Leadership Needs Course Corrections Before 2024 Polls first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Russia’s ‘invasion of its neighbour Ukraine’ on February 24 has brought to the fore once again the urgent need for United Nations Organisation (UNO)  reform and the need for an international body to play its proper role.  The world is facing a possible nuclear conflict today. Whatever may be the reason, Russian […]

The post Russia’s Ukraine War Underlines Urgency Of United Nations Reform first appeared on IPA Newspack.

By Kalyani Shankar Will too many cooks spoil the Opposition broth? Many players in the national opposition camp are trying to come together ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls against the BJP. You have Congress President Sonia Gandhi attempting to form a united opposition coalition. You have West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee trying […]

The post Forming Of A Federal Front Of Regional Parties Without Congress May Not Work first appeared on IPA Newspack.