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Harihar Swarup

Akhilesh Yadav Has Improved His Acceptability Through Long Election Campaign

BJP Is Going All Out To Retain Power In Uttar Pradesh Defying Many Odds

AN ILLUSTRIOUS INHERITANCE OF LOSS

NATIONAL HERALD – FROM GLORY TO PITS

By Harihar Swarup

The National Herald was a child of the freedom movement. It was started by Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru himself reported for the paper and Krishna Menon was its London correspondent. Mahatma Gandhi wrote in Harijan in 1942: “The National Herald is an institution.” From 1938 to 1942, it lived dangerously from day to day, ready to publish anything about the freedom movement, paying the penalty of successive securities, forfeited at the pleasure of authorities. It was ordered to submit its editorials to censorship, which it refused, and not given headlines to war news which it defied with ingenuity.

Nehru’s instructions were to try to live and serve the freedom movement but not to lower the flag. Gandhiji valued it as newspaper without fear. The newspaper was voluntarily closed under Gandhi’s call that new

PRAGMATISM NEEDED TO TACKLE KASHMIR ISSUE

SUSHMA’S TALKS IN KABUL HAVE POSITIVE NOTE

By Harihar Swarup

Kashmir always remains the core issue whenever India-Pakistan dialogue is resumed or breaks down. This time also, in the breakthrough in Islamabad with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit and the decision to resume of a comprehensive bilateral dialogue, Kashmir remained the key issue. The Manmohan Singh Government had tried to kick-start stalled discussion through “the resumed dialogue” process, which met with the same fate of the composite dialogue following the killing of Indian soldiers almost three years ago. In the past, every time there was forward momentum in India-Pakistan ties, particularly on Kashmir, there were attempts by militants or the army to derail the process.

India and Pakistan were in striking range of an agreement on Kashmir in 2007 when Pervez Musharraf was swept from power

WHY DEVELOPMENT MATTERS IN BIHAR POLLS

RELYING ON CASTE EQUATIONS WILL BACKFIRE   By Harihar Swarup   Though it looks surprising but in a caste-ridden state like Bihar,…

BHAGWAT’S REMARKS RATTLE BJP LEADERSHIP

NITISH GETS ADVANTAGE BEFORE ELECTIONS   By Harihar Swarup   For once RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat was right when he suggested that…

BJP AIMS TO BE SINGLE LARGEST PARTY IN BIHAR

HUNG ASSEMBLY IS STILL A POSSIBILITY   By Harihar Swarup   It may be misleading to call the coming election in Bihar…

MODI FACES MAJOR TEST IN BIHAR ELECTIONS

OUTCOME WILL DECIDE THE SHAPE OF POLITY   BY Harihar Swarup     The bugle for Bihar’s crucial election has been sounded….

RENAMING OF AURANGZEB ROAD IS SHORTSIGHTED

COMMUNAL CONSIDERATIONS TRUMP DELHI’S HISTORY   By Harihar Swarup   Why change only the name of Aurangzeb Road in New Delhi? Why…

HAS FINALLY NITISH OUTPLAYED MODI?

BIHARI DNA TRUMPS GUJARATI ASMITA   By Harihar Swarup   There have been disquieting reports from Bihar that a wedge is developing…

PARLIAMENT SHAMED AS MEMBERS BICKER

MONSOON WASHOUT SETS BAD PRECEDENT   By Harihar Swarup   Has anyone ever seen a debate on an adjournment motion without the…

SPECTRE OF HIGH CORRUPTION RETURNS TO HAUNT BJP

MODI IS STILL SILENT ON CHOUHAN, SWARAJ & RAJE   By Harihar Swarup   The BJP’s problems are getting worse day after…

MORE COMMOTION IN MAHARASHTRA ASSEMBLY

By Harihar Swarup This was, perhaps, the worst beginning for Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra. His government would have easily won the trust vote with the NCP first deciding to abstain in voting, but, later, agreeing to vote with the government. Then whose idea it was to pass the motion through voice vote and cast a doubt on the legitimacy of first-ever BJP government in the state? […]

ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS DUE IN THREE STATES

By Harihar Swarup   Another round of crucial Assembly elections are round the corner. While the polls are due in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand in December, in Delhi, where state assembly has been dissolved, the election is slated to be held in January. Doubtless, election in Jammu and Kashmir is of vital importance in the changed scenario. Both the ruling National Conference and the Congress are […]

UNEARTHING OF ILLEGAL FUNDS IS TIME CONSUMING

By Harihar Swarup Can government ever find out black money deposited by Indians in foreign banks, particularly in Switzerland? Judging by records of the past governments, one wonders if Modi government can perform a feat—unearth back money stashed in foreign banks. Making election promises is one thing and fulfilling them is another thing. One of the main electoral promise of Narendra Modi was to unearth black money […]

CONGRESS LEADERSHIP HAS TO WORK MUCH HARDER FOR SHEER SURVIVAL

By Harihar Swarup Will Congress fade away? Will the 128-year old party, whose leaders fought for independence, a party having deep roots, just wither away? Judging by its performance in the Lok Sabha elections in May this year and, its dismal performance in the state assembly elections, latest being Maharashtra and Haryana, the future of the Congress looks gloomy. But it is not as gloomy as prophets […]

BJP Rides On Modi-Shah Wave Again

By Harihar Swarup   Results in assembly election in Maharashtra are on expected lines: no party got majority and the BJP emerged as the single largest party, having secured only 121 seats in 288-member house, falling short of 22 seats to get majority. But in Haryana it was a real surprise: few expected clear majority for the BJP when in the last election the saffron party could […]

IT’S TIME TO WEED OUT OBSOLETE LAWS

By Harihar Swarup   It is unbelievable but true that there are as many as 3,000 obsolete, redundant or repetitive laws in India. There are over 300 colonial-era enactments in force, which are absolutely redundant. Some of these British-era laws are even derogatory to a particular group and hence remind us of the days of slavery.   Have a look at some of the ridiculous laws still […]

JAYALALITHAA’S POLITICAL BASE INTACT DESPITE PRISON TERM

By Harihar Swarup   Few persons have seen so many ups and downs in politics and personal life as Jayalalithaa. She touches the lowest ebb and yet bounces back with renewed vigor. She has enormous capacity to turn an adversarial situation to her advantage. Recall the March 1989 episode in Tamil Nadu assembly where she was manhandled and even attempt was made to disrobe her by some […]