Counterview

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Untouchability and caste discrimination remain deeply embedded in India’s social fabric—whether Rahul Gandhi speaks about them or not, and regardless of what the BJP –RSS establishment wants the world to believe about the “greatness” of Hindu or Indian culture. The Varna system continues to be the darkest stain on that cultural narrative, persisting even as Indians migrate abroad and become “green card holders.” Caste has travelled with them—to Europe, America, Canada, Africa, and across Asia.

By Vivek Sakpal*  On August 8, 2026, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, also the president of India's oldest political party (Indian National Congress), a Dalit (rarely mentioned) leader who has spent five decades in public life, addressed a rally at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. Two days later, members of the Shri Ram Sena reportedly performed a "shuddhikaran" havan at the very ground on which he had stood and spoken. 

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  There is no single reason for the decay of India's government education system. Behind it lies a combination of insufficient budget allocation, lack of basic infrastructure, and an absence of accountability. Teaching positions in schools lie vacant, and those who are employed often lack the training and competence required for modern times. The education system prioritizes rote learning and exam scores over skill development or practical knowledge. The new generation taking to the streets against the deterioration of government education is demanding not just facilities, but accountability.

By Ram Puniyani*  The multiple protests at Jantar Mantar have shaken our body politic to no end. While the Cockroach Janta Party precipitated the series of protests, the underlying resistance to government suppression has been deeply painful for society. Although the protests appeared to be centred on paper leaks, serious lapses in the social and political system provided the foundation for the protests to assume the form they did. The reported orders for pellet guns and firearms brought an element of total revulsion. The issue became so serious that the ruling government’s major leaders, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, did not dare to attend Parliament’s session. Instead, they hid behind the make-believe façade of the Opposition supposedly preventing discussion in the House.

By Harasankar Adhikari*  Religion has long shaped human civilization, influencing ethics, social norms, and personal identity. Albert Einstein once observed that "science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind," capturing the enduring tension between faith and reason. In India, where spiritual traditions run deep, religion remains a powerful social force. Yet the question before us is not whether religion matters, but whether it has become an instrument of political division—and whether Indian democracy can navigate this challenge without compromising its foundational pluralism.

By Vijay Prashad  In Minaçu, in the northern part of the Brazilian state of Goiás, the landscape bears the scars of an earlier mineral rush. For decades, the town depended on the Cana Brava asbestos mine, whose prosperity was inseparable from lethal illnesses and a long history of environmental damage. Now Minaçu has been recruited into another promised future. At the Pela Ema mine, Serra Verde extracts rare-earth elements required for electric motors, wind turbines, advanced electronics, and weapons systems. The mineral has changed, but the danger is that the old structure of dependency will remain intact.