Counterview

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava*
The Supreme Court on February 17, 2020, while hearing a plea against Shaheen Bagh road blockade, made an interesting observation cum interrogation saying that democracy works on expression of views but there are lines and boundaries and that people (protesters) cannot block public road indefinitely and create inconvenience for others; further adding that the "question is where can they demonstrate" .

By Prabhakar Sinha*
The worldwide panic following the outbreak of coronavirus has further strengthened my belief that Gandhiji was one of the greatest human beings in human history like Christ and Buddha. He was so great not because of his politics or political ideology but his great humanity.

Counterview Desk
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, which met for its XXXIV plenary assembly, at the St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru, on February 13-19, 2020, has, in a statement, said that “patriotism is different from narrow and divisive cultural nationalism, which is radically different from Constitutional nationalism.”

By Our Representative Indigenous communities affected by the Tanahu Hydropower Project in Nepal have filed complaints with independent watchdogs of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) -- two co-financiers of the project -- requesting an independent mediation process. The communities have alleged failure to uphold free, prior and informed consent and inadequate compensation for loss of lands and livelihoods.

By Mina Jadav* 
Nearly 1,000 residents of untenable slums of Ahmedabad held a public meeting at Sarangpur, Ahmedabad, and then marched to the Municipal Commissioner office at Danapeeth seeking an end to constant eviction of their settlements and decent shelter on February 20. The residents comprise of two groups of workers – seasonally migrant construction workers who migrate from the tribal belt comprising of Dahod in Gujarat and Jhabua and Banswara in neighbouring states and long-term migrants from the Nomadic Tribes and De-Notified Tribe (NTDNT) communities.

By Our Representative
A Gujarat-based minority rights organisation has demanded that the state government hold pre-budget consultations with representatives of minorities across the state. The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC), which held a dialogue in Himmatnagar, a North Gujarat town, said that the allocation for the minorities should be in accordance with the proportion of the minorities.

By Saloni Kapur*
Before a recent meeting in Davos with Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, Donald Trump reiterated his offer to help mediate over the issue of Kashmir. It’s been six months since India revoked the special constitutional status for the disputed territory of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and put the state on lockdown. While internet restrictions have eased, connectivity remains patchy and prominent local politicians are still in detention.

By Our Representative
Several prominent academics of Ahmedabad have written an open letter protesting against the construction of the wall near the Indira Bridge in the city in order to “hide the slums from the eyes of the VVIP visitors to Ahmedabad.” The letter, interestingly, does not say that the wall has been constructed in the wake of the proposed visit of US president Donald Trump, allegedly in order to “hide” the sight of poverty during his three-hour visit to the city on February 24.

By Our Representative
A single women's conference, held under the auspices of the Ekal Mahila Adhikar Sangathan, in Gujarat's Modasa town of Aravalli district has asked state chief minister Vijay Rupani give them lifelong pension, insisting the amount of pension should be increased to Rs 5,000 per month. Currently, the state government offers Rs 1,000 as widow pension.