'Constitutional impropriety rampant': Ex-BJP CM to head non-partisan Gujarat platform

By A Representative
Former BJP chief minister Suresh Mehta has alleged that the Gujarat government is “openly violating basic constitutional norms” by refusing to be transparent on certain mystereious financial transactions. Talking with media, Mehta, who has just turned 87, said, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report mentions that huge funds from the state exchequer are being used, yet the state government has refused to reveal detail where they are going.
BJP CM in mid-1990s, Mehta, who resigned from the BJP in 2007 following differences with Narendra Modi, who ruled Gujarat then, said, mysterious budgetary subheads are being created under “head 800”, where funds are being sent, but “there are no accounts” which could suggest how much the amount is. “It could run in thousands of crores”, he said, adding, “CAG has taken serious note of such a situation.”
Offering an example of the “unaccounted funds”, Mehta said, when international dignitaries visit Ahmedabad, the slum areas along the roads are covered with long green curtains so that they do not see rampant poverty of the city. “It is this kind of expenditure which is being transferred into the head 800, about which no details are being offered even to CAG”, he said.
Flanked by senior environmentalist Mahesh Pandya and well-known danseuse Mallika Sarabhai, Mehta told the media, it is to highlight such and other constitutional impropriety that several concerned Gujarat citizens have come together to begin a campaign Jan Abhiyan Badle Gujarat. “It’s a non-political platform to make make people aware of the type of misgovernance taking place in Gujarat and suggest alternatives”, he said.

Giving details, Sarabhai, who is also a social activist, said, as part of the campaign it has been decided to set up Balwantrai Mehta Research and Training Institute, where elected representatives as activists in public life with be trained about where Gujarat is heading and where it should head. “One hears the critique of majoritarianism and how it is harming the state and its people. Our aim would be suggest an alternative narrative”, she underlined.
Balwantrai Mehta was the second chief minister of Gujarat. A freedom fighter who refused to take the BA degree offered by the British, he is considered as the 'architect of Panchayati Raj due to his contributions towards democratic decentralisation. He died in a plane crash during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, while flying from Tata Chemicals, Mithapur, to the Kutch border between India and Pakistan. The plane was shot down by a Pakistan Air Force pilot.
“If Gujarat is such a model state, there is a need to answer as to why are even well to do people want to get out of the state and search for job elsewhere in the world? Why are so many women disappearing? Is this how we are becoming a Vishwa Guru?”, she asked. “We will seek answers to these and other questions in our own small way at a time when nobody appears willing to speak out about why things are turning from bad to worse.”

Comments

US-China truce temporary, larger trade war between two economies to continue

By Prabir Purkayastha The Trump-Xi meeting in Busan, South Korea on 30 October 2025 may have brought about a temporary relief in the US-China trade war. But unless we see the fine print of the agreement, it is difficult to assess whether this is a temporary truce or the beginning of a real rapprochement between the two nations. The jury is still out on that one and we will wait for a better understanding of what has really been achieved in Busan.

When growth shrinks people: Capitalism and the biological decline of the U.S. population

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* Critically acclaimed Hungarian-American economic historian and distinguished scholar of economic anthropometric history, Prof. John Komlos (Professor Emeritus, University of Munich), who pioneered the study of the history of human height and weight, has published an article titled “The Decline in the Physical Stature of the U.S. Population Parallels the Diminution in the Rate of Increase in Life Expectancy” on October 31, 2025, in the forthcoming issue of Social Science & Medicine (SSM) – Population Health, Volume 32, December 2025. The findings of the article present a damning critique of the barbaric nature of capitalism and its detrimental impact on human health, highlighting that the average height of Americans began to decline during the era of free-market capitalism. The study draws on an analysis of 17 surveys from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (...

Justice for Zubeen Garg: Fans persist as investigations continue in India and Singapore

By Nava Thakuria* Even a month after the death of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg in Singapore under mysterious circumstances, thousands of his fans and admirers across eastern India continue their campaign for “ JusticeForZubeenGarg .” A large digital campaign has gained momentum, with over two million social media users from around the world demanding legal action against those allegedly responsible. Although the Assam government has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has arrested seven people, and a judicial commission headed by Justice Soumitra Saikia of the Gauhati High Court to oversee the probe, public pressure for justice remains strong.

Mergers and privatisation: The Finance Minister’s misguided banking agenda

By Thomas Franco The Finance Minister has once again revived talk of merging two or three large public sector banks to make them globally competitive. Reports also suggest that the government is considering appointing Managing Directors in public sector banks from the private sector. Both moves would strike at the heart of India’s public banking system . Privatisation undermines the constitutional vision of social and economic justice, and such steps could lead to irreversible damage.

Gujarat civil society to move Supreme Court against controversial electoral roll revision

By Rajiv Shah A recent, well-attended meeting of Gujarat civil society activists in Ahmedabad , held to discuss the impact of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, has decided to file a petition in the Supreme Court against the controversial exercise initiated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) across the country. Announcing this, senior High Court advocate Anand Yagnik , who heads the Gujarat chapter of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), said that a committee has already been formed to examine the pros and cons of SIR. “While the SIR exercise began in Gujarat on November 4 and is scheduled to continue for a month, we will file a supporting petition in the case against SIR in the Gujarat High Court or the Supreme Court after observing how it proceeds in the state,” he said. Yagnik’s announcement followed senior advocate Shahrukh Alam —who is arguing the SIR case in the Supreme Court—urging Gujarat’s civil society to also file ...

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Why PESA, a Birsa Munda legacy, remains India’s unfulfilled commitment to its tribal peoples

By Raj Kumar Sinha* Nearly three decades ago, the Indian Parliament enacted a landmark law for tribal regions — the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, better known as PESA. This legislation sought to restore the traditional autonomy of tribal societies and empower them to use local resources according to their customs and needs. However, such decentralization never sat well with today’s developmental politicians, capitalists, and bureaucrats. The question therefore arises — what makes PESA so important?

Trump escalates threats of war against Venezuela, as millions in US set to lose essential benefits

By Manolo De Los Santos The United States government is in the grips of one of its longest-running funding gaps in history. The ongoing government shutdown has already stretched beyond 30 days and now, the food security of millions of Americans is at risk as the funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is drying up and Trump officials have refused to tap into contingency funds . Approximately 42 million individuals per month rely on SNAP benefits and are set to lose them beginning on November 1.

Is vaccine the Voldemort of modern medicine to be left undiscussed, unscrutinised?

By Deepika* Sridhar Vembu of Zoho stirred up an internet storm by tweeting about the possible link of autism to the growing number of vaccines given to children in India . He had only asked the parents to analyse the connection but doctors, so called public health experts vehemently started opposing Vembu's claims, labeling them "dangerous misinformation" that could erode “vaccine trust”!

Search This Blog