Counterview

By A Representative    The People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has criticised the criminal contempt proceedings initiated against former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, and investigative journalist Saurav Das, describing them as an attack on the right to raise legitimate concerns about judicial conduct and conflicts of interest.

By A Representative   In a detailed representation submitted to the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIB&RC) on June 25, 2026, public policy expert Dr. Donthi Narasimha Reddy has urgently drawn the attention of the regulatory authorities to what he describes as a critical regulatory vacuum governing pesticide‑coated seeds and seed processing units across India. 

By A Representative   Marking one month since the Supreme Court's landmark judgment in the Prajwala v. Union of India case, the All India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA) and the All-India Workers Forum of the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) have welcomed the ruling, describing it as a significant affirmation of the constitutional rights, dignity and agency of adult sex workers.

By Harasankar Adhikari*  The 2026 West Bengal Assembly election has been described by many observers as a significant political turning point in the state's history. Fifteen years after the Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Mamata Banerjee, ended the Left Front's 34-year rule in 2011, the party was voted out of office. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a decisive electoral mandate and formed the new government.

By Sudhansu R. Das   A strong and effective opposition is an essential pillar of any parliamentary democracy. It scrutinizes government policies, offers alternative ideas, represents diverse sections of society, and contributes to informed public debate. India has witnessed several opposition leaders whose parliamentary contributions and public engagement left a lasting impact on democratic institutions.

By Nava Thakuria   Film enthusiasts, critics, and filmmakers from eastern India will have an opportunity to participate in the 10th edition of the Chalachitram National Film Festival (CNFF), scheduled to be held on 24 and 25 October 2026 at the Jyoti Chitraban Film Studio premises in Kahilipara, Guwahati. Organised by Chalachitram, a subsidiary of Vishwa Samvad Kendra (VSK) Assam, the festival will feature selected short films and documentaries, with awards including trophies, certificates and cash prizes presented in the presence of invited guests from the film fraternity.

By Ravi Ranjan   In the hushed galleries of an art exhibition, a poet stands before the canvases of Pablo Picasso, and time itself seems to fracture. What begins as a simple act of viewing becomes something far more profound—a philosophical excavation into the very nature of seeing, representing, and knowing another human being. Savita Singh's poem "The Soul of a Woman and Picasso" takes as its starting point the most famous painter of the twentieth century, yet its reach extends far beyond any single artist or era. It asks a question that has haunted humanity since we first began to make images: can we ever truly capture another person's soul in art?

By Jag Jivan     In an important development for intellectual and social activism in Gujarat, a comprehensive memorial book titled "Ek Kiran - Rationalismnu" (A Ray of Rationalism) has been released at a formal function at the Ahmedabad Management Association. The book compiles the definitive thoughts, analytical writings, and lifelong contributions of the late Kiran Nanavati , a pioneering figure who spearheaded the rationalist and humanist movements across the state from the late 1970s until his demise. 

By Anirban Bhattacharya   Financial inclusion cannot be measured by the number of loans disbursed. It cannot be measured merely by opening bank accounts or through digitisation alone. Nor can it be achieved in the name of "efficiency" by shrinking bank branches and replacing employees with Banking Correspondents.

By Saade Reckleben*    Ladakh is a high-altitude desert region with a population of around 300,000. According to available demographic estimates, about 47% of its residents are Muslims, 40% are Buddhists, and around 12% are Hindus. Nearly 97% of the population belongs to Scheduled Tribe communities.

By A Representative   Representatives of women's rights organisations, feminist groups, secular political parties and civil society organisations gathered in Hyderabad on Saturday to demand the immediate implementation of the Women's Reservation Act, 2023, without linking it to the Census or the delimitation process. The public consultation, organised by women's rights and feminist organisations of Telangana in solidarity with the National Coalition for Women's Reservation (NCWR), drew around 100 participants at Maqdoom Bhavan in Himayatnagar.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan   Visit any public place—a railway station, petrol pump, government office, or simply open a newspaper—and the Prime Minister's image is almost impossible to miss. Government advertisements have become a ubiquitous feature of India's public landscape, appearing across television screens, radio broadcasts, newspapers, digital platforms, and outdoor hoardings. While governments have a legitimate responsibility to inform citizens about policies and welfare schemes, the scale and nature of such publicity campaigns have raised an important question: should taxpayer money be used primarily for public information or for political image-building?

By Harsh Thakor*  K. Mohan Ram’s "Maoism in India", published in 1971 in the immediate aftermath of the Naxalbari uprising and the formation of the CPI(ML), remains one of the earliest systematic attempts to historically and ideologically map the emergence of Maoism in India. Written at a moment of intense political flux, the book offers a detailed examination of the forces, debates, and contradictions that shaped the early Maoist movement, while situating it within the broader trajectory of Indian communism.

By Ravi Ranjan*  At the centre of every civilisation stands a dangerous illusion: that life’s true vitality resides only where human presence is dense—cities, markets, institutions, and the monumental architectures of progress. Modernity has trained us to believe that visibility equals value, that noise equals life, and that the centre alone is fertile. Yet the more closely we look, the more this belief collapses. Life’s deepest pulse often beats not at the centre but at the margins—those quiet, neglected, seemingly barren spaces where human attention rarely lingers.

By A Representative   The proposed Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township at Bidadi, a flagship project of the Karnataka government, is facing intensified scrutiny as political opposition mounts and environmental experts raise concerns over its long-term viability. As farmers continue their 470-day protest against the acquisition of 7,481 acres of agricultural land, a prominent policy analyst has submitted a detailed representation to the Chief Minister and Cabinet, urging a comprehensive review of the project in the "larger public interest."

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  On the evening of 26 June 2026, at 8:30 p.m., the temperature was still 30 degrees Celsius. The air was hot and humid, and the sun was setting behind the Aventine and Vatican hills, casting a majestic glow over St. Peter's Square. Fearless seagulls splashed in the fountains, drinking and bathing without a hint of concern for the all-powerful figures of the Vatican. Young couples were sharing ice creams, visitors busily snapped photos, and security guards kept a vigilant watch over the crowd. 

  By Jag Jivan   As the Right to Information (RTI) Act completed 21 years since its enactment on June 21, 2005, a detailed analysis of the Central Information Commission's (CIC) Annual Report for 2024-25 has raised questions about reporting accuracy, transparency practices and the overall implementation of the law across Union government institutions.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan  Can one of India's most influential organisations be asked to disclose more about its structure, finances and legal status? That question has moved to the centre of political debate after Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge wrote to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat seeking clarity on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's registration status, sources of funding, tax compliance and organisational structure. Predictably, the letter has triggered sharp political reactions.

By Himadri Priya   The demand for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is no longer merely a constitutional question. It has evolved into a political indictment of the Union government's entire post-2019 approach to the region. At the centre of that indictment lies a simple but powerful charge: Delhi downgraded Jammu and Kashmir, promised that the damage would eventually be reversed, and then substituted delay for action.

By Vikas Meshram  Newton County in the American state of Georgia and Tusiana village near Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh appear to have little in common. They differ in language, culture and geography. Yet they are connected by a troubling reality: both have experienced the growing pressure that large AI-driven data centres can place on local water resources.

By Harsh Thakor*  Graeme Pollock’s batting belonged to that rare realm where timing, power and imagination fused into something almost otherworldly. In a career cut short by South Africa’s isolation, he still carved out a legacy that places him—without exaggeration—among the finest left‑handed batsmen the game has known. His Test average of 60.97, second only to Sir Donald Bradman among players with completed careers, remains a monument to what might have been had he enjoyed a full international life at the crease.

By Prem Singh   More than fifteen years ago, I wrote in Hindi that India's education system was steadily falling into the grip of neoliberalism . At the time, many believed that the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 represented a historic advance. I argued instead that it marked a decisive shift away from the constitutional vision of equal education for all. Looking back today, that warning appears more relevant than ever.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat  Former Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh—better known as V.P. Singh—would have turned 95 today. Born on June 25, 1931, in Manda, Allahabad, he passed away in November 2008. Yet, his memory endures among admirers scattered across the globe, even without an organized political machinery to champion his cause.

By A Representative   A broad coalition of more than 100 citizens, academics, human rights advocates, faith leaders, women's rights activists, trade unionists and civil society organisations has issued a public appeal calling for urgent peace, justice and constitutional intervention in Manipur as violence enters what the statement describes as a "more dangerous phase."

By A Representative   Power and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma has written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, urging the Centre to initiate a high-level policy review of India's energy and water management strategies in light of mounting environmental and climate-related challenges. In a representation addressed to the Finance Minister and copied to the Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog and the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted what he described as growing evidence of ecological stress, including groundwater depletion, land degradation, deforestation, pollution and the impacts of global warming. He argued that these developments necessitate urgent policy deliberations on the relationship between energy production and water security.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan   There is a peculiar paradox unfolding in modern India. Never before have Indians been so visible, successful, and influential on the global stage. From Silicon Valley to London, from Toronto to Singapore, Indians occupy boardrooms, universities, hospitals, and technology companies with remarkable distinction.

By Harsh Thakor*  Hanna Batatu remains one of the most influential Marxist historians of the modern Middle East, a scholar whose work transformed the study of class, state formation, and revolutionary movements in Iraq and Syria. Born in Jerusalem in 1926 and passing away in exile in Connecticut on June 24, 2000, he left behind a body of research that continues to shape contemporary scholarship. His centenary offers an opportunity to revisit his intellectual legacy and the radical tradition he helped cultivate.

By Ravi Ranjan*   Soumitra's "Sabse Pehle Sandesh"  (The First Message) stands as a remarkable literary achievement that transcends its historical setting to explore universal questions of human existence. Set against the backdrop of the First World War and colonial India, the story weaves together the lives of ordinary people and pigeons, creating parallel worlds that reflect and illuminate one another. Through the experiences of Salim, a reluctant butcher turned soldier, his wife Rukh-sana, and the homing pigeons Indiagate and Phirangan, Soumitra crafts a narrative that interrogates the nature of home, loyalty, and humanity in times of crisis.

By Vikas Meshram  In the tribal regions of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, agriculture has traditionally been much more than a means of producing food. It has embodied a way of life, rooted in a harmonious relationship between forests, water, land, livestock, seeds, labour and community. For generations, tribal farming families cultivated pulses such as moong (green gram), chana and urad (black gram), ensuring that the first share of the harvest was reserved for household consumption rather than the market. 

By Shamsul Islam   As India marks the 51st anniversary of the Emergency (1975-77), a disturbing pattern of historical revisionism has emerged. RSS-BJP leaders are attempting to rewrite history, portraying themselves as valiant fighters against Indira Gandhi's dictatorial rule. Newspaper advertisements proclaiming 'Samvidhan Hatya Divas' show Prime Minister Modi bowing to the Constitution—a theatrical gesture that masks a more troubling reality. The RSS, described by critics as a Hindutva gurukul specializing in fabricating history, now claims heroic resistance during the Emergency. The RSS English organ Organiser (June 24, 2025) presented PM Modi as "a singular symbol of fight against Emergency," claiming, "The lesson had been burned into public memory... For Narendra Modi, it was not just a past event. It was part of his personal journey." But the historical record tells a markedly different story. The Ideological Foundation The RSS's commitment t...

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan   The registration of two FIRs in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region against BJP Minority Morcha leader and social media influencer Nazia Elahi Khan for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad is not merely another isolated controversy. It is a disturbing reminder of how hate speech and communal provocation have become increasingly normalised in contemporary India.

By Bharat Dogra   On a particularly hot afternoon recently, I learned that workers would be coming to carry out repairs on a community centre building in Mohali. I immediately worried about how intolerably hot the roof of the building must be, given the extreme temperatures. As I watched from a high-rise apartment, three workers appeared on the roof and tried to begin their work. After some time, however, they left in sheer frustration, unable to continue in the scorching heat that had made the roof unbearably hot.

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak  “Why do you not dress like a teacher, lecturer, or professor?” a well-meaning colleague once asked me. She was someone who believed in dressing appropriately for different occasions. She pressed her point further: “Dressing well does not diminish your communist praxis. Stop dressing like a drug addict.”

By Sudhansu R. Das   Bhutan is often celebrated as the happiest country in the world. In many ways, it can also be considered one of the richest—not because of accumulated wealth or industrial might, but because it has succeeded in preserving what many nations have lost: environmental integrity, cultural identity, social harmony, and human contentment.

By Harsh Thakor*  Zephania Mothopeng was one of the most defining figures of the Pan‑African resistance to apartheid, a leader who never relented before the enemy. Known as the “Lion of Azania,” Zephania Lekoane Mothopeng (10 September 1913 – 23 October 1990) embodied an unwavering Africanist conviction that shaped the ideological and militant trajectory of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). A founding member of the African National Congress Youth League in 1944, he broke away in 1959 to co‑establish the PAC, rejecting the ANC’s multiracial alliances in favour of African self‑reliance, land reclamation, and uncompromising nationalism. Rising to the PAC presidency in 1986, he championed a revolutionary line that refused accommodation with white minority rule, a stance that led to repeated arrests, long-term imprisonment, and nearly two decades behind bars, including two terms on Robben Island. 

By A Representative  Public health expert and Nutrition Advocacy for Public Interest (NAPi) convenor Dr Arun Gupta has called on the Union Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Information and Broadcasting to urgently implement a ban on advertising of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS), warning that India can no longer afford delays in addressing a growing obesity and non-communicable disease crisis .

By A Representative   The All India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA), a constituent of the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), has urged the Union government to undertake a comprehensive review of the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the recently constituted High-Level Committee on Demographic Change, alleging that its mandate risks promoting social polarization rather than advancing an evidence-based understanding of India's demographic challenges.

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  West Asia stands at a historic crossroads. The recent diplomatic breakthrough between the United States and Iran, culminating in a 14-point peace agreement in June 2026, has the potential to reshape the region's political and security architecture. Yet this emerging framework of stability faces a formidable challenge from Israel's strategic concerns and the broader ideological vision often associated with the concept of "Greater Israel."

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak   British politics has become as unpredictable as the country’s weather, but history is no fickle witness. It records the actions, ideologies, and principles of those in public life, offering a sobering account for working people seeking to shape their own society. Despite reactionary propaganda, marginalisation, and exploitation, the working class has always charted the path of change. Today, however, kleptocratic democracy has gutted moral, ethical, and political values in Britain. The two main parties mirror one another, producing leaders like Andy Burnham, the thick-rimmed-glasses-wearing mayor of Greater Manchester, who is now tipped to replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister.

By Rezgar Akrawi   The battle for socialist liberation in the twenty-first century cannot be fought with the weapons of the last century. In an era in which algorithms hold sway, in which the influence of artificial intelligence over media, culture, education, and labor continues to expand, and in which economic policies and strategies are formulated on the basis of big data and algorithmic analysis, the left finds itself confronted with an existential question: how can movements that still organize themselves according to traditional logic confront a digital capitalism that has become technologically advanced to an unprecedented degree?

By Harsh Thakor*  Glenn McGrath is arguably the most intelligent and calculative bowler of all time, as well as the best ever fast-medium bowler. I cannot name a bowler with more control, higher consistency of length, or one who better mastered the weaknesses of prize opponents. McGrath was the ultimate personification of a computerised cricketing machine.

By Ravi Ranjan*  Savita Singh occupies a distinctive place in contemporary Hindi poetry through her intellectually rich and philosophically nuanced literary vision. Her poetic oeuvre reimagines the position of women beyond conventional social and cultural frameworks, opening possibilities for new modes of identity and existence. Among her many collections, the poem "This Water, a Blue Mirror" (yam pani nila darpana) stands as a remarkable achievement—a work that transforms water from a mere natural element into a multi-layered reality encompassing memory, consciousness, love, compassion, and the preservation of life itself.

  By Rajiv Shah   Currently in Los Angeles, the other day I was taken to the sprawling Swaminarayan temple, about an hour's drive from where we live. We were asked to reach there around elevenish, just ahead of the time of daily aarti. After passing through the reception, we were taken to the main temple, whose inside, I was told, was made of snow-white Italian marble, exported to Rajasthan, where expert artisans had meticulously carved out its different parts before being sent to Los Angeles for assembling them for the temple. Must have been pretty costly, I surmised!

By Chirantana Bhatt  ​For 4,500 years she survived, standing exactly the way the artist had crafted her. A raised head, a straight neck, hands on her waist, arms adorned with bangles, and not a single shred of clothing that could even be called nominal. There was no hesitation, shame, or inhibition in her standing in this tribhanga (three-bend) posture; for 4,500 years, she has always appeared full of confidence.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan   Every year on June 21, millions of people across the world roll out their yoga mats to celebrate International Yoga Day. The occasion is widely regarded as one of India's most significant diplomatic achievements in recent decades. In 2014, India successfully persuaded the United Nations to adopt a resolution recognising June 21 as International Yoga Day, with an unprecedented 177 countries co-sponsoring the initiative.

By Vijay Prashad    The Iran–US Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) emerged not from reconciliation, but from exhaustion and strategic failure by the United States and its allies. It was the product of a war that had reached its political limits. Washington and Tel Aviv presented their illegal war of aggression as a necessary response to Iran’s nuclear energy programme, missile capabilities, and regional alliances. Yet behind this language of security lay a broader objective: to weaken Iran decisively and restore a regional order centred on unquestioned US and Israeli dominance.

By A Representative    Global health, legal and gender rights experts have urged African governments to reject a proposed Draft African Charter on Family Sovereignty and Values, warning that it threatens decades of progress on gender equality, sexual and reproductive health rights, and broader human rights protections across the continent.

By Harsh Thakor*  Few sights in English cricket were as captivating as Ted Dexter in full cry, punishing fast bowling with a blend of elegance, audacity, and classical command. To many experts, Dexter was the finest English batsman of his generation. For sheer style, he had virtually no equal; for counterattacking brilliance when the chips were down, he was the man you wanted walking out at No. 3. In a crisis, Dexter could overshadow even the likes of Peter May and Colin Cowdrey. His strokeplay fused technical purity with aristocratic flair, his full‑bladed driving—off either foot—executed with a mastery few have ever matched. At his best, Dexter seemed to sit beside the Gods of Olympus.

By Ravi Ranjan   In an era of rising polarisation, Hari Bhatnagar's short story 'Talwar' (Sword) offers a chilling exploration of how hatred, fear and prejudice are transmitted from one generation to the next. The story does not depict direct scenes of communal violence—there are no riots, no inflammatory speeches, no violent mobs. Instead, Bhatnagar enters that subtle social sphere where society shapes the consciousness of its future generations, revealing how a child learns to see the human being before him not as a person but as a hostile identity.

By Rajiv Shah  The other day, I saw an interesting article, "Does China have a caste system or is it a figment of imagination of Indians?" It wonders whether "China, the world's manufacturing powerhouse and a socialist state governed by a Communist party", has a birth-based caste system that shapes access to education, healthcare, and opportunity.