Counterview

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  "Cockroach" is suddenly an in-word in India, thanks to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who used it during a Supreme Court hearing on 15 May 2026. He meant it in a particular context, but the derogatory remark provoked unprecedented backlash. It led to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a parody social media account founded by political communications strategist Abhijeet Dipke. 

By A Representative   An organisation founded under the patronage of well-known Delhi BJP leader, late Om Prakash Kohli, and claiming to espouse the cause of Dalits, the Dr. Ambedkar Society for Thoughts, Actions and Consciousness (DASTAK), has demanded a public and unconditional apology from Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over an alleged incident at the Supreme Court premises on October 12, 2026.

By Rajiv Shah   Currently on a visit to the US, I woke up the other morning to find social media flooded with posts about how the Indian state had clamped down on the so-called cockroach protests, not just in Delhi but also in Ahmedabad, long regarded as the BJP's impenetrable fortress.

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  After many years, we have seen a massive mobilisation by the Congress Party and opposition leaders in Delhi. It was a Rahul Gandhi show, which has established him as the widely accepted leader of the opposition in its fight against the BJP and the RSS. There was a time when the Congress would not even use the word "RSS", but in the last few years Rahul Gandhi's persistent campaign has widened his acceptability among various communities. What the Congress earlier lacked was the trust of the urban middle classes, but a large number of them now seem to be looking to him as the future of India.

​By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  ​We live in revealing times. When a television reporter recently confronted renowned development economist Jean Drèze and asked him who he was, social media erupted into debate. Many asked: what is so egregious about a reporter not recognizing someone? But aren't journalists expected to understand the public sphere, its key actors, and their backgrounds? Predictably, an establishment media figure rushed to frame Drèze merely as a former member of the UPA-era National Advisory Council headed by Sonia Gandhi.

By A Representative   In a strongly worded appeal addressed to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), ecologist and former UN Environmental Negotiator Dr. S. Faizi has urged the organization to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from his position as Chair of its Council of Member States for 2026. The letter, addressed to International IDEA Secretary-General Dr. Kevin Casas-Zamora, also calls for the immediate establishment of an independent mechanism to monitor India’s electoral process.

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  Traditionally, women have been confined to the domestic sphere, with emphasis on their roles as wives, mothers and homemakers. But India is now witnessing a sweeping change in the role of women. Two recent large protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, one in July 2026 against the then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and another in October 2026 against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, have drawn a new picture of the role of girls and women in Indian student politics and social movements.

By Ayush Bajpai, Sandeep Pandey  On 10 October, Delhi witnessed something that has become a familiar template of this regime over the past decade. It weaponised the police and paramilitary forces to stifle dissent, prevent people from speaking out, and unleash brutal violence against them—men, women and children alike. No one is spared. Advocates are being subjected to brutality; seeing someone like Shadan Farasat being manhandled by the police is both disturbing and cruel. The goons, without any fear or remorse, are beating children and women on the streets, right in front of the Delhi Police.

By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  The burning question on every Indian's lips is what the future holds for the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) agitation in Delhi and elsewhere. At the moment, there is no light at the end of the tunnel. The protest may lead to regime change in Delhi, or it may fizzle out for reasons that are obvious and need not be enumerated. For now, the protest is not going to die. Stopping it and detaining people will only prolong it, and chaos and uncertainty are clearly written on the wall.

By Harsh Thakor*  Professor Kamal Mitra Chenoy, who taught comparative politics and the Indian Constitution at the School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, died on October 11. He was 75. A political scientist and public intellectual, he was known for his work on international relations, peace and conflict resolution, human rights and democratic values, and for his solidarity with students.

By Harsh Thakor*  The intellectual world has lost a towering figure whose work reshaped how we understand capitalism . Anwar Shaikh , who passed away on October 6 at 80 in New York after a prolonged illness, was among the most influential Marxist economists of the past half-century. His contributions transcended the boundaries of conventional economic thought, offering a framework that bridged classical political economy with rigorous empirical analysis. For over four decades, Shaikh stood at the forefront of efforts to develop a coherent alternative to mainstream economics —one grounded in the realities of competition, conflict, and crisis rather than abstract models divorced from actual capitalist dynamics.

By Sandeep Pandey, Niya Tapo  The Arunachal Pradesh government had been claiming that the majority of people in the Siang Valley were in favour of the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) survey being carried out to determine the viability of a proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, envisaging a large dam on the Siang River with a capacity of 11,000–12,500 MW. However, a visit by Chief Minister Pema Khandu to Yingkiong, the district headquarters of Upper Siang, towards the end of September provoked people to burn several government vehicles, set fire to a Central Armed Police Forces camp comprising CRPF, ITBP, SSB, RAF and IRBM personnel, vandalise the house of MLA Alo Libang in Yingkiong, and prevent Deputy CM Chowna Mein, Cabinet Ministers Ojing Tasing and Nyato Dukam, and Advisor Ninong Ering from attending the CM’s meeting with government officials and community representatives. 

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  Liberal commentators, journalists, and insular intellectuals from various fields often claim that there is a fundamental difference between Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi, the two BJP Prime Ministers of India. It would be disingenuous to claim that there are no differences between the two individuals. In biological terms, cloning through the duplication of a genotype (genetic code) is possible, but environmental differences can still produce variations in phenotype, including physical traits and lifespan.

By Dr. P.K. Gupta*  When the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to a historic majority in May 2014, ending a decade of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), it was widely heralded as a definitive verdict on corruption and policy paralysis. Yet, to view the 2014 election merely as a referendum on governance is to miss the profound tectonic shift that had occurred beneath India’s democratic surface. The road to 2014 was not paved solely by administrative failures; it was constructed through a revolutionary alchemy of 24/7 media spectacles, moral crusades, and the weaponization of religious identity. It marked the moment when Indian politics transitioned from the slow machinery of coalition management to the high-voltage arena of emotional persuasion.

By A Representative   The Press Club of India (PCI) has issued a scathing statement condemning the Delhi Police for the "arbitrary detention, harassment and seizure of equipment" of journalists covering protests in the capital on Saturday. The protests, which saw a massive police crackdown, were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan  If the Achhe Din promised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government have not arrived in your life, you may at least find one encouraging development: a growing number of Indians are seeking news beyond the familiar television studios that once dominated public debate.

By A Representative   The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has condemned the police crackdown on protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging mass detentions, assaults on demonstrators and restrictions on internet and public transport services in Delhi and several other states. In a statement, PUCL demanded the immediate release of those still detained, withdrawal of FIRs against peaceful protesters and a time-bound judicial inquiry into the alleged police excesses. The demonstrations on October 10 and 11 were organised by student groups, Left parties and other organisations demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and withdrawal of the SIR exercise. “Citizens asking questions about the integrity of the voters’ list were met not with answers, but with lathis, police vans and detention camps,” the organisation said. The statement was issued by PUCL president Kavita Srivastava and national genera...

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  The recent democratic upheaval in India has laid bare the widening gap between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) developmental promises and the ground realities. From the "Shining India" narrative of the early 2000s to the "Viksit Bharat" (Developed India) vision, the political discourse increasingly clashed with rising unemployment, economic inequality, and social polarization. The mass protests that recently swept the nation were not merely a rejection of specific policies, but a profound repudiation of the prevailing political narrative, exposing the hollowness of a governance model that prioritized optics over substantive welfare.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan  There is growing talk of political change in India. With the next Lok Sabha election due in 2029, many people already believe that the present government could eventually be replaced. But there is a more important question that Muslims need to ask: if the government changes, will the condition of Indian Muslims change too?

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  The policies of the Modi government, shaped by the Hindutva ideology of the RSS and its engagement with right-wing politics and crony capitalist projects, have created conditions that enable figures like Elon Musk to comment on Indian affairs by calling Mukesh Ambani the unelected Prime Minister of India.