Counterview

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. 

By A Representative  Tribal rights activists, legal experts, tribal leaders, former officials and civil society representatives from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have called  for urgent action on tribal land rights, employment and PESA safeguards. They were participating in  roundtable on Constitutional Safeguards for Scheduled Tribes in the Telugu States at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad. Former Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao chaired the deliberations.

By Nava Thakuria*   With the Union government of India having nominated 13 media professionals to fill vacancies in its statutory and autonomous print media surveillance and rights body, the journalist fraternity now hopes for better days ahead in the world's largest democracy.

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan  The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has resulted in approximately 13.3 crore names being struck off draft rolls across states where the exercise has been completed or is underway. More than 71 per cent of these entries fall into the broad categories of voters marked absent, shifted or classified under other headings. Around 2.7 crore were recorded as deceased, while approximately 1.01 crore were flagged as duplicate or multiple entries. A deletion from a draft electoral roll does not automatically amount to permanent disenfranchisement; many citizens can have their names restored through verification, claims, appeals and the filing of fresh Form 6 applications. Yet the sheer scale of the removals demands rigorous public scrutiny.