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Mark Tully

Articles by Mark Tully

A robust public broadcaster can guard against anti-vaccine rumours

There seems no reason to doubt that a large number of Indians are, to say the least, undiscriminating in the source of news they chose to watch. This will make them liable to fall prey to false information which can undermine the vaccination campaign.

A health worker prepares a syringe to inoculate a volunteer with a Covid-19 vaccine, Lima, December 9, 2020(AFP)

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Published on Jan 02, 2021 07:02 PM IST

ByMark Tully

Parliament and the virtues of listening

The government is now paying the price for not hearing the concerns of the Opposition and farmers before rushing its three controversial agricultural bills through Parliament

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiling the plaque to lay the foundation stone of the New Parliament Building. The Opposition boycotted the ceremony because it claimed the government had not been willing to listen to its views on the project(ANI Photo)

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Updated on Dec 19, 2020 09:11 PM IST

ByMark Tully

The possibilities and limits of solar energy

By concentrating so much on solar and wind energy, there is a risk of the government falling into the trap of thinking that we can rely on these alone to control the climate crisis. We can’t

Solar energy development also raises environmental issues(Hindustan Times)

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Updated on Dec 05, 2020 08:44 PM IST

ByMark Tully

The three messages from Bihar’s verdict, writes Mark Tully

The results have resulted in three humiliations, all indications that opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s hardline Hindutva policy is crumbling.

It is sad to see a politician like Kumar, once so renowned for effective and honest governance that he was talked about as a potential prime minister, ending his career accepting humiliating subservience as a price for staying on in office(Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

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Updated on Nov 21, 2020 09:19 PM IST

ByMark Tully

The degeneration of electoral democracy

Elections in both india and the united states have become focused on political personalities, not policies or parties

An electoral official marks a voter's finger with ink after casting her ballot during the last phase of Bihar state assembly elections at a polling station in Thakurganj, November 7, 2020(AFP)

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Published on Nov 07, 2020 07:32 PM IST

ByMark Tully

Bangladesh: From a ‘basket case’ to a robust economy

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) projection that Bangladesh’s per capita income in dollar terms is likely to overtake India’s has focused attention on a nation that has risen like a Phoenix from the ashes.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New York, 2018(REUTERS)

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Published on Oct 24, 2020 07:22 PM IST

ByMark Tully

New FCRA rules: Small NGOs will be hit hard

On the issue of human rights, Amnesty’s standing is far higher than that of the Government of India

NGOs fill the gaps left by the inadequacies of the government, provide last-mile connectivity for the delivery of government schemes, promote handicrafts, research and innovate, encourage participation in development, teach awareness of the wider issues involved in target-based schemes such as beti bachao, beti padhao or the Swachh Bharat mission.(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

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Published on Oct 10, 2020 05:26 PM IST

ByMark Tully

India’s far from cooperative federalism, writes Mark Tully

There is a principle of European law known as subsidiarity. Under that principle, the European Union can only act if it can be shown that the action taken at that rarefied level would be more effective than action taken at the national or local level.

Members of various political parties stage a protest, demanding the clearance of states' GST dues, Parliament House, September 17, 2020(PTI)

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Updated on Sep 27, 2020 06:48 AM IST

ByMark Tully

Pay heed to the voice of David Attenborough, writes Mark Tully

The world’s voice of nature delivered a message relevant to India’s past, present and future

Attenborough said it was up to us, the voters, to make it clear that we want politicians to act to avoid the major crisis he fears we are heading for, a crisis he said “which is not national, not international, but global and which the nations of the world must face together”.(AFP)

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Updated on Sep 12, 2020 07:20 PM IST

ByMark Tully

The intellectual legacy of Charles Allen

In his prodigious output of 25 books Charles wrote about many disputed issues in Indian history some of which have political implications today

Although Charles Allen was no imperialist and was particularly critical of British racism inevitably, his view of the work of the Orientalists also challenged the schools of history, including Hindutva, which see no good in the British record(Hindustan Times)

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Updated on Aug 30, 2020 09:14 PM IST

ByMark Tully

Why the State must promote religious tolerance

Who is to promote religious tolerance? Arvind Sharma ‘s reading of history has led him to conclude that it is only a slight exaggeration to say “the state of religious tolerance is determined by the State.”

Sharma also has an answer to those who argue that it takes two hands to clap, that, in the Indian case, Hindu tolerance has to be met by tolerance from Islam and Christianity(Deepak Gupta/ Hindustan Times)

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Updated on Aug 15, 2020 07:31 PM IST

ByMark Tully

How self-confidence is key to becoming self-reliant, writes Mark Tully

To achieve self-sufficiency, India has to reform the bureaucracy and its politics. In managing its economy, India has to have the self-confidence to learn from other countries

Narendra Modi mentioned self-reliance no less than 17 times in a broadcast to the nation(PTI)

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Updated on Aug 01, 2020 06:18 PM IST

ByMark Tully

Allowing communities to manage common assets | Opinion

In India, village common land is an example of an asset which is theoretically common property, and should be managed by the community, but all too often, is not

When common assets are not managed on a community basis of mutual trust, either the government or the market steps in to take them over (Representational image)(SHUTTERSTOCK)

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Updated on Jul 18, 2020 08:30 PM IST

ByMark Tully

For a leader, there’s value in knowing the bad news, writes Mark Tully

There is still critical coverage of the government in the media. But it is instructive to see the ways in which the government exerts pressures on the media in an effort to keep organisations and their journalists in line.

It is the media’s job to bring bad news. The PM should take note of that news and act on it rather than try to suppress it. He should not shoot the messenger, he should listen to the message(Hindustan Times)

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Updated on Jul 04, 2020 08:13 PM IST

ByMark Tully

Create opportunities for migrants back home

Many of the migrants who have returned are, in fact, craftspeople. Crafts provide the second-largest source of livelihood in India and are a source of employment even in the most remote parts of the country

Will the workers stay in their villages or will they return to the cities once the coronavirus pandemic is no longer an ever-present threat?(REUTERS)

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Updated on Jun 06, 2020 07:33 PM IST

ByMark Tully

Put cash in the hands of people and businesses

In an interview, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman was asked whether monetising the deficit to make more money available was being considered. She replied, “I have kept myself open. We will have to see how things develop.” So this policy change too is not ruled out. It will depend on how the Covid-19 virus spreads going forward.

The stimulus package also commits the PM to fulfil his ambition to open up space for private sector participation in all sectors(REUTERS)

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Updated on May 23, 2020 10:22 PM IST

ByMark Tully

India’s migrant workers deserve better than this, writes Mark Tully

Why has the outcry against this suffering inflicted on men and women who are more than 90% of India’s workforce been so muted?

Migrant workers, dismissed by employers, enjoying no protection from their governments, often thrown out of their accommodation by their landlords, in urgent need of food transport and money, have been driven by desperation to walk home.(Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

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Updated on May 09, 2020 07:17 PM IST

ByMark Tully

Relax fiscal norms and reform the bureaucracy, writes Mark Tully

India’s health and welfare services are inadequate. This is not just because the government’s expenditure on them is low. They are also hamstrung by the stifling bureaucracy that administers them.

The home ministry has ordered NGOs that receive foreign funds to report on their coronavirus-related activities every 15 days. Imagine the waste of time this involves for overstretched NGOs. Imagine the hassle they will face from nitpicking officials. The ministry’s intervention is typical of India’s stifling bureaucracy.(Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

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Updated on Apr 25, 2020 06:38 PM IST

ByMark Tully

Communication is key in this war against the virus

Gone is Modi the bellicose orator we are so familiar with. Instead, he has become the humble father figure, pleading with folded hands for his people to practise strict social distancing

There’s no denying that the sudden decision to impose this lockdown has caused suffering, particularly to the poor. The prime minister has admitted this. There has been a heavy economic price to pay too. But, whatever Modi’s critics may say, his communication has persuaded millions of Indians to obey the lockdown, and it is the only way known so far of slowing the spread of the virus.(HTPhoto)

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Published on Apr 11, 2020 10:37 PM IST

ByMark Tully

Covid-19: Time to rethink State-private sector ties

Those of us who can afford private sector medical care by bypassing government health services, and can hire guards to provide us security, often crib about the government. But we should think about what would happen if the government was not there to fall back on now.

Migrant workers walk back to their villages after the Centre announced a nationwide lockdown for three weeks due to the coronavirus outbreak, March 27, 2020(Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

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Updated on Mar 28, 2020 06:44 PM IST

ByMark Tully

The PM needs to listen to independent economists | Opinion

It does seem that the PM now chooses his advisers because they have agreed with him in the past. Isn’t there, therefore, a danger that they will feel obliged to read his mind before giving advice now, and that rather than being independent-minded, they will become committed?

When he first came to power, the PM did appear to listen to his economic advisors(REUTERS)

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Updated on Mar 15, 2020 07:13 AM IST

ByMark Tully

Delhi riots: The police have lost their autonomy | Opinion

The most tragic outcome of the police handling of the protests has been the death of at least 42 people.

The most common punishment for the police who don’t bow to political pressure is suspension or transfer(AFP)

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Updated on Mar 01, 2020 08:48 AM IST

ByMark Tully

Break the deadlock on the meaning of secularism, writes Mark Tully

Why is there a deadlock between the BJP and the Congress view of secularism? Why is there no meaningful debate among politicians on this fundamental issue?

Perhaps it was the west Delhi Member of Parliament Parvesh Verma who plumbed the lowest depth when he alleged that the Shaheen Bagh demonstrators could enter people’s houses to rape and kill their sisters and daughters(Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

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Updated on Feb 15, 2020 06:49 PM IST

ByMark Tully

What the tale of Train 18 tells us about India | Opinion

Train 18 is the story of a team which overcame the complex bureaucracy, the archaic procedures, the inter-departmental rivalries that have led to the railways’ failure to realise their potential

The ministry of railways has announced that it is inviting global tenders for Vande Bharat trains which take care of improvements suggested by the Chief Commissioner for Railway Safety(Hindustan Times)

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Updated on Jan 12, 2020 02:06 PM IST

ByMark Tully

Decoding the meaning of Johnson’s poll victory

What does this mean for India? It means that Johnson will certainly come knocking on the door, asking for a trade deal

Johnson has shown his concern for keeping India happy by the concessions he has made for students to work while studying in Britain. His trade commissioner for South Asia has said trade between the two countries may not be affected after Brexit. But the balance of trade is currently in favour of Britain(PTI)

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Updated on Dec 29, 2019 08:24 AM IST

ByMark Tully

This Christmas, restore the spirit of giving

Is CSR really genuine giving, like Ebenezer Scrooge, or just doing what is required by the law and trying to squeeze the maximum advantage out of doing that?

Aga Khan Foundation in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of In India (ASI), has done remarkable work in conserving Humayun’s Tomb(Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

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Updated on Dec 14, 2019 06:06 PM IST

ByMark Tully

How the UK election resembles India’s poll | Opinion

The Indian election campaign was so dependent on Modi’s charisma that the joke going around was that senior party functionaries had achieved a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-free India, instead of a Congress-free India, because the saffron party’s name was never heard during the campaign.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives for the Conservative party's manifesto launch at Telford, Britain, November 24, 2019(REUTERS)

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Updated on Dec 07, 2019 08:12 PM IST

ByMark Tully

What litfests mean to writers and readers | Opinion

Litfests perform the very important function of promoting reading. In this visually-saturated era, when many think that television has killed books and radio, it’s important to keep both of them alive to stimulate our imagination

The litfest movement in India springs from the pioneering JLF. Starting as part of another festival in 2006, and becoming a stand-alone event in 2008, JLF has grown into the world’s biggest literary festival(Prabhakar Sharma\HIndustan Times)

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Updated on Nov 16, 2019 07:53 PM IST

ByMark Tully

The Congress must bid farewell to the Gandhis | Opinion

I believe the Congress needs to bid farewell to the Gandhis, and reconstitute itself as a federal party. That would be a party which allows for the emergence of strong, self-reliant leaders

Many in the Congress yearn for Priyanka Gandhi to come to their rescue, but she has shown no sign of being willing to oblige(ANI Photo)

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Updated on Jul 17, 2020 02:23 AM IST

ByMark Tully

What the Nobel Prize really means for India

The Swedish Academy’s recognition of the value of this basic, or grassroots, economics, is of course good news for India. But it should also be taken as advice to be acted on

The three prize winners’ method of research is popularly known as the Randomised Control Trial (RCT) approach. It is similar to the method used to test drugs(AFP)

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Published on Oct 19, 2019 07:14 PM IST

ByMark Tully

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Mark Tully

There seems no reason to doubt that a large number of Indians are, to say the least, undiscriminating in the source of news they chose to watch. This will make them liable to fall prey to false information which can undermine the vaccination campaign.

The government is now paying the price for not hearing the concerns of the Opposition and farmers before rushing its three controversial agricultural bills through Parliament

By concentrating so much on solar and wind energy, there is a risk of the government falling into the trap of thinking that we can rely on these alone to control the climate crisis. We can’t

The results have resulted in three humiliations, all indications that opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s hardline Hindutva policy is crumbling.

Elections in both india and the united states have become focused on political personalities, not policies or parties

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) projection that Bangladesh’s per capita income in dollar terms is likely to overtake India’s has focused attention on a nation that has risen like a Phoenix from the ashes.

On the issue of human rights, Amnesty’s standing is far higher than that of the Government of India

There is a principle of European law known as subsidiarity. Under that principle, the European Union can only act if it can be shown that the action taken at that rarefied level would be more effective than action taken at the national or local level.

The world’s voice of nature delivered a message relevant to India’s past, present and future

In his prodigious output of 25 books Charles wrote about many disputed issues in Indian history some of which have political implications today

Who is to promote religious tolerance? Arvind Sharma ‘s reading of history has led him to conclude that it is only a slight exaggeration to say “the state of religious tolerance is determined by the State.”

To achieve self-sufficiency, India has to reform the bureaucracy and its politics. In managing its economy, India has to have the self-confidence to learn from other countries

In India, village common land is an example of an asset which is theoretically common property, and should be managed by the community, but all too often, is not

There is still critical coverage of the government in the media. But it is instructive to see the ways in which the government exerts pressures on the media in an effort to keep organisations and their journalists in line.

Many of the migrants who have returned are, in fact, craftspeople. Crafts provide the second-largest source of livelihood in India and are a source of employment even in the most remote parts of the country

Why has the outcry against this suffering inflicted on men and women who are more than 90% of India’s workforce been so muted?

India’s health and welfare services are inadequate. This is not just because the government’s expenditure on them is low. They are also hamstrung by the stifling bureaucracy that administers them.

Gone is Modi the bellicose orator we are so familiar with. Instead, he has become the humble father figure, pleading with folded hands for his people to practise strict social distancing

Those of us who can afford private sector medical care by bypassing government health services, and can hire guards to provide us security, often crib about the government. But we should think about what would happen if the government was not there to fall back on now.

It does seem that the PM now chooses his advisers because they have agreed with him in the past. Isn’t there, therefore, a danger that they will feel obliged to read his mind before giving advice now, and that rather than being independent-minded, they will become committed?

The most tragic outcome of the police handling of the protests has been the death of at least 42 people.

Why is there a deadlock between the BJP and the Congress view of secularism? Why is there no meaningful debate among politicians on this fundamental issue?

Train 18 is the story of a team which overcame the complex bureaucracy, the archaic procedures, the inter-departmental rivalries that have led to the railways’ failure to realise their potential

What does this mean for India? It means that Johnson will certainly come knocking on the door, asking for a trade deal

Is CSR really genuine giving, like Ebenezer Scrooge, or just doing what is required by the law and trying to squeeze the maximum advantage out of doing that?

The Indian election campaign was so dependent on Modi’s charisma that the joke going around was that senior party functionaries had achieved a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-free India, instead of a Congress-free India, because the saffron party’s name was never heard during the campaign.

Litfests perform the very important function of promoting reading. In this visually-saturated era, when many think that television has killed books and radio, it’s important to keep both of them alive to stimulate our imagination

I believe the Congress needs to bid farewell to the Gandhis, and reconstitute itself as a federal party. That would be a party which allows for the emergence of strong, self-reliant leaders

The Swedish Academy’s recognition of the value of this basic, or grassroots, economics, is of course good news for India. But it should also be taken as advice to be acted on

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