Prakash Singh

Punjab cannot afford a return to the 1980s

It is clear that separatist elements and Pakistan are trying to rake up trouble in Punjab. But to battle the cocktail of problems the state is facing, the government and police need a long-term plan

India is still awaiting key police reforms

It is encouraging that the Centre is trying to improve the criminal justice system with new steps. But these changes will remain peripheral unless the system of policing is reformed. As a starter, implement the directives given by the top court and ensure autonomy

The dangers of instant justice by the police

The Commission of Inquiry to examine the 2019 Hyderabad gang rape and the encounter that followed was right in concluding that police encounters are wrong

IAS cadre issue: Enforce central deputation rules

The All India Services is in urgent need of reforms in several areas and at different levels. Deputation to the Centre is one such, and must be enforced. The central government cannot be hamstrung for lack of cooperation from the states

Hindutva is Hindu modernity

Hindutva emerged as a response to imperialism, re-imagined the past and dreamt of a modern democratic State

In the digital era, the rise of techno-feudalism

With sheer computing power, unprecedented concentration of economic power, and ability to shape society, a new tech-aristocracy is challenging the State

A broken polity, a ghost State

The devastating second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has caused an unfortunate and avoidable catastrophe

In defence of rooted Indian nationalism

Indian nationalism does not seek to conquer or colonise other countries. Instead, it supported national struggles in other countries under imperialist rule, emphasising sovereignty and democracy.

India’s quest for a strong, high-end State

Hindutva is filling in a historic vacuum of creating a pan-Indian, centralised State. This explains the churn

The politics behind the farm protests

Rural India enjoys disproportionate political power. It’s time for a change

Expand and strengthen the Indian State

The Republic of India too failed to build a strong State with an effective presence at the grassroots, and instead, exercised coercive power via police and district magistrates

Ayodhya marks the twilight of the first Republic | Opinion

Hindu nationalism has been the bedrock of the Indian State and polity. Nehruvian secularism was the fringe

How migration threatens the Hindutva project | Opinion

Subaltern castes supported the BJP in the hope of upward mobility. That dream looks increasingly elusive

Plan a fiscal response around State spending

Don’t worry about credit rating agencies. They have got it consistently wrong about companies and countries

Modi 1.0 will help Modi 2.0 deal with the pandemic | Opinion

His policies and schemes have equipped both the Indian State and society better. The NPR and NRC will help too

There is another, untold, side to the JNU saga

The Left has unleashed terror in the campus for over two months. The ABVP is the victim, not the perpetrator

The twin crisis of Dalit politics and Dalit discourse

Dalit outfits can’t decide if they are religious missionaries, political parties, or social reform movements

Social media has reshaped caste mobilisation

Subaltern castes have used it to create discourse, ideate, and connect with each other, and the world

The Tis Hazari case: How the police, lawyers, and the court got it wrong | Opinion

How VD Savarkar and RSS won

Their modern vision of Hindutva defeated the social orthodoxy. This government is the product of the century-long movement of the Hindu Right and its vision to “reclaim and rebuild” the Indian civilisational-State.

The challenges of upward mobility | Opinion

The social justice project in India needs to transform and move beyond reservations

A common Hindu identity has always appealed to OBC and Dalit castes

Hindutva liberates the subaltern from their narrow caste identities, and promises mobility and political power.

Veer Savarkar should not be treated as a hate figure

Savarkar was a radical and his Hindutva too was a radical break in the Hindu thought: anti-caste, reformist, modernist and futuristic. It was a modern Hindu response to the modern world

BJP cements its position as central pole of Indian polity

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the leadership of Narendra Modi has swept India once again.

2019 polls: Noida versus Lodhi road

This poll is about who will dominate power in the future and whose idea of India will reign supreme

The fourth industrial revolution will further marginalise the subaltern

The new economic reality demands more tech skills and creative thinking for which the segment is not equipped

No political party in the country understands Dalit youths’ aspirations

The new generation rejects the old Congress model of clientelism but is also disappointed by the lack of Dalit representation in the BJP power structure.

Aarushi, Pradhyumn cases: Time to restore people’s faith in the rule of law

The government must initiate measures to depoliticise the services and ensure a fair measure of autonomy to the investigative agencies . We should have forensic laboratories at all divisional headquarters and forensic vans in districts.

Why UP needs a special law to fight organised crime

Enforcement agencies require additional powers to deal with these new formats of crime, which are deadlier in their impact and more expansive in their reach

Even 50 years after it began, Maoism is alive and kicking. Here’s why

The movement keeps on reappearing like a phoenix because the basic socio-economic factors, which are responsible for it, remain unaddressed.