Opinions

When you speak of the Northeast, the noun or verb that comes to your mind is ‘neglect’. This word has been used so often to explain the state of underdevelopment in the region that you cannot even called it a clichéd vindication. But when you resurrect the debate in the light of the present Union government being the most corrupt ever and Manmohan Singh unabashedly defending its actions all through, you will know why this man chose not to vote in the elections to the Assam legislative assembly...

It is not rare to see corporates letting the people know in no uncertain terms about how the State ought to be run. There's nothing wrong with that; it is an inalienable democratic right. It is however yet another thing to believe in democratic values. And practice what you preach. So their honchos time and again pour their hearts and anger out in books, in interviews. Among those with the holiest attitude is Infosys. Yes, the same company that has been trending practically all day on Twitter...

The Northeast often gets into the mainstream India news for the wrong reasons. This time it's all about Irom Sharmila. For the wrong reasons, though. The not-so-young-anymore woman, unfortunately, has become a rallying point between the Hazare brigade and the Hazare bashers. The only point common to Kisan Baburao Hazare and Iron Sharmila Chanu is that both have had undertaken fasts. That's where the odious comparison ends. For, Hazare did so as a blackmailing tool and Sharmila did as a protest —...

William Wilberforce is a man one should know about, but few actually do. Wilberforce (1759-1833) was a British politician and abolitionist, a man who spent his life fighting for the abolition of the slave trade in Great Britain and across the British empire. The movement that he led in Parliament was met with stiff resistance both in the House of Commons and outside. Among others was a campaign that almost silenced him once and for ever. The argument that made this campaign menacing was that...

Talking about the Mumbai terror attacks two years down the line (and while not making this article perfunctorily and callously coincide with the anniversary) is a good idea. Serious issues need to be debated when passions don’t run high. No, the idea is not to dwell on why Kasab has not been executed till now. The point is also not to thrash out the issue of terrorism. We need to go beyond the headlines. If you can recollect the outburst of people, especially in the social media networks like...

Fact No I: Journalists, by virtue of their job, are a powerful lot. They can give any twist to any story. Fact No II: The issue of Muslims/Islam is so dynamic that you can either project Muslims as a bloodthirsty breed or portray them as hapless victims of an Islamophobic dispensation. Take the two facts together, and you will know what I am driving at. There have been a number of studies about Islamophobia and the media that have found their way into the public domain. Some are accurate, others...

Earlier this month, outgoing Colorado Governor Bill Ritter granted a posthumous pardon to Joe Arridy, a mentally challenged man who was executed for murder more than 70 years ago, in spite of evidence suggesting his innocence. Arridy was executed in 1939 by lethal gas after being convicted of killing a Pueblo girl with a hatchet. He had an IQ of 46 - too low to be considered for the death penalty today. Arridy appears to have given a coerced confession and was likely not in Pueblo when the 15...

You can trust the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to foment trouble anywhere. You can trust the Hindutva party to communalise any situation. It can create a Hindu-Muslim situation out of nothing. And that's the last thing that Northeast needs at this time. The comments of Vijay Goel, the party's in-charge of political affairs in Assam, ought to be seen in this light. Goel, who led a delegation of party leaders and MPs from Assam to the Election Commission Monday, wants to see Bangladeshi Muslims as...

In the next ten years, 100 million girls will be married off against their consent before the age of 18. Their chance of dying in childbirth is five times those aged 20-24, and their risk of contracting HIV is significantly high. That's what the law of averages say. Their plight could have been better, even so marginally, had the US House of Representatives passed a particular Bill on Thursday night. The US State Department could have helped fight child marriage by expanding investments in other...

It's foot-in-the-mouth season for the Congress. Digvijay Singh, P Chidambaram and Rahul Gandhi have made statements that have been derided by one and all. No one takes Digvijay Singh seriously anymore. Rahul Gandhi is not known to wear a thinking cap. But it is the suave, Harvard-educated, lawyer Chidambaram who is a cause for worry. Not only we have at hand a Union Home Minister who talks first and thinks later like Digvijay, he is also a grossly uninformed demagogue like Gandhi. Chidambaram is...