THE independent constitutional authority, Election Commission of India, tasked to conduct free and fair elections, today stands like the naked Emperor. Since the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was launched on June 24, 2025, for Bihar, it was clear that it was not intended to clean up the electoral rolls. It had no precedent contrary to what was claimed by the ECI nor was it backed by any formal decision nor based on any due diligence to hold the exercise across the nation as was made out during launch.

EVEN before the dust had settled down over the bombastic and unbelievable claim by Modi that in the last quarter Indian economy has grown by 7.8 per cent, the charge that the government has capitulated before the US and the Trump administration over the imposition of 0.4 per cent charge in some categories of digital transactions through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has completely exposed the pusillanimity of our economic administrators. A host of issues do call the bluff that the Modi government indulged in.

AMIT SHAH’S absence from the Lok Sabha during the entire Monsoon Session was quite bizarre. Even after being present in the Parliament premises, he was consciously but quite obviously staying away from the House. The grotesque attacks on the protesting students and youth at Jantar Mantar during their march to the Parliament, provoked widespread revulsion. In turn, the joint Opposition’s pointed demand for the Home Minister’s specific explanation, put him in a tight spot.

THE nature of Indian democracy was established based on principles which were tempered in the course of the freedom struggle. Hence, it was not a coincidence that the Constitution was established after a protracted debate in the Constituent Assembly for almost three years. This was the institutionalised quintessence of values and ideas which evolved while adopting and customising some of the universal principles experienced and practiced by democracies elsewhere in the world.

79 years ago, we were celebrating the spring of hope. It was the best of times. Our collective mood was voiced by the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, at the stroke of midnight – “we must redeem our pledge” to fulfil our “tryst with destiny”. Our destiny demanded us to create a new nation, to realise the evolution of a huge and diverse India, united as never before. Breaking the colonial yoke, we were destined to be united, overcoming the forces of division and tragedy of partition.