Academic Vivek Gumaste, who is based in the United States, is the author of My India: Musings of a Patriot. You can e-mail the author at gumastev@yahoo.com
It is imperative that we deconstruct the current narrative and rewrite the storyline. To this end we need to alter the basic premise of the controversy, eliminate the obstructionists, home in on the true stakeholders and redefine the rules of engagement, says Vivek Gumaste.
One cannot but infer that this brouhaha is a crafty ploy to create an issue out of a non-issue. An overview of post-independent India's history reveals that it is not the BJP or the Sangh Parivar but Marxist historians who have been guilty of debasing history to suit their vested interests, says Vivek Gumaste.
Article 370 is an anachronistic decree that has outlived its utility, militates against India's sovereignty, and discriminates against both Indians and Kashmiris by mutually excluding each other from syncretic growth. It is redundant, can be debated and constitutionally discarded, says Vivek Gumaste.
Honesty coupled with pragmatism translates to good governance. Honesty plus hubris and self-righteousness spells disaster: that is what the AAP is, says Vivek Gumaste
In any controversy, the participants cannot decide who is right or wrong. A democracy has a process in place to settle these disputes: the judiciary. Dinanath Batra in true democratic fashion availed of that opportunity citizen and Penguin's decision was the outcome of a legitimate legal battle, says Vivek Gumaste.
Article 370 is a golden cage that keeps Kashmiris trapped in a stifling environment, deters other Indians from investing in the state perpetuating its economic penury and expressly hinders the understanding of India; all under the false premise of preserving a narrow parochial identity, says Vivek Gumaste.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's sage advice remains as relevant today as it was during his lifetime, says Vivek Gumaste.
In a pluralistic society like India it is imperative that religious fervour be tempered to suit the common good, say Vivek Gumaste.
The BJP is entirely justified in asking for Shinde's resignation. Shinde too must realise that when the likes of Hafiz Saeed endorse his remarks, it is time to wrap his tail between his legs and slink away from the national scene failing which the Congress party must dump him if it retains even an iota of national pride, says Vivek Gumaste.
The current wave of protest, like almost every public dialogue in India, has a tendency to invariably degenerate into a clash of personalities that usurps centerstage and relegates the issue at hand to the backburner, warns Vivek Gumaste
Karnad's invective is not a fact based logical rebuttal of Naipaul's ideological variance. It lacks the grace or elements of an intellectual discourse, says Vivek Gumaste.
In simple terms all that the people of this country are asking for is honest individuals with sincerity of purpose to be their voices in Parliament. Is it wrong of us or is it too much to ask, wonders Vivek Gumaste.
We need to take the bull by its horns and confront the Pakistan Army directly. However blasphemous and anti-protocol it may seem we must insist that General Ashfaq Kayani be a part of the dialogue process, says Vivek Gumaste.
The manipulative syntax of the bill smacks of a furtive agenda to tilt the scales in favour of a specific community at the cost of the majority and violates the basic tenet of equality before the law, says Vivek Gumaste.
The war against corruption needs to be a three pronged attack: one that addresses personal frailties, rectifies systemic defects and roots out faulty leadership, says Vivek Gumaste.
Some have argued that the BJP's gesture is redundant in face of the traditional ceremony conducted by security personnel in Srinagar. But there is a subtle difference. Raising the tricolour in an empty maidan under the watch of a thousand guns undermines our stand and reinforces the false propaganda of people being terrorised by the might of our armed forces.
With one scam after another tumbling out of the closet, the head of state; titular or not, must accept responsibility for the happenings under his watch, says Vivek Gumaste.
Pakistan has thrust itself into the equation, not by dint of moral virtue or legal principle, but by illicit force as epitomised by its shameless support of blatant terrorism. As long as Pakistan remains in the equation, a solution is impossible.
We can wait with bated breaths for the Allahabad High Court verdict slated for September 24 but that is not going to put to rest this controversy, says Vivek Gumaste
My request to all politicians is: Please don't make me choose between the two or burden me with an identity crises when I have none. More important, please don't make a mountain of a molehill. Our nation has more important issues to address, writes Vivek Gumaste
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