'This is not the first time this government has show us the 'darkest day of democracy''
Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation is significant because it punctures, however slightly, the perception that the Modi government never retreats under pressure. Every long-serving government eventually reaches a point where every institutional failure is identified with the leader himself. Removing the minister may have prevented that political burden from falling directly on Modi. Whether it also resolves the underlying crisis is another matter, notes Ramesh Menon.
Close on the heels of the arrest of former minister Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the state has become a battleground for nationalist versus anti-nationalist forces."The war between nationalist and anti-nationalist demons has started in Gujarat. But remember this is Gujarat, where anti-nationalist forces will be defeated," Modi said. "If you think that you can frighten me, you should open your ears and listen," he said.
The tweets come after the actor was dubbed as 'anti-nationalist' and a 'Pakistani agent' by BJP leaders.
'The emphasis is on nationalism, which the party apparently feels will have greater resonance than one on religious identity which may have lost some of its appeal in recent years.'
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Tuesday attacked Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan over his "extreme intolerance" comment, saying his "soul" is in Pakistan though he lives in India and also painted him as an "anti-nationalist".
The apex court asked the government to trace the missing persons within two weeks.
"The solution to terror is peace, development and progress and not unemployment, hatred and fear," he said.
The BJP office bearer said if Communists love this country, how did they take part in an "anti-national" event.
'The anti-Digital India campaign is a vindictive hatchet job rather than a fact based, rationally sound appraisal; a personal attack rather than issue based criticism; an ideological assault rather than altruistic effort. It must be called out for what it is,' says Vivek Gumaste.
BJP MP modifies a popular Hindi proverb to reply to Vijayvargiya and others.
'Does Deepika not have the right to raise her voice in a democratic and peaceful manner on an issue she considers important?' 'Why should one view her only as an actor and not appreciate her role as a concerned citizen of the country?' ask Aftab Alam and Mohammad Asim Siddiqui.
'From the evidently pre-selected questions to the promotional slides on a screen redolent of the official audio-visual department, the choreography was palpably intended to present the prime minister in as good a light as possible in a 'safe' environment insulated from uncomfortable questions,' says Amulya Ganguli.
Earlier, the BJP leader had to take back his tweets saying Shah Rukh's soul is in Pakistan.
'A class antagonism of rich versus poor took the colouring of a communal confrontation,' says Sunil Sethi.
ISIS's online propaganda radicalises Muslim youth in Kerala. A revealing excerpt from Stanly Johny's new book, The ISIS Caliphate From Syria to the Doorsteps of India.
The various meat bans across the country are an attempt to attack civil liberties, says civil rights activist Kavita Srivastava.
'No, the liberals haven't lost because there weren't any liberals in the fray to begin with.' 'What has happened is that left-wing orthodoxy has lost to right-wing orthodoxy.' 'That is at best a Pyrrhic victory for India,' argue Sonali Ranade and Sheilja Sharma.
'While the government must be relentless in its efforts to curb unruly elements to ensure secular harmony and protect its goal of national development,it must not lose the moral high ground by giving in to the antics of the anti-nationalist lobby.' 'They must be countered and relegated to the dustbin of history,' says Vivek Gumaste.
'Are moving towards a political culture that provides more space for violence and a paranoid political rhetoric,' asks Nitin Desai.
