Archive of South Asia Citizens Wire

  • India: How rising inequality threatens our democracy

    by Praful Bidwai, 6 February 2014

    A vitally important issue that has altogether fallen off India’s economic-political discourse is growing economic inequality. In part, this is because of the continuing hangover of the euphoria generated by economic liberalisation, and the growth of social-Darwinist ideas and moral indifference towards the poor within our burgeoning middle class. In part, this also reflects India’s Rightward political drift, and the declining ideological-political influence of the Left and its own retreat from egalitarianism.

  • India: Concerned Citizens Statement Against Death Penalty

    by sacw.net, 6 February 2014

    We, concerned citizens and organisations from different walks of life and with different worldviews, are united in opposing the death penalty and demanding its repeal in India.

  • India: It’s better to be safe than sorry

    by M. V. Ramana, Suvrat Raju, 6 February 2014

    Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has often claimed that nuclear energy is crucial for the country and his government has announced a massive programme of reactor construction. Leaving aside other problems with this plan, a minimal prerequisite for the safe operation of these new and existing plants is a sound regulatory body. The prime minister would do well to carefully read the recent report from the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the subject.

  • PIPFPD Press Release: Condemning the attack by Shiv Sena on Pakistani and Indian artists and demanding action against open threats to peace activists

    5 February 2014

    Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace & Democracy (PIPFPD), India chapter strongly condemns the dastardly attack on Pakistani and Indian artists at the Mumbai Press Club on Tuesday, February 4, 2014. The gathering included members of Mumbai Press Club, senior journalists and members of PIPFPD and other citizens, was facilitated by Jatin Desai, Secretary, PIPFPD, India.

  • Eternal Othering and Presentation of Communalism on the World Stage | Nasrin Khandoker

    by hanashams, 5 February 2014

    It’s very distressing that today the notion of communal harmony has become a myth, an overstatement. It is true as daylight that we are not living in a state of communal harmony. While this did not happen out of the blue, because of the recent attacks in Rangamati and Ramu, this is being newly comprehended by many of us. Communal discord is not a new occurrence. But when this ‘discord’ becomes visible to us in the form of communal attacks, then some other things have been added to this. Its rise in a new form also indicates that there are other things behind this.

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