South Asia Citizens Web

Translation of the Hindi article published in the June 2009 issue of FILHAAL, a radical Hindi fortnightly published from Patna.
After the resignation of the Prime Minister, Mr Pushp Kamal Dahal “ Prachand” the political parties once again have created the situation which reminds of the days of the 12-point agreement which took place in November 2005. The 12 point understanding was reached at that time between the CPN-Maoists (which was underground and carrying out peoples’ war) and seven (…)

an open letter to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, highlighting some of the key concerns with the draft bill and demanding a wider public debate, before it is introduced in Parliament.

Communal forces have become active in a middle class dominated area of Delhi. Close watchers of the situation know the desperation in the ranks of the pro Hindutva forces when the results to the elections to the parliament were out. To the surprise of all, this area which use to be a stronghold of the saffrons, registred more votes to the Congress candidate vis-a-vis the saffrons. And thus apart from the national context where the saffrons faced humiliating defeat, the sense of vengeance among them had an added local context.

After more than three years of legal battles, the California sixth-grade History-Social Sciences textbook controversy has finally been put to bed with the conclusion of a lawsuit by California Parents for the Equalization of Educational Materials (CAPEEM) against members of the State Board of Education (SBE). The former had made broad claims that the textbook contents and the adoption process violated the US Constitution’s Establishment Clause. CAPEEM had also claimed that the SBE had violated its members’ equal protection as well as free speech and association rights.

Throughout the last stages of the civil war, the government of Sri Lanka claimed to be engaged in a hostage rescue mission on behalf of civilians in the Vanni who were being held against their will by the LTTE. How far are its words borne out by its actions?