JASWANT Singh, in his recent book on Mohammad Ali Jinnah, has praised the secular nature of Jinnah and has held Nehru-Patel responsible for the partition of India. Many people from Pakistan are praising Jaswant Singh’s book to the sky, while here in India there is a mixed reaction. The strongest reaction, of course, came from the BJP president,

THE HUMILIATING defeat in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year continues to dog the BJP. In quick succession, many things are happening: old pillars are crumbling, earlier cracks are on display with greater clarity and those who joined the party in the hope of basking in the glory of power are deserting it.

ELEVEN SUSPECTS of the Malegaon blast on September 9, 2008 got a breather (on August 1, 2009) when the special court hearing the case dropped the charges under Maharashtra Control Of Organised Crime Act 1999 (MCOCA). The Prosecution failed to show that all accused were members of a single organised crime syndicate.

RESERVATION HAS been a big bone of contention in Indian society. Over the last two decades, opinions on the issue have been expressed in subtle, direct and indirect forms. In the popular psyche, while some reservations are desirable, others are regarded as obstacles to social progress and still others are regarded as obstacles to national integration. Currently, the reservations related to women are considered highly desirable, while those concerning Dalits-OBCs are regarded as the cause of stagnation and roadblocks to progress. Many also feel that caste-based reservation deprives more meritorious upper castes from the portals of opportunity, while the mere talk of reservation for minorities is presented as dividing the nation.

AFTER THE 2009 general elections, Uttar Pradesh is witnessing a tussle for Dalit votes. While Rahul Gandhi could make substantial inroads into UP, Mayawati was humbled by the election results. Before the elections, the popular impression was that the BSP would romp home with a huge electoral percentage. After the elections, this image has been shattered as Rahul Gandhi’s efforts to establish a rapport with Dalits in particular appears to be working to the advantage of Congress. Infuriated by this, Mayawati intensified her vitriol against Congress, claiming that Rahul’s attempts to identify with Dalits at the social level are politically motivated natakbaji (drama). She also put Mahatma Gandhi’s work to connect with Dalits in the same category, a drama bereft of any substance or for the real benefit of Dalits.

THE LIBERHAN Commission submitted its four volume report to the government on June 30, 2009, perhaps making it one of the commissions to take the longest time to submit a report after recording its findings. Liberhan’s claim that the report got delayed due to non cooperation of leaders involved may have some truth in it as it is common knowledge that Kalyan Singh avoided appearing before the Commission for a long time; similar was the attitude of many of those alleged to be involved in the Babri Masjid demolition.

ON MAY 29, 2009 in Shopian Kashmir, two girls, Nilofer and Asiya, were raped and murdered although the administration tried to pass it off death due to drowning. The valley erupted with protests with their favourite slogan of several years, “Hamen kya chahiye? Azadi!” (What do we want? Freedom!). Every time there is injustice in the valley, the people repeat this old demand.

THE RESOUNDING defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2009 elections last month and the loss of seats and a decline in voting percentage prompted various BJP insiders and sympathisers to introspect over the causes of defeat. In his article in the Times of India, June 4, 2009, columnist Swapan Dasgupta vouched that the BJP is excessively identified with Hindutva, which no longer appeals to a large section of Hindus and, so, needs a makeover.

THE GOVERNMENT of Maharashtra decided, a while ago, to erect a statue of Shivaji in the Arabian Sea, a la Statue of Liberty in the US. Shivaji is one of the greatest icons of Maharashtra. This statue is estimated to cost around Rs. 300 crores as per present projections. The government’s decision was not really debated. Even those who feel there is a greater need for funds for other development issues did not protest as Shivaji has become a part of identity politics in the state. Every party with a Maharashtra connection swears by him.

THE RESULTS of the 2009 Lok Sabha elections have thrown up a verdict where the BJP has lost lots of ground in the electoral arena, its voting percentage has declined and its number of seats has been reduced. Its strategies failed as its ambition of coming to power as the head of the NDA withered away. In the 2004 elections, despite predictions by pollsters, its power declined and it gave way to the Congress-led UPA alliance. While many states in the country are governed by the BJP and it seems to have entrenched itself there for the time-being, the overall opinion is that the BJP is fast losing popularity.