India became a republic on this day 32 years ago. It did so by virtue of the enforcement of the Constitution and not of a revolution. As such it would have been equally appropriate if we had decided to celebrate January 26 as the Constitution Day. It would certainly have … Read More
In its brief history of independence, India has witnessed many turning points – 1964 when Mr Nehru died, 1967 when the Congress lost its monopoly of power, 1975 when Mrs Gandhi imposed the emergency, 1977 when a coalition of opposition was returned to office at the Centre and 1980 when … Read More
The Congress (I) treasurer, Mr. Sitaram Kesri, has spoken about Mr. AR Antulay’s antics in extremely sharp terms. Clearly he has not done it on his own behalf. He has spoken for the party’s top leadership. He has not been dealing with Maharashtra affairs as an AICC observer for quite … Read More
Mrs. Gandhi is known for her capacity to spring surprises. She has often confounded her supporters and detractors alike in the past. She has done so once again by selecting Mr. Babasaheb Anantrao Bhosale as chief minister for Maharashtra. No one in Bombay anticipated this move for the simple reason … Read More
Mr. Antulay should not prove a particularly heavy cross for Mrs. Gandhi to bear. But it is a cross she could well have avoided wearing if she had kept herself properly informed and if she had been willing to act in time. She was perhaps inhibited by considerations of loyalty. … Read More
As was only to be expected, Mr. AR Antulay tried to buy time even after the Bombay High Court had held him guilty of having allotted cement quotas to some favoured builders in Bombay in return for “donations” by them to two of the trusts established and controlled by him. … Read More
The issue is finally clinched. Not only has the Bombay high court held Mr. AR Antulay guilty of allotting cement quotas to some builders in Bombay in return for “contributions” to two trusts floated and controlled by him, the Maharashtra chief minister has had the good sense to ask Mrs. … Read More
It is not quite clear why Mrs Gandhi convened a meeting of the Congress (I) working committee in New Delhi last week-end. Perhaps considerations of form demanded it. The august body had not met for 13 long months. Perhaps Mrs. Gandhi wanted to convey her concerns to her chieftains and … Read More
Perhaps the only good thing that can be said about UP after the second massacre of Harijans in six weeks is that its chief minister does not need to be reminded of his duty. Mr. Vishwanath Pratap Singh is one of that vanishing breed of politicians who are not busy … Read More
The judgment of the Supreme Court in the highly publicized transfer of judges case is best summed up by a well-worn cliché. The mountain was in labour but has produced only a mouse. For on one of the two vital issues before it, it has done no more than confirmed … Read More
