Governance and Indian Nationalism (GAIN)

In a significant legal ruling, the Supreme Court of India today upheld the HC ruling allowing scientific survey of disputed site at Gyanvapi in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Gyanvapi is situated adjacent to the revered Kashi Vishwanath Temple and has been a subject of contention between different religious communities. The mosque's structure is said to have been built in the 17th century by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb on the site of an ancient Hindu temple. It is believed that the current structure is built on a pre-existing Hindu structure. A three-judge bench, headed by the Chief Justice of India, delivered the verdict in a packed courtroom. The court ordered that ASI can perform scientific investigation through non-invasive methodology without excavation. The ASI's involvement aims to bring a comprehensive and unbiased understanding of the historical layers of the site. It is expected that the archaeological survey will play a crucial role in shedding light on the site's past, ...

In one of the VHS programs, Words of Wisdom, Dr. Swamy stated that Aditya Thackeray may have had flings but his chances of being part of SSR murder are remote. This single statement of Dr. Swamy has been blown out of proportion to spread rumors having no basis. One must understand that Dr. Swamy is a constitutionalist and won't give in to rumor-mongering based on public perceptions. Moreover, the court of law works based on facts & evidence and not due to likes, dislikes, or preferences of the general public. Therefore, from a legal standpoint, Dr. Subramanian Swamy took the most appropriate stand on Aditya Thackerey. After Sushant Singh Rajput's murder, none of the political leaders from BJP and Congress were willing to take a stand. Only Dr. Subramanian Swamy came to the rescue of SSR fans.  The seasoned professor/politician promised CBI inquiry for SSR, which was duly achieved after a persistent social media campaign and a phone conversation between Dr. Swamy...

Since Vajpayee has been many times brought forward in the context of Dr. Swamy, it is important to clear prevailing misconceptions about India's former PM. To get a 360-degree view, knowing the other side is also important. While several myths surround Vajpayee, there is one myth that needs to be busted for the benefit of the common public.  MYTH: Vajpayee was a Sanghi As Vajpayee was associated with Bhartiya Jan Sangh in its early days, many believed him to be a hardcore Sanghi. However, let me state that nothing could be farther from the truth.  Fact: Vajpayee was Nehru's implant The fact is Vajpayee was a Hindi journalist who got associated with Jan Sangh. Later he built trust and developed proximity with SP Mookerjee.  Vajpayee was also affiliated with Communist student wing during his younger days. He was alleged to be a police informer in his early days against Freedom fighters during British rule.  On many occasions, Vajpayee double-crossed and betrayed  ...

Dr. Swamy's political life is characterized by fighting lone battles, defending individual rights, exposing corruption, and standing for truth even at the cost of facing unjustified criticism, yet never appearing conciliatory against his opponents.  His distinguished contributions make him the most unique politician in the country. Although it is difficult to do justice to Dr. Swamy's contributions in a single article, the following points will provide a broad overview of his achievements: - No politician, whether from BJP or Congress, has to his credit opening of a religious site as prominent as Kailash Mansarovar due to individual efforts. -  Dr. Swamy is the only politician fighting for freeing Hindu temples from state control. In TN, Kerala, Andhra, and Uttarakhand, he is legally involved in cases for the removal of state control of Hindu temples.  -  Dr. Swamy along with his associate and ace lawyer, TG Mohandas is fighting for freeing Devasom Board ...

In May 2020, India and China faced the worst ever military face-off at Galwan Valley, Hot springs, Gogra and Pangong  region in Ladakh. With the loss of 20 Indian soldiers and 43 Chinese soldiers, the Galwan valley clash was the bloodiest of all.  Growing tensions between India and China not only shook the geo-political relations across the world but it also led to the build up of hostile domestic sentiment against China's arrogance. As a result, calls for #BoycottChina grew louder and louder with each passing day.      Rising anti-China public sentiment compelled government to take some policy level measures such as stricter FDI norms for countries sharing the border with India. While this may restrict Chinese investments to certain extent, it isn't enough to neutralize the influence of China in Indian market. Recently, People's Bank of China raised its stakes in HDFC bank to more than 1% and later also invested in ICICI Bank through the FPI route. Although the...

BJP leader and eminent economist, Dr Subramanian Swamy, invited as a Chief Speaker at a recent webinar of TiE on "Making India Succeed", spoke at length on India's existing challenges and viable solutions to address these challenges. However, Dr Swamy categorically focused on three major areas, which will help to improve India's world status and restore the country's past glory.  These are explained below: Improve the state of Economy Abolish income tax to boost consumption and savings among households. Bring down interest rates on business loans up to the level of 6% p.a for MSMEs. Increase interest rate on FDs to 9% per annum to facilitate higher savings from households.  Build roads to connect all villages with nearby towns. This will improve connectivity, reduce unemployment, increase purchasing power and spur demand. Social Revolution Indians must start believing in themselves as belonging to the same ancestral tree and identify themselves as prod...

Since India's independence, the Church has directly or indirectly influenced the electoral process in our country. During hey days of Congress, Church's role was relatively subtle in comparison to its present day involvement. It seems  BJP's  recent electoral successes have ruffled the ministries of Church.  Without doubt, the rise in public outcry by Church over threat to secularism and random acts of vandalism stems from growing influence of Hindutva in India. As a result, since 2014, different churches across India have been issuing letters (or fatwas) to their followers and warning them about the grave threat to secularism due to rise in Hindu nationalism. Following are some of the examples of Church's growing interference during elections: In December 2015, the Archbishop of Faridabad-Delhi Syro Malabar Church, Kuriakose Bharani Kulangara in a letter, wrote that victory of Mahagathbandhan in Bihar is a victory of secular forces over sectarian forces In November 201...