india corruption | Asia News – Politics, Media, Education

Archives

Bangaru Laxman – paying the price for being Dalit?

By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Tue, May 01, 2012 2:20AM UTC View Comments

Going by the reaction in political circles to the former (and disgraced) Bharatiya Janata Party president being sentenced to four years, it is clear that being Dalit and in the BJP is not a good idea. To begin with, for the past 11 years – ever since the Tehelka tapes were first telecast in March...

Read Full Story ›

India’s Bofors scam: A few lessons, 25 years later

By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Mon, Apr 16, 2012 2:48AM UTC View Comments

Exactly a quarter of a century ago, India stepped into a transitional phase of politics when Swedish Radio on April 16, 1987 broadcast a story alleging that kickbacks had been paid to secure the contract for 155mm field howitzers for the Indian armed forces. The story fuelled the nascent campaign against the Rajiv Gandhi regime...

Read Full Story ›

Anna Hazare: Back in business?

By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Mon, Mar 26, 2012 3:49AM UTC View Comments

When the calendar was being turned to usher in the New Year three months ago, the leading Indian weekly – Outlook – asked “experts for their take on India’s niggling doubts”. The editors of the magazine were extremely generous in featuring yours truly in this gallery of notables. I was asked a very pointed question:...

Read Full Story ›

2G scam: India’s middle class comes full circle

By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Fri, Feb 03, 2012 3:49AM UTC View Comments

An online poll on whether Manmohan Singh’s government will be able to get back on course after facing mid-air turbulence due to the 2G scam shows surprising results. At the time of writing, a neat 50 percent of respondents exuded confidence that aftershocks were transitory and would not lead to mid-air breakup of the political...

Read Full Story ›

India’s midnight shame – curtains on 2011 with anti-graft law remaining stillborn

By Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay Fri, Dec 30, 2011 3:47AM UTC View Comments

The stroke of midnight had politically meant two things in India prior to the turn of the clock on Thursday night: the ushering of Independence in 1947 and the proverbial midnight knock in June 1975 when that freedom was curtailed. To these contrasting political memories of the midnight hour was added a new one –...

Read Full Story ›