NEW DELHI: A day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led the Trinamool Congress to a spectacular victory by defeating the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the eastern Indian state of Bengal, experts on Monday warned that the BJP’s loss in the crucial regional polls could have significant implications on national politics.
Five state assemblies went to the polls last month. However, the Bengal polls were the most watched and bitterly contested, with the top BJP leadership putting everything at stake to wrest the largest state in eastern India.
During the campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed 38 election rallies in the eight-phase elections, while almost all of his Cabinet remained in Bengal for over a month in a bid to secure votes.
Indian opposition takes jab at Modi over vaccine shortage, COVID-19 crisis arabnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from arabnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
NEW DELHI: India’s ruling party on Thursday called a report which downgraded its status as a free country “biased.”
The 2021 Freedom House report, which human rights activists say reflects reality in modern India, saw the country known as the world’s largest democracy downgraded from “free” to “partly free.”
In its report, published on Wednesday, the Washington-based institute funded by the US government justified the change of India’s status by saying that civil rights in the country “have been eroding since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014.”
It cited increasing attacks against Muslims and misuse of sedition laws to curb dissent, with Modi and his party “tragically driving India itself toward authoritarianism.”
Opposing Farm Legislations Is All About Fuss Over Nothing outlookindia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from outlookindia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
NEW DELHI: The recent release on bail of young Indian climate activist Disha Ravi has brought some relief, but fears are growing over an increase in guilt by association toward other young Indian activists, her lawyer and other rights advocates claim.
Ravi, an Indian associate of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, was arrested in the southern city of Bengaluru on Feb. 13 on sedition charges for distributing a document to help farmers who have been demonstrating against India’s new farm laws. Police said the manual contained action plans for organizing protest violence.
The protests of tens of thousands of farmers, who say the new laws would leave them at the mercy of big corporations, have been one of the biggest challenges faced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.