Asian Lite News Archive

Category: Opinion

  • When Hindu votes sealed Indira’s fate

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    “If the majority rule were to apply, the crow should be our national bird, not the peacock”. A quote attributed to the Tamil leader C.N. Annadurai during a protest speech in 1962 against the imposition of Hindi as a national language, 13 years before the imposition of emergency by Indira Gandhi. Annadurai went on to…

  • Two Asian giants mark their darkest days

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    By Hardev Sanotra  As India recalled its darkest period 40 years ago in June, China too marked its worst days in its recent history in same the month. But the remembrance of the events 29 years ago was more in the breach here. On June 4, 1989 tanks of the People’s Liberation Army and its…

  • Erdogan’s Fall From Grace

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    By Alon Ben-Meir Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during a graduation ceremony in Ankara. Turkish President Erdogan’s May 2013 plan to raze Gezi Park in Central Istanbul and replace it with a replica 19th century Ottoman barrack prompted anti-government protests in Istanbul and other cities across Turkey, which led to violent confrontations where the…

  • The dark months of Emergency

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     Ajit Mozoomdar, Secretary at Ministry of Finance, 1974-76 and served under prime minister Indira Gandhi recalls the dark months of emergency in the Asian Lite, the biggest Asian newspaper in UK. The experience of the Emergency – 19 months of undemocratic rule in India, without civil liberties – is now a distant memory. For the young, it…

  • Yoga is a way of life

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    By M.R. Narayan Swamy  RSS spokesman-turned-BJP leader Ram Madhav’s audacious outburst against Vice President Hamid Ansari is a good example of what all can go wrong if politicians try to usurp the ancient science of yoga. Never mind that Ram Madhav ended up apologising for having publicly pulled up Ansari for not turning up at…

  • Dhoni is well prepared for media scrutiny

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    By Veturi Srivatsa  Mahendra Singh Dhoni is always a step ahead of the Indian media. He is not the sort who would habitually say when the team loses that they batted badly, bowled poorly and fielded atrociously! Like a good general he, by and large, defends his forces. He anticipates the questions likely to be…

  • The US Must Stop Enabling Israel

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    By Dr Alon Ben-Meir No one can deny the close, abiding, and unparalleled friendship between the United States and Israel. This tight bond has served both countries well, especially Israel, which has benefitted politically, economically, and militarily from the US’s unwavering support, helping Israel to become a powerhouse second to none in the Middle East.…

  • Kashmir killings chills ex-militants

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    By Sheikh Qayoom  Panic stricken former militants and sympathizers of separatists have started migrating out of Kashmir’s Sopore town following the killings of former militants and active supporters of separatists by unidentified gunmen. So far, four former militants or active supporters of the separatist movement have been killed in Sopore town during the last six…

  • Expectations are Modi’s challenges

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    By Amit Dasgupta Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started his second year with a reasonably positive track record. He, however, faces four clear challenges that he needs to urgently address if he aspires for a second term. First, the biggest challenge he faces is with regard to the aspirations and expectations of domestic constituencies, business…

  • The ‘mysteries’ of new China

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    By Vikas Datta   Surreptitiously reading translations of Sherlock Holmes and other detective fiction as a student amid the Cultural Revolution’s turbulence, Chinese poet and academician Qiu Xiaolong had no idea that one day he would also be writing a series of ‘whodunit’ mysteries giving a view of his home city Shanghai as memorable yet gritty…

  • What is spooking Indian equities?

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    By Rohit Vaid From an all-time high that was touched in the first week of March to the latest trading day, two key equity market indices have taken a beating of around 12 percent. This, at a time when India’s growth forecasts have been upgraded by a host of global financial institutions. On March 4,…

  • Moral for Modi in Erdogan’s reversal

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    By Saeed Naqvi  A reduced Tayyip Erdogan will hurt Turkish pride although the pain, as in some forms of sprain, will be a delayed effect. The Turkish election results will also alter the West Asian political dynamics because the Muslim Brotherhood, whose banner Erdogan had begun to flutter to reinforce his regional moves, will now…

  • The perils of a Kashmiri living outside Kashmir

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    These people view every Kashmiri as an anti-Indian, and call them names. And countered with the other side of the Kashmir story, they call it a propaganda of separatists, a hoax and fraud by Pakistan and its acolytes. There are quite a few of this kind.    By Aadil Mir  As a young journalist working…

  • Modi can transform education in India

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    By Amit Dasgupta  The front page news that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has personally directed that the feasibility of foreign universities entering the education space in India be urgently examined has come as good news for the higher education sector, which is currently reeling under burgeoning demand, limited supply and the mushrooming of poor quality…

  • The necessity of Iraqi Sunni independence

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    The Sunni Iraqis do not view Iran’s involvement as transient, and learning from their past experience, they will under no circumstances surrender their future to the whims of Tehran, which they consider a staunch enemy. Dr Alon Ben-Meir writes on the necessity of Iraqi Sunni independence that is is needed in Britain’s leading Asian newspaper…

  • Chinese shadow looms large over India

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    By Amitava Mukherjee  On June 6 the Dhaka Tribune, a respected and reliable Bangladeshi newspaper, carried a report which merits attention. According to it, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang would visit Bangladesh in September to commemorate 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This was announced by A.K.M. Shameem Chowdury, the press secretary to…

  • Why Israel matters to India

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      Chaitanya Mallapur writes in Asian Lite on why Israel matters so much for India.    When Narendra Modi travels to Israel sometime later this year, he will be the first Indian prime minister to visit, formalising a relationship often conducted behind closed doors, through clandestine meetings and secret agreements. The announcement is already generating heat, with some criticising it,…

  • Why Nestle cant kill Maggi

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    Arvind Padmanabhan and Aparajita Gupta writes on why Nestle can’t and won’t forfeit Brand Maggi in Asian Lite, Britain’s leading Asian newspaper.  As Nestle braces to regain consumer trust over safety of its popular noodles, the jolt on its India operations will be severe, given the position “Brand Maggi” has enjoyed in its ecosystem, analysts said.…

  • Mamata mutes herself in Dhaka

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    Ranjana Narayan writes in the Asian Lite, Britains top Asian newspaper on Mamata’s Dhaka visit. She went, she saw, she attended and returned. That in sum appears to have been the itinerary of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her trip to Dhaka. On her rests the hopes of an accord between the two nations…

  • It’s Time For A New Strategy

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    Alon Ben-Meir writes in Asian Lite, Britain’s top Asian newspaper Given the impasse between Israel and the Palestinians in the peace negotiations, the formation of a new right-wing Israeli government will make it further difficult for the two sides to come to terms on their own to reach a peace agreement.  Leaving them to their…

  • India, Lanka relations need a bottoms-up solution

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    The long-drawn fishermen problem between India and Sri Lanka – that has often threatened to spoil ties – needs a “bottoms-up solution rather than one imposed from above,” says Sri Lankan envoy, Sudharshan Seneviratne. The fishermen problem, that has recently seen some harsh language used by Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera – with India…

  • Roadblocks remain in resolving Iran n-issue

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    By Aadil Mir   As the June 30 deadline to resolve the contentious Iran nuclear issue between Tehran and six world powers nears, there still remain several roadblocks which could hamper the progress made so far. The insistence by the five veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council and Germany for inspecting Iran’s military sites and…

  • BCCI a superpower with feudal mindset

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    By Veturi Srivatsa  The Indian cricket board is bothered about its image more than the development of the sport or the promotion of players. It wants to project itself as a modern cricket power with a feudal mindset. If the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) thinks it is modern and a superpower,…

  • Uncertainty clouds RBI rate hikes

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    Biswajit Choudhury writes in UK’s largest Asian newspaper Asian Lite about the uncertainty of rate hike by RBI As the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) prepares for its bi-monthly monetary policy update here, uncertainty remains over Governor Raghuram Rajan cutting interest rates, despite requests to do so from stakeholders — right from the government to…

  • Why no due credit for Manmohan from Congress

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    Amulya Ganguli writes in Britain’s leading Asian newspaper, Asian Lite on the lack of credit due for the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from his won party. The Narendra Modi government’s chief economic advisor, Arvind Subramanian, has said that the rate of poverty reduction from 2005-06 to 2011-12 was the fastest in the country’s history.…

  • India can’t do without coal

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    Amit Bhandari writes in Asian Lite, Britain’s leading Asian newspaper on India’s addiction with coal.  Coal generates over 75 percent of India’s electricity and is among the cheapest energy sources available. Its main advantage over other feasible alternatives is that it is largely immune to interference from nature — quakes, floods, droughts-economic vagaries and artificial accidents. India…

  • Its no big deal? Indians only marginal polluters!

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    Amit Bhandari writes in Asian Lite, UK’s top Asian Newspaper on why Indians are marginal polluters compared to the developed world.  India’s development dilemma centres around a basic calculation: the carbon emission for an average Indian is only marginally higher than the carbon dioxide produced in flying one passenger from Tokyo to San Francisco. In other…

  • NDA repackaging UPA schemes?

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    By Anjali Ojha   The year-old Narendra Modi-led government says its schemes won’t leave any sector untouched as it flicks aside a Congress charge that it was repackaging the UPA dispensation’s programmes. With banking schemes like Jan Dhan Yojana, mass movement programmes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, and social movements like Beti Bachao, the government says no…

  • Modi’s Mongolia visit all about leverage over China

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    By Priyanka Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mongolia was aimed more at gaining some psychological leverage over China than about building trade and economic ties, according to experts. India’s former ambassador Phunchok Stobdan said that the visit was “more of a strategic step”. S. Kalyanaraman, also an expert on the region, said it was about…

  • Modi one year on

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    Amit Kapoor assesses Modi’s one year as prime minister of India for Britain’s leading Asian newspaper Asian |Lite. The Narendra Modi government, which completes a year in office on May 26, had won last year’s general elections on the plank of development and its promise to bring in ‘Acche Din’. Here is a performance snapshot of…

  • India’s Smart Cities must be safe,habitable and smart

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    By Sanjiv Kataria Each time there is a mention of Smart Cities in India, I get concerned about the safety of women because there is a surfeit of news stemming from the vulnerability of women in our cities. A few incidents that shook India recently, include: * A police officer attacks an allegedly errant scooter-riding…

  • Why the Communists still remain a force in India

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    By Amulya Ganguli  Seven years after the deed was done, the new Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, has confessed that his party made a mistake by withdrawing support from the Manmohan Singh government on the India-US nuclear deal in 2008. It was in that very year, however, that the prescient Nobel laureate,…

  • Centrality of Lucknow in world’s Shia culture

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    By Saeed Naqvi  Last year, addressing a group of foreign policy analysts in New Delhi, the ambassador of Iran to India, Gholamreza Ansari, made an important admission. He admitted that Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, came from an important family of divines from Kuntoor, in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, not…

  • Modi yet to address any core issues: Govindacharya

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    By Brajendra Nath Singh    As Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government completes one year in office, he is under a strident attack from the opposition parties. But he has not been spared from within. Critical voices within his party and the sangh parivar have begun to raise their decibel level. One such critic is former Bharatiya…

  • ISRAEL – Identity Crisis

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    By Alon Ben-Meir  Natanyahu’s new government is neither by nor for the people The political horse-trading in Israel seen over the past eight weeks, which went down to the wire to form a new government, was, in the main, a struggle over who would get what position, regardless of their qualifications and irrespective of what…

  • Greenpeace on the chopping block in India

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    By Sajai Jose   As Greenpeace India struggles to stay afloat, the real reason why the government wants to shut down the global environmental NGO hasn’t got much attention: Coal, the single biggest source of primary energy in India, is at the heart of the Narendra Modi government’s ambitious plans to ramp up industrial production in the country. A…

  • Turning Chinese conflict into compromise

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    By Tarun Vijay Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s China visit has come at a time when his government is completing his first year in power and global strategic equations are fast rearranging. At a time when India’s economy is gaining strength and global economists are hailing Modi’s one year in power as the best India has…

  • ‘Indian diaspora should move beyond culture’

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    By Paras Ramoutar  The Indian diaspora must move beyond culture, heritage and traditions into present day areas of sustainable development, according to a well-known academic here. Clement Sankat, principal of the St. Augustine Campus, University of the West Indies, said at the opening ceremony of the International Indian Diaspora Conference at the university on Tuesday…

  • Earthquakes and their impact

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    By Ramesh Singh A big earthquake in Assam and in the Himalayan region was expected ever since I was a geophysics student at Banaras Hindu University during 1974-1976. At that time, funding agencies spent money for routine observations of various parameters in the wake of a major earthquake. In the past, a few major earthquakes…

  • India shouldn’t give in to anti-GM dissent

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    By Vivian Fernandes  With the European Union expected to approve import of 17 more genetically-modified food products by the end of May, opponents in India like Greenpeace will have a weaker case to stall permission for commercial cultivation of GM crops. But they are unlikely to give up their resistance. Unless the courts come to…

  • Building the pillars of good governance

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    By Shrimoyee Bhattacharya and Sujaya Rathi  The second budget of the Narendra Modi government has been presented. The Smart Cities programme and 500 habitations under the National Urban Rejuvenation Mission (NURM) together have been allocated Rs. 6,000 crore (approximately $1 billion). This is more than one third of the total allocation under the Ministry of…

  • Who’s afraid of Rahul Gandhi?

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    By Amulya Ganguli Nothing shows the weakness of the Narendra Modi government more than the fact that it gives the impression of having been spooked by Rahul Gandhi to strive for a pro-poor image. Hence, the directive to ministers to go around the country after the budget session to counter the perception that the government…

  • India Inc. lax against sexual harassment: Survey

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    Nearly a third of the companies operating in India are yet to constitute the mandatory panel against sexual harassment at workplace, with the incidence of non-compliance higher among domestic entities, reveals a survey. The Ernst and Young survey reveals that 40 percent of the respondents were yet to train the members of their internal complaints…

  • Antisemitism And Israel’s Moral Imperative

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    By Dr Alon Ben-Meir  Horrific outbursts against the Jews are on the rise all over Europe – exclamations like “gas the Jews” and “Jews burn best” are being heard at soccer games and similar social gatherings. While there is nothing to excuse or justify such hateful speech, some effort still needs to be made to…

  • WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

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    By BIKRAM VOHRA Indian media, in recent years, has begun to believe in an irrational sense of entitlement. It is manifested in an odd conviction that it is owed an advance warning. There seems a rage over the Rafale purchase deal fuelled more by indignation that its mandarins were not told about it and were…

  • Being black in America

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    By Arun Kumar   Even with an African-American president in the White House, it’s a still a hard day’s life for the blacks 150 years after Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and 50 years after two landmark legislations outlawed racial discrimination. With a population of 45 million, blacks make up about 14 percent of the total…

  • Arab balance of power being shaped

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    By Saeed Naqvi  “As flies to wanton boys are we to the Gods; they kill us for their sport.” King Lear This could well be a powerful chorus, the primeval cry from the Arab street as the Americans erect a new balance of power in West Asia now that the Iranians have been brought into…

  • Rahul banking on poverty to revive Congress?

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    By Amulya Ganguli From being caught snoozing in parliament to spending time in a mysterious hideout to the current photo-ops with tillers of the soil, Rahul Gandhi has been acquiring a whole range of political experience. The problem with his present frenetic pace, however, is that the question is bound to be asked as to…

  • Pandits deeply divided over possible return to Kashmir

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    By Sheikh Qayoom While politicians debate the possible roadmaps for a return of migrant Pandits to Kashmir Valley, the community remains deeply divided over the issue. H.N. Jattu, 81, president of the All India Kashmiri Pandit Conference, feels this is not right time to return to a place from where Pandits fled in thousands after…

  • India lags in research and innovation

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    By Devanik Saha As it attempts to drive growth and innovation, India lags the developed and emerging world in a key area, research and development, as a recent imbroglio over stipends reveals­. An IndiaSpend analysis reveals that India has 366 research and development (R&D) personnel per million population, compared with 1,366 in Brazil, 2,358 in…