Open Forum

New Delhi, 2 July 2025

Emergency Revisited

NOW ‘UNDECLARED’: CONG

By Dhurjati Mukherjee 

The BJP is marking the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, emphasising how power was misused by Late Indira Gandhi for personal interests without considering the broader national interest. Going into top gear, Union Home Minister Amit Shah highlighted Narendra Modi's “nation first” approach. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge launched a counter attack stating that an “undeclared emergency” has prevailed for the past 11 years and claiming that Modi is addressing this issue to divert attention from ‘governance challenges and institutional control’. 

Observing June 25, the BJPsaid the Congress should not divert from the Emergency-era excesses on people and tender an apology. It insisted it’s imperative to discuss the sufferings the then government inflicted on people so that it is never repeated. As against this, critics of the BJP-led NDA government are raising questions about freedom of expression in the country and accusing the government of lacking tolerance and trampling liberty and fraternity.In particular, they allege journalists and student activists are being imprisoned for simply being critical of the government and opposing its policies. 

A recent study undertaken by the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s TrialWatch Initiative in partnership with the National Law University, Delhi and Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute analyzed 624 incidents of criminalisation of journalists in relation to their work from 2012-2022. The dataset breaks down 423 criminal cases against 427 journalists across states and Union Territories of the country. It has been found that reporters in metros were arrested 24 percent of the total incidents but this rises to 58 percent for journalists in small cities/towns and villages. The latter are more vulnerable to arrest and detention as they lack necessary legal support and access to justice. Across the country, police invoked a multitude of offences against journalists and registered large number of cases against them. 

Additionally, recent data from India Hate Lab, an international research centre, witnessed a rise in anti-minority hate speeches by an astonishing 74 percent in 2024, year of the General election. Worse, the crisis of free speech transcends its contamination by hate, it noted. The foundational tenet of regimes endorsing free speech, as was pointed out in a recent talk byone of the country’s foremost intellectuals Pratap Bhanu Mehta, has traditionally been rooted in a milieu of trust between State and citizens. 

While the imposition of Emergency has to be condemned in the strongest possible terms, the Opposition is of the opinion and flogs the BJP’s dislike for civil society. The authoritarian manner of functioning of Modi has been successful in controlling all aspects of governance and administration, it claims. There is no transparency and institutions, vital for a healthy democracy, have been deprived of autonomy. 

A deeper analysis perhaps may reveal that both the Congress and the BJP have misused the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act(FCRA) to target NGOs and civil society, particularly those criticizing environmental and human rights issues. This reflects the government’s fear of an independent scrutiny. The prime minister’s extraordinary and unprecedented act of avoidance of the press exemplifies this concern, it’s argued. Additionally, there have been attacks on the press, with journalists and activists jailed under the UAPA for criticising government policies and highlighting its failures. 

The overall hostility to civil society and independent thought is common worldwide. The BJP, in power in most Indian states, often uses its authority to suppress and crush civil society organisations, which are vocal. It is pertinent to mention here that the French thinker, Alexis de Tocqueville argued that American democracy thrives because of its voluntary organisations, which remains true today, but is under threat. After India's Emergency period ended, democratic culture allowed both critical and constructive voluntary organisations to flourish, benefiting the political system and society. 

Statistics spell out how democracy is increasingly in peril across the globe. The Economist’s recent Global Democracy Index indicates that just 6.6 percent of the world’s total population, residing in 25 out of the 165 countries assessed, enjoyed full democracy in 2024. The first GDI in 2006 had credited 28 countries covering 13 percent of the world population with ‘Full Democracies’. Ten years later in 2016, it reported a sharp decline with 19 countries and just about 4.5 percent of the world population in that category. The Economist distributed its results based on 60 parameters in four categories – ‘full democracies’, ‘flawed democracies’, ‘hybrid systems’ and ‘authoritarian regimes’. Over the last two decades, much less than one-fifth of the world’s countries have been described as fully democratic. Despite the dilution of its content, democracy is still in circulation in the public discourse of political leaders though they may be practicing ‘hybrid systems’ or ‘flamed democracies’. 

Some political analysts have observed that of all the prime ministers India has had since independence, Indira Gandhi and Modi have been the two instinctively authoritarian. Both tried to undermine institutions through autocratic means and ensured a committed bureaucracy and also, to an extent, a committed judiciary. These prime ministers,it is alleged, would not allow federalism to flourish, and both used the office of the governor to weaken elected governments. However, despite her dictatorial ways, Indira Gandhi upheld the plural idea of India enshrined in the Constitution, wherein citizenship is not defined in terms of language, religion or ethnicity.   

In fact, in the present times, the poison of religious bigotry has pervaded society and brought enmity, jealousy and hatred among communities. This resulted in hate speech among political leaders and the steady loosening of bondage among communities. This bigotry is increasing day by day with the tacit support of political leaders, who are only interested in reaping electoral advantage. Political analysts and sociologists rightly point out and, if unchecked, this may not just destroy democratic plurality but also the social fabric of the country.---INFA 

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)

Political Diary

New Delhi, 1 July 2025

Rape & Reality

INDIA FAILS ITS STREEDHAN

By Poonam I Kaushish 

India is at war with its girls and women. As terrifying tales of savagery, nightmarish rapes, domestic abuse and violence occur daily. But three incidents over three months have shaken and horrified us once again. Gang rape of a 24-year-old law student inside a Kolkata college campus by an ex-Trinamool Chhatra Parishad leader is not merely a tragic anomaly, it’s a grim indictment of a State system that increasingly fails to protect women.

Coming three months after rape-murder of a postgraduate trainee at R.G Kar Medical College it underscores nothing has changed: West Bengal’s institutional spaces are becoming dangerously unsafe and politics often shields the guilty. A cue of how political affiliations enable a sense of impunity.

Even as Mamata’s TMC publicly condemned the act and sought distance, its silence on the broader issue of student safety and political interference speaks volumes. The State’s crime rate against women is 71.8 per lakh population, higher than national average 66.4 while conviction rates remain worryingly low.

In March, picturesque idyll Hampi, Karnataka turned into horror for five: two Israeli women who were raped and three men thrown into the canal.  Yes, police swung into action, arrests were made. Yet, once again we were reminded that a decade plus after Nirbhaya, brutal sexual violence continues to run rampant country-wide. Don’t variations of this happen to innumerable women in India?

Confronted with conscience-jolting and repugnant acts of depravity, India reacts with vindictive anger and revulsion. But the howls of vigilantist fury that reverberates through corridors of power stands apart for their immaturity and impetuosity

Alas, a lot of political outrage is along Party lines, reflecting a hellish normalization of sexual brutalities. But gang-rape is not an aberration. It is the outcome of a system where institutional decay, political muscle and silence enable recurring violence.

Last year, after a Spanish tourist with her partner was gang-raped in Jharkand guess what our National Commission for Women was concerned about? The entire country should not be ‘vilified,’ as over 6 million tourists arrive, many of them single and their safety we take very seriously. Sic. It’s another matter, Albania, one-sixth Karnataka’s size gets 12 million tourist but is safe.

Undeniably, India regularly ranks among most dangerous and unsafe for women. Wherein, rape is a “national problem”, according to UN Human Rights Commission. Sounds harsh? But hearing rape is not harsher than living rape. We live in a society where marital rape is legal. Even a wife’s subsequent death doesn’t weaken a husband’s immunity, a High Court said recently.

Arguably, when law doesn’t take rape too seriously, neither does India. This begs a question: Why is India failing its women so miserably? Are they gajar-mooli which can be relished and then spat out?

Perhaps it has something to do with our patriarchal lineage and misogynistic culture whereby, we show utter disregard and disrespect for women. The Hathras rape case brought forward the barbarism of those who sit at top of the gender and caste hierarchical systems.

As sexual violence is not only a structural outcome of entrenched patriarchy but a political failure. When male-dominated institutions, be it educational, legal or political treat women’s bodies as collateral damage in power struggles, violence becomes normalised.

Clearly, in a society which lives with the regressive mindset that freedom and equality for women tantamount to promiscuity, we swing between two extremes. One where a girl child is bad news and nurtured on “conform” paranoia: Not to rock the boat, be fearful of what lies around the corner and subjecting them to countless restrictions in the name of women’s protection. Whereby fathers make the rules, husbands enforce them and male bosses reiterate them, speaking out against someone’s wrong doing is tough.

Sadly a large section of women do not have rights over their bodies and are viewed as sex objects and mince-meat for male lust camouflaged as human animals to either comply or reconcile to battling it out at every level. They are morally policed by society, their bodies sexualized right from their choice of wearing dresses to make-up.

Recently, a BJP leader charged “women in ripped jeans and running towards nudity” for rising cases of moral turpitude, his Bihar colleague advised women to carry condoms and accept rape, a Rajasthan Minister blamed TVs and mobiles for “fast” girls read loose morals, a Haryana khap leader said eating Chinese chowmein caused rape, another counseled women to get ‘godfathers’ who can “make them” professionally. A Maharashtra Minister asserted liquor sale would increase if they are given women's names ‘Bobby’-‘Julie’.

Instead of punishing attackers for heinous crimes, victim-blaming and slut-shaming a woman for the choices she makes is what our society resorts to save its “honour.” One only has to see our community attitudes and derogatory comments on social media to comprehend how women are treated. Either way the damage is done.  Getting married and raising kids is the core of female existence. Sic.

In a culture where the national narrative conditions people to think that sexual harassment has no consequences; where sex crimes are dismissed as result of an imbalanced sex ratio; and where women have little or no cultural respect, it is going to be a steep uphill to change what is just ‘normal’.

Rape is not just an act of lust or anger; it is often an assertion of dominance, enabled by systemic failures and cultural silence. Unless both patriarchy and political capture are addressed together, safety reforms will remain cosmetic.

Shockingly, the National Crime Records Bureau reveals crime against a woman is committed every minute, rape every 5 minutes, dowry death occurs every 77 minutes and cruelty committed by either husband or relative occurs every 9 minutes. Any wonder our high rate of female infanticides and sex-selective abortions.

Undeniable it is a wake-up call for change. Women safety cannot be restored without urgent and tangible reforms. One, police must be guaranteed autonomy to investigate cases without political interference. Two, empowered internal complaints committees and crisis cells staffed by gender-sensitised professionals. Three, public commitment to zero tolerance for violence, with action against those who intimidate or coerce. Four, survivors must also be empowered by improving access to legal aid, mental health support and fast-track courts.

We need to change our approach to sexual harassment. One option is radical feminism to make a social impact and safety of women an important article of faith with people, society and Government. Laws should be tightened which would deter men to think thousand times before they commit crime, along-with transparency, accountability and good governance. Our leaders need to pay heed and address this seriously.

Every rape is a dark moment --- but it should also be a turning point. Governments has made false promises of ensuring safety and fast-track courts still remain a far-fetched assurance for assault victims. If India wishes to remain a place that values equity and justice, it must break the grip of power networks and re-establish the rule of law. Anything less would betray the victims.

We need cry halt to women being playthings of voyeuristic men. Will she continue to constitute  weaker gender? Will we persist to wallow in tokenism? Or break new ground and unshackle women? Will there be beginning of a new dawn to make “Her Story?” ---- INFA

(Copyright India News & Feature Alliance)

 Tackling FIMI – Strengthening Resilience through Media Literacy and International Cooperation

The Centre for International Relations, in cooperation with the Schumacher Centre, INFA and the Indian Journalists Union, is leading an international initiative aimed at addressing the growing challenge of Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) in the Indian media landscape. The project focuses on strengthening media literacy, promoting fact-based narratives and enhancing societal resilience in the face of disinformation campaigns related to the ongoing global information conflict.

Working closely with local media professionals and academic partners in India, the initiative involves systematic monitoring and analysis of media content, identification and debunking of misleading narratives, and the promotion of balanced and verified information.

 Key components of the project include:

 Monitoring and analysis of FIMI-related narratives in Indian media,

 Information campaigns to present accurate facts and foster a better understanding of the war in Ukraine and its international context,

 Workshops and capacity-building sessions for journalists, journalism students, and media stakeholders to improve their ability to recognize and counter foreign manipulation techniques.

Economic Highlights

New Delhi, 30 June 2025

Iran’s Economic Leverage

NEW ARMS MARKET EMERGING

By Shivaji Sarkar 

Iran’s reassertion of power after its military confrontation with Israel isn’t just about geopolitics — it has the potential to reshape the region’s economic landscape in profound ways. With rising stature, renewed alliances, and access to key trade corridors, Iran may increasingly position itself to become a central economic actor in West Asia and beyond. 

The Israeli assaults exposed the unfathomed capacity that Iran has. It demonstrated its power to devastate Tel Aviv to Israeli gateway to Europe, the Haifa port, and dreams of the western India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Iranian coordinated strategy flanking to Yemen, Lebanon and Gaza has had heavy cost on Israel and its master allies. 

For the first time Iran openly targeted Israel from its own territory in such scale, signalling new strategic confidence. It’s no more a pariah.It has put to myth that President Donald Trump was reshaping the Middle East by drawing closer to Israel's long-term adversaries. The assault exemplified that fear is not about Forget everything and run but it could also mean Face everything and rise. That is being termed as the major gain for an isolated Iran, which, some thought, was crushed under sanctions. It is also a showcase that an arms market exists beyond the Western dominance. Would new arms player emerge? It is quite likely and dependence on the West could dwindle. 

The U.S.-Israel military objective may not have been to dismantle Iran’s nuclear facilities — but rather to subdue and isolate a defiant regional power that had become a rallying point for anti-West forces. This fits a broader historical pattern seen with Egypt, Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan.Indeed, if reports of US-Iran backchannel talks are true, they indicate Washington may prefer a contained, partially integrated Iran. But not one capable of leading an anti-West coalition.Any Western assistance for reconstruction will come with tight political strings, limiting Tehran’s space for ideological defiance. 

Yet, while Tehran may have gained in perception and prestige — particularly among its allies and adversaries — it's important to temper that view with realism.Iran’s rise, for now, is more symbolic than structural, and whether it can reshape regional economics in a lasting way depends on how it navigates post-conflict isolation, economic strain, and complex alliances. The potential is there, but the path forward is anything but assured. 

Iran holds some of the world’s largest reserves of oil and gas. In a less sanctioned world, this would be an obvious economic advantage. But despite its ability to keep exports flowing under the radar, Iran remains financially strangled by Western sanctions.China may buy oil, but it avoids direct capital transfers. Financially strained Russia, under US sanctions, offers little support. Gulf states, despite some improvement of relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran, are unlikely to challenge the sanctions by funding its recovery.Iran's energy power is real — but its monetization remains limited by external constraints and internal inefficiencies. 

Iran's role in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) – the link for connecting Russia and Central Asia, could, in theory, shift regional trade patterns. But decades after conception, the corridor still faces poor infrastructure, political fragmentation in the region and India’s ambivalence as it also bets on the Gulf-centric IMEC.Without external investment and regional stability, INSTC remains an underutilized alternative, not a transformational one. 

An emerging new axis of economic cooperation of - Tehran-Baghdad-Damascus-Beirut- can turn Iran’s political control across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. It might translate into the “Shia Crescent” viewed as turning into a semi-integrated trade and logistics block, with Iranian goods, fuel, and currency flowing across borders. There are views that the US and the sunniArabs would not like it. 

Wouldthe fledgling Crescent be able to undermine the US-backed economic models in the region; create alternative energy and trade routes, especially as Syria begins tentative reconstruction? Would the West allow Tehran to dominate grey-zone economies that operate outside Western sanctions regimes?  

Iran, also a BRICS member, with China its emerging sympathiser, might become an important player in de-dollarising. In reality, with its rupee trade with India decades back, it had rolled it on. India cocooned under the sanctions but still Iran maintains ties with India and could be a strength for BRICS, much to the chagrin of MAGA backers. It’s uncertain if the US would let Trump dream of – MIGA- Make Iran Great Again, a reality or push an anti-Iran tirade?Could there be an end or a new beginning to the tri-religion – Judaism, Christianity and Islam - Abrahamic war? 

Iran is exploring crypto, currency swaps, and non-dollar trade. But these measures remain tactical workarounds, not scalable systems; vulnerable to secondary sanction; unattractive to larger, risk-averse economies, including India. The India-owned Chabahar port despite initial success is stuck. While symbolic, these financial alternatives don’t yet offer the foundation for a new economic order. 

India has to reassess and take steps to become a leader of the global South. It may have to change its tack on Gaza and force Israel to stop strikesas also negotiate with the Palestinians on humanitarian ground, ask the West to allow a free trade with Iran, establish peace in the region and shed ambiguities in diplomacy. It has to demonstrate mettle at the upcoming BRICS meeting in July. Launched on the sidelines of the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi, the IMEC was hailed as a counterweight to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Pakistan. It aimed to connect Indian ports to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and further to Europe via rail and shipping routes. 

Tehran’s manoeuvres—diplomatic, military, and strategic—have complicated India’s outreach and interests across West Asia. The IMEC's architecture carefully excluded Iran. That exclusion sowed the seeds of strategic retaliation from Tehran.Iran’s gains in stature are real — but they don’t automatically translate into economic dominance. The perception of strength post-conflict may help Iran politically, but rebuilding its economy and reshaping regional economics will require a stable, long-term détente with the West, major infrastructure investments, and an exit from isolation — none of which are currently guaranteed. 

So, can Iran reshape regional economics?Yes — but only if it first reshapes the constraints that still define its economy. And that, for now, remains a possibility, not a certainty.---INFA 

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)