Adrift in Andhra

"Nothing seems to be going right for the Congress and its government in Andhra Pradesh. If it's not Telangana, then it's the revolt within that keeps the Kiran Kumar Reddy government permanently in a crisis mode. Far from providing any respite, the disqualification of 16 Congress Members "

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Adrift in Andhra: At stake is not just the survival of the State government but the long-term future of the Congress in south India's largest province. Going by the way it has mishandled the political challenges posed by the Telangana and Jagan factors, the party will be struggling to hold its own in Andhra Pradesh.

Sri Lanka against itself

"Sri Lanka is engaged in an all-out effort to stave off a resolution against it at the ongoing session of the United Nations Human Rights Council at Geneva.

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Sri Lanka against itself: The United States, the prime backer of the resolution, has circulated a draft among the Council's 47 members calling on Colombo to do nothing more than implement the recommendations of its own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, as well as to initiate credible investigations into violations of international human rights laws not addressed adequately by the LLRC. "

Sri Lanka must realise that its own interests require it urgently to address these twin bases of national reconciliation. Sadly, its response to the Geneva challenge has been to whip up anti-U.S., anti-West, Sinhala nationalist protests at home, creating an atmosphere of an island under siege.

Losing the plot

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Losing the plot: "The response to the anti-Kudankulam protest shows that space for the democratic right of dissent is shrinking."

A fire in the forest

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Nation in a State: A fire in the forest: "The destruction of large tracts of the Nilgiri bioreserve in a recent blaze reiterates that more needs to be done to prevent forest fires."

‘A free man'(s) freedom is not completely empty'

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : ‘A free man'(s) freedom is not completely empty': "Aman Sethi's book lays bare the poverty, exploitation and the persistent insecurity of ‘informality' of the lives of workers."

The Iron Lady under siege

The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : The Iron Lady under siege: "In 2007, the upper castes helped to create the mood for a Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh; in 2012, they want to undo it."