The Government of Assam issued a notification to include Gorkha communities as one of the ‘protected classes’ in Sadiya Tribal Belt for those who are permanent residents.
As the news of a settlement between the government of India and various factions of Bodo groups started to trickle in, there was much curiosity in Darjeeling hills – home to another demand for the separate state — Gorkhaland. Even though parallels can be drawn between the two, the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland supersedes that of Bodoland by decades, and the unique geographical positioning of Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars, makes it one of the most cosmopolitan and at the same time one of the most vulnerable regions in India.
“Dissent is a safety valve for democracy. If this safety valve is not allowed to function then the pressure cooker will burst said Justice D.Y. Chandrachud as a part of a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra who was hearing a case regarding the arrest of 5 human right activists in Mumbai. India’s constitutional democracy is predicated on the people’s right to call state power to account. Right to dissent is, therefore, the cornerstone of Democracy. Protests strengthen representative democracy.
“A landmark day for India and our nation’s ethos of compassion and brotherhood! Glad that the CAB 2019 has been passed in the RajyaSabha. Gratitude to all the MPs who voted in favour of the Bill” tweeted PM Modi after the citizenship Amendment Bill successfully sailed through the Rajya sabha.
This past week was an eventful interesting week, but the three who deserve special mention are Modi, Moon Moon and Malini [Hema]. In their own way, they define how sharp, and how outrageously weird Indian politics can get. Here’s my pick of the week.
Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan on Saturday addressed Republic Day functions at the Assam Rifles ground, where no civilian and lower rank officials were present in view of the boycott called by an apex NGO body to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016.