My Columns: Without Fear and Favour

J. Jayalalithaa Acquitted by Karnataka High Court By  Deepak Parvatiyar May 12, 2015 Rate this post Three high profile court cases in which the rich and affluent either got bail or were acquitted have generated a debate over whether justice is an advantage for those high and mighty. Consider the series of different court rulings within a span of less than a week that respectively involved superstar Salman Khan, Tamil Nadu’s cult politician J.Jayalalithaa and the former Satyam Computers boss, B Ramalinga Raju. Within hours after being convicted for culpable homicide in a hit-and-run case by a lower court on 6 May, Salman was able to obtain an interim bail from the Bombay High Court, and within 48 hours, a regular bail that meant  his sentence was suspended and he would remain out of jail  while the High Court takes another look at his case in July. You may also like to read Jayalalitha biography About Tamil Nadu Politics List of Tamil N...

Narendra Modi on a Three-Nation Tour again to China, Mongolia and South Korea By  Deepak Parvatiyar May 9, 2015 Rate this post In less than 12 months since assuming the Prime Minister Office, PM Narendra Modi has already made 16 foreign trips. By the end of 2015, he is scheduled to make at least eight more such trips. As for now, his foreign travels have made him stand in good stead and his thrust on business diplomacy with the smart ‘Make in India’ tagline looks promising as more foreign countries are showing interest in investing in India. However, Modi’s five-day-three-nation tour to China, Mongolia and South Korea on May 14 this year will serve as a crucial test of his diplomatic acumen for more than one reason. He will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Mongolia to commemorate the 60th year of diplomatic relations between India and Mongolia and the silver jubilee of Mongolia’s democracy. You may also like to read Modi's Japan Visit...

The Politicization of Moga Incident in Punjab By  Deepak Parvatiyar May 7, 2015 Rate this post There is a marked similarity between Salman Khan and Parkash Singh Badal. Both are significant names and wield considerable clout. While one is a superstar, the other is a political heavyweight.  Of late, both have been in news because of their involvement, directly or indirectly, in highway crime. While Salman got sentenced on 6 May 2015 for an almost 12-year old hit-and-run case, where he was found indulged in drunk driving, the name of Badal family is being dragged for the molestation and death of a 14-year girl who, along with her mother, was pushed off on 29 April 2015 from a running bus that is owned by the Punjab Chief Minister’s family-owned transport company in Moga. There is much commonality in these high profile cases than what meets the eye although, on surface, it seems that there is nothing more to link these two separate cases other than...

Baba Ramdev’s Refusal of Minister’s Position By  Deepak Parvatiyar May 5, 2015 Rate this post It may sound blasphemous but I cannot resist myself from drawing a comparison between our Television-Age saint Baba Ramdev and the great sage of ancient India Vishwamitra. Ramdev’s TRPs keep soaring high every time he chants some mantras (largely political in spirit).  He is media savvy, makes political statements, runs businesses and simultaneously claims to be an ascetic. He is both popular and controversial. He wields considerable political clout and has no compunction in even using private jets. Obviously, Ramdev’s is a curious story of a saint; however, can he really be called a true torchbearer of the rich tradition of our ancient rishis? Hence, this comparison! You may also like to read Current Haryana Cabinet List of Haryana CMs List of Haryana Governors Like Vishwamitra, Ramdev is also a Kshatriya, actually a Yaduvanshi Kshatriya. H...