The Election Fix: Have BJP’s attempts to solve India’s education problems done more harm than good?

Welcome to The Election Fix. On Sundays, we take a closer look at one theme that will play a significant role in India’s Lok Sabha elections. In the past, we’ve looked at things like agriculture and the discrimination faced by Muslims in politics. This week, Shreya Roy Chowdhury takes a look at education, from how the big promises made by the Bharatiya Janata Party have turned into piecemeal efforts to the major challenges facing India’s policymakers in the future. We are running a reader survey about the Election Fix and what you would like to see from our…

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BJP’s Record on Education Runs Afoul of Its Own Manifesto

In their short social life and even shorter life in public memory, election manifestos perform a variety of tasks. Attempting to strike different notes at once, they sway between grandiose promise-making, novelty and a teaser of all good things that would unfurl post-elections. Intentions, promises and possible actions form common elements of the script that covers broad issues including foreign relations, defence and social security. While revealing an overall direction, focus and emphasis, manifestos also do the work of re-framing, re-naming and signalling. Given its crucial role in not just…

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Shashi Tharoor: Trolling on social media BJP’s organised activity

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (File) Trolling of political opponents on social media is an organised activity of the BJP, said Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday. He was speaking at an event, Netizens For Democracy, organised to discuss social media’s pros and cons. The event was organised by Citizens of Justice and Peace (CJP), All India Professionals Congress and some other resident groups at Bandra West. “Trolling is an organised technique of the ruling party. They have cells and there is an army of trolls who have multiple accounts. They get instructions,…

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