Midweek Matters with Dr. Parakala Prabhakar: Recent Episodes
Parakala Prabhakar
Midweek Matters is a podcast aimed to speak on current topics and issues relating to Politics and Economics and Dr. Parakala Prabhakar presents his incisive analysis and critique of current developments and public policies impacting all of us.
In this Episode, Dr Parakala shares with you some of his thoughts about class room, and the experience of his journey through that sacred space. He also talks about the changes that are beginning to take shape in the class rooms in our New India.
In this Episode Dr Parakala examines the hijab controversy, understand what is being played out in Karnataka, and reflect on the sub text these unfolding events contain.
Two different messages came from the Deccan last week. One from the Prime Minister and the event he participated. The other, to the Prime Minister from the Chief Minister of Telangana. In this week's Episode, Dr Parakala Prabhakar decodes those messages, interprets them and shares his reflections on what these messages could mean to the Idea of India.
New India's latest attempt is to appropriate the legacy of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. In this episode, Dr Parakala Prabhakar reflects on the dark attempts by the New India's leadership not only to appropriate the legacies of the heroes of India’s freedom movement but also to portray them as righting the wrongs done to them by the leadership of Old India, especially Jawaharlal Nehru.
Dr Parakala speaks about Thomas Piketty's absorbing book, Capital and Ideology and the recently released Oxfam's report, Inequality Kills which has an India supplement also. He suggests that we all engage with these two works, challenge them. And, even if we do not agree with them, we should allow ourselves to be troubled by both them. He points out that New India is not troubled by inequality. It also tolerates it and justifies it. And it added social and cultural inequality to the existing economic equality.
In this Episode Dr Parakala Prabhakar shares his reflections on the state of play in Uttar Pradesh.
There is an insidious project underway with regard to the now repealed Farm Laws. The ruling party, an influential section of our economists, a large and vocal section of the urban middle class, and the mainstream media are stealthily, but effectively, pushing a narrative. In this Episode Dr Parakala interrogates this narrative and shows that the farm laws are merely aimed at accelerating market dynamics in the sector without addressing the core issues that plague the agriculture sector in the country. And shows how this narrative's understanding of agriculture merely as an economic sector, the peasant as only an economic actor and food as nothing but a tradable a commodity is completely flawed.
Dr Parakala dwells on the main features of India's dominant national public discourse in the Episode. Today in India political discourse has come to such a stage that if you support the government and praise the Kashi Vishwanath corridor you’re a nationalist and a patriot. And if you speak about hunger and unemployment you’re are branded an anti national and an urban naxal. This is the narrative the government, the ruling party and its supporters are very effectively pushing. Our social media and instant messaging services like WhatsApp are inundated with this narrative. An influential section of our print and television media to a large extent reflect this narrative today. Citizens are gaslighted by this powerful narrative.
In this Episode Parakala Prabhakar meditates on the import of the rapidly parading events since New India's journey began in 2014, and asks if the 2014 and 2019 mandates are squandered, the trust reposed in the leadership by the people belied and shares his reflections with you.
The BJP has concluded its National Executive Committee meeting in New Delhi three days ago. Newspapers told us that among other things, the party's top leadership has discussed its Rana Niti, meaning strategy, for the impending elections to the five state Assemblies. We all know that real strategies are not discussed in such formal and large forums. Therefore, the gathering in Delhi is not important for what the party's spokespersons told us about its agenda and speeches. It is important for the signals its proceedings sent out, combined with the messages the party's supreme leader and Prime Minister conveyed to the people of India from his recent trip abroad, and from his itinerary after he returned to India. Signals from these three sets of activities are important for us to understand what is on the top of the mind of the ruling party and its mascot. In this Episode, Dr Parakala Prabhakar deciphers those signals to understand the state of the play in the states that are going to the polls shortly.
India administered the Billionth dose of COVID-19 vaccine on 21 October. The government and the ruling party are marking the occasion with huge celebrations across the country. Dr Parakala unpacks the core messaging contained in these celebrations, what it set out to say as well as what it tried to hide. He also dwells on what this entire thing tells us about what is an achievement worthy of celebration in the reckoning of the present regime and what it tells us about what it thinks of its citizens.
For the Prime Minister's Newspaper article, his televised address to the nation, and his Mann Ki Baat, please visit:
https://www.narendramodi.in/
The Vijaya Dasami Address of the Sasanghchalak of RSS is an important annual event. His address to the would be citizens of the Hindu Rashtra that is in the making is supposed to be an occasion to guide them on how to think about the world around them. And provide them with an agenda for action on the movement's foundation day. For people like us who are beyond the pale, it offers a clue to its thinking, what is likely to inform its actions in the course of the next year, and equally importantly what it chooses to ignore from among the host of issues that bedevil India as a society and as a Republic. In this Episode, Dr Parakala unpacks the messaging contained in this year's Vijaya Dasami address of the Sarsanghchalak.
It is important that we need to carefully unpack the ghastliness of Lakhimpur Kheri event. Recall what happened before and after the SUV ran over and killed the farmers. Connect those events to understand the context of the event. And to decipher its loud as well as the quiet messaging that it contains for our Republic, it’s implications for our democratic polity and for us the people in general. In this Episode, Dr Parakala Prabhakar attempts to do that.
The deep organisational crisis in the Congress Party is apparent. It is yet to confidently settle for a full time President since its massive defeat in the 2019 general elections, its second successive defeat. In this Episode, Dr Parakala shares his reflections on the background to this sorry state of the Grand Old Party and the humongous challenge it faces.
In this Episode, Dr Parakala reflects on the attempts by the BJP, the union government and the PM Modi himself to shun the ordinary and normal, embrace the extraordinary and the abnormal, their collective need for eventification of everything done by the PM and his government, and what this collective need both reveals and hides about him, the party he dominates, and the government he leads.
In this Episode, Dr Parakala speaks about how UP CM Yogi Adityanath's Abba Jaan remark was so very predictable, and how it simply followed a pattern that is now quite normal under the New BJP. He also traces the origins of such dog whistle remarks, calculated to summon the base instincts of hatred in people, to the past two decades which also coincide with the meteoric rise of the political career of our present Prime Minister. This period also saw the shaping of the New BJP.
Last week NIRF 2021 report was released by the union education minister. In this Episode, Dr Parakala speaks about its findings, and shares his reflections on them by putting them in a global perspective.
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Link to NIRF portal:
https://www.nirfindia.org/2021/Ranking.html
Link to WIPO Portal:
https://www.wipo.int/portal/en/
Link to The Times Higher Education World University Rankings:
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2021/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats
In this Episode Dr Parakala looks at the contrasting findings of surveys conducted by india Today (Mood of The Nation) and Morning Consult, and shows how they could help us understand BJP's present reluctance to engagement in Bengal, especially with regard to Bhabanipur by-election.
Link to the portal of Morning Consult: morningconsult.com
Parakala talks about the extraordinary act of omission of Jawaharlal Nehru from the Amritmahotsav poster by ICHR and points out it’s pettiness. He contrasts this brazen attempt by the funding body and its minders with the assessment of Nehru by his colleagues, and those the architects of New India claim to draw inspiration from. He says that it is important to see what the ICHR has done in the context of the seemingly sporadic and unconnected incidents of violence against and intimidation of small helpless persons by the Hindutva zealots. For, what the academic funding institution under the new dispensation has attempted to do in the domain of history and what is being done on the streets by its ideological foot soldiers are integral parts of one single political project, called New India.
Parakala dwells on what the recent developments in Afghanistan signal about the west's preparedness to fight for the values of liberal democracy world wide, and their potential to alter the terms of the global discourse on democracy, autocracy, identity, and political legitimacy. And how these events in India's neighbourhood are likely to further precipitate the contest between the sharply contrasting ideas of India that are locked in a mortal combat with each other now. Parakala deals with these issues and leaves us with a question and some thoughts to reflect upon.
In this Episode of Midweek Matters, Dr Parakala looks back at all the seven speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from 2014 until last year, and puts this year's speech against the back drop of his utterances in those. And tries to understand from them the shift that has taken place between 2014 and 2021 in the Modi persona and his political and governance discourse.
PM's Independence Day speech 2021:
https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/pms-address-from-the-red-fort-on-75th-independence-day/?tag_term=pmspeech&comment=disable
PM's Independence Day speech 2020 :
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1646045
PM's Independence Day speech 2019 :
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1582107
PM's Independence Day speech 2018 :
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1543107
PM's Independence Day speech 2017 :
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1499736
PM's Independence Day speech 2016:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/full-text-of-pm-narendra-modis-70th-independence-day-speech/articleshow/53710263.cms?from=mdr
PM's Independence Day speech 2015:
https://www.narendramodi.in/text-of-prime-minister-shri-narendra-modi-s-address-in-hindi-to-the-nation-from-the-ramparts-of-the-red-fort-on-the-69th-independence-day-211475
PM's Independence Day speech 2014 :
https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/text-of-pms-address-in-hindi-to-the-nation-from-the-ramparts-of-the-red-fort-on-the-68th-independence-day/?comment=disable&tag_term=independence-day
In this Episode, Dr Parakala speaks about how the Rabbit-Duck Illusion is helpful for us to understand the current political scenario in India. He dwells on how for a large and significant section of the people the Hindu-Hindutva construct of Indian identity did not appear as an acceptable political project for a long time in the country's history. It was a liberal and diverse idea of India that was predominant. However, eventually with some had work, the the Hindu identity, began to appear as acceptable, and in the course of time it became a major force. It is from this Hindu identity, Parakala argues, that the BJP Government draws its power and legitimacy. And not from its performance. Any attempt to reclaim the idea of a liberal India will have to contend with the strength of Hindu-Hindutva identity narrative.
In this Episode Dr Parakala returns to the population question and examines it from the point of view of demographic dividend. He would also look at the employment and unemployment figures that came out a few days ago, and tries to place the demographic dividend in the context of our population's skills and labour participation rate.
Annual Report of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship:
https://www.msde.gov.in/sites/default/files/2020-12/Annual%20Report%202019-20%20English.pdf
Revelations by Pegasus Project have created a storm across the globe. A list of about 50,000 phone numbers from across the globe are accessed by a Paris based non-profit journalism portal. The list of potential and intended targets identified by the clients of NSO Group, the Israeli company that sells military grade spyware Pegasus. In this Episode, Dr Parakala speaks to you about what these revelations mean for our democracy, our union government’s response to them, and flags the danger that we possibly are witnessing the process of India inexorably descending into being a surveillance state.
Uttar Pradesh announced a new population policy recently. Assam implemented one from 2017. PM Modi expressed concern about population explosion in 2019. In this episode, Dr Parakala examines the data on India's population growth, the trends of total fertility rates over the years, and the projections about India's population growth in the years to come in an attempt to understand the nature of concerns expressed by Prime Minister Modi and his lieutenants in various states.
Should Father Stan Swamy have died? Died in this way? Why did it happen? Who is responsible for it? Was the Indian State threatened by Stan Swamy? Why was it threatened? Is our Republic safer today with his death? These questions haunted Dr Parakala. He tried to search for answers. In this Episode, Parakala tells you where the search led him to.
In this episode, Parakala speaks about the important findings of the PEW Report on Religion in India and explores what could be their implications for our polity. He teases out the not so very obvious political messages those findings contain. And examine what do they tell us about the foundations of the present regime's political power. He also tries to explore what they might portend for the future of the socio political fabric of our country.
Observing the schooling as well as the lack of it of two boys prompted Parakala to look at the larger picture of what’s happening with our children across the country during the Covid lockdown. In this week's episode, Parakala shares with you what he found and speaks about the direct and indirect impact of COVID-19 on our children.
There are reports that the Prime Minister is planning to rejig his Cabinet.In this edition, Dr Parakala Prabhakar argues that a Cabinet reshuffle is unlikely to yield much political dividend. What’s more important now is for the government to reset its policies. Especially to reset its policy on the controversial Farm Laws and address the agrarian question comprehensively.
In this episode, Parakala deals with Indian Government's attempts to throttle our freedom of expression on the digital platforms; the tech companies unbridled collection of our personal data without our consent, and the safety of our data in the hands of both government and tech companies.
Parakala Prabhakar speaks about how the Narendra Modi government's thinking is mired in the past, how its actions are messing with the present and how muddled it is about the way forward for the country.
Parakala Prabhakar speaks about the inescapable need to immediately constitute an Independent Public Inquiry to scrutinise the roles of our central and state governments, as well the conduct of the public in handling the tragic situation arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In this episode Dr Parakala Prabhakar talks about the nature and extent of India’s COVID-19 vaccine mess.
Psychologically, what does Covid mean to the families who lost their dear ones? What does it mean to people who are infected and waging a battle for their lives? What does it mean to those who are treating them? And helping them? What does it mean to the rest of us who are so far safe. But who knows, could be a prey to the deadly virus anytime, any day?
In this episode, Parakala Prabhakar looks at the psychological and emotional impact of the pandemic. He looked up several research papers in reputed scientific journals, and spoke to a number of helpline organisers and shares with you the findings.
This week I talk about his mother, and about the condition of migrant labour whom he sees everyday on his street, and tries to understand what does governance in India mean to their lives during the current deeply troubling times of raging Covid-19 pandemic and breakdown of health infrastructure in the country.
Let's examines what the outcome of the state elections, the results of which were announced on May 2nd, would mean to different political formations that were engaged in a bitter fight in four states and one union territory. What implications would the results have for our democratic polity in the coming years. And assess the performance of the ruling BJP in these elections.
This week Parakala Prabhakar examines the narrative of denial of the large scale human tragedy inflicted by Covid-19 that’s unfolding before our eyes, the compelling and inescapable reality on the ground, and then calls out the Faustian bargain some influential sections of India's civil society seemed to have entered into.
This week, we will take a look at the health emergency caused by Covid-19 that is overwhelming us and try to understand what this crisis reveals about the preparedness of union government, accountability in our political system, and numbing of our senses to the large scale human tragedy that’s unfolding before our eyes.
We are readying to celebrate the Amrutmahotsav of our Independence.
There are many achievements in the last 75 years of our nation's independent journey to celebrate. But there are also many unfinished tasks. Many new challenges. Many subversions of our efforts. There are explanations, justifications for not being able to do what we had set out to do. But excuses don’t wash.
One thing is clear. We have underperformed. Have not realised our full potential.
Amrutmahotsav provides an occasion, an opportunity, for introspection, scrutiny, examination, evaluation. There’s a real danger of it becoming just an year long series of dazzling events.
Hope the leadership doesn’t squander this momentous milestone.
In less than a month we will know the outcome of the bitter electoral battles that are underway now. Four states and one union territory are in the midst of a no holds barred election campaign. Two major national formations - the BJP and Congress - and three important regional formations - the TMC, AIADMK and DMK - are testing their political fortunes. CPM, is in the fray: as an incumbent defending its position in Kerala and as a minor contender in Bengal. Kamal Haasan is also in the fray leading his own party in Tamil Nadu.
In this episode, we will take a look at what’s at stake in these elections, what could the outcome signal for our polity and for the main political parties that are locked in bitter political battle.
India’s number of poor has increased by 75 million and the middle class has shrunk by 32 million, in the wake of pandemic, according to Pew Research Centre. This need not be an inevitable consequence of the pandemic. The reason why we let so many fall into the hell of poverty is that the government was in denial. It suppressed and/or massaged data. Indian official data on important parameters like GDP, Inflation and Unemployment are viewed with suspicion. Corporates, investors and bankers are looking elsewhere for credible and dependable data. In this episode We need credible, dependable and clean data to size up our challenges and plan our journey ahead. To banish poverty, we need to banish Data poverty.
Developments in the privately funded Ashoka University and the publicly funded Universities BHU, JNU and Jamia are disconcerting. Two eminent academics quit Ashoka. Prof Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Dr Arvind Subramanian. The former was eased out because the university’s founders felt that his writings, critical of the government, were a liability to the institution. The latter quit in solidarity of the eased out Professor. BHU had invited the wives of three rich business tycoons to be visiting professors in their social sciences faculty. Uttarakhand CM made an ugly remark about women wearing ripped jeans. Last year goons armed with sticks and rods created mayhem in JNU. Jamia students were brutally beaten up. This shows that the current political environment is intolerant of dissent, critical thinking, and any attempts to challenge the smugness in society. There is a black attempt to reorient our cultural values. Instead of addressing the low quality of teaching, research and publications of our institutions of higher education, the establishment is exerting to ease out academics, invite corporates as visiting faculty and stifling dissenting voices in the universities.
In this context, the defiance of Prof Pratap Bhanu Mehta, and Dr Arvind Subramanian is remarkable. We don’t need Bonsai universities; instead we should have a vibrant, questioning, untamed institutions of higher learning to make ours a $5 trillion economy and make Bharat a Viswa Guru.
Union Government wants to sell away public sector undertakings and as a part of its privatisation drive wants to sell Vizag Steel Plant. In this week's episode I question the economic rationale behind the government's intent for privatisation. Reforming the PSUs means professionalising its management, eliminating government interference, so that they can be run efficiently and profitably. The meta data from across the world does not support the contention that public sector is necessarily inefficient. Rulers in Delhi are unaware of the struggle of the people of AP to achieve the Vizag Steel Plant, and selling it away is nothing but disrespecting the peoples' emotion that’s invested in the industry. Some chosen corporates could be the beneficiaries of this mega sale of PSUs and it would lead to distortion of our democratic fabric. There is a real danger that country's economic landscape would be dominated by a few oligarchs, monopolies and crony capitalists.
In this week’s Midweek Matters, let's deconstruct the renaming of what is now the world’s largest cricket Stadium. The stadium which was called Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad was last week renamed as Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium. What could it mean to the legacy of Sardar Patel? What does it say about the BJP leadership's sense of its supreme leader Narendra Modi's place in history? Is the Prime Minister is so insecure as to allow his followers to name a structure after him while he’s still in office? And replacing Sardar Patel's name with his name. BJP and especially Narendra Modi have vowed to rehabilitate Sardar Patel, an icon who they say was meted out injustice by the Nehru Gandhi dynasty. I hope that the PM will rescind the decision and put the embarrassing saga behind him.
In this week’s Midweek Matters, Let's unpack the implications of the new IT Rules 2021 for our democratic polity. Modi Government’s indecent hurry to bring in these new regulations to rein in digital news platforms without discussion in Parliament and consultations with civil society and advocacy groups betrays its fear of digital news platforms. After co-opting and/or gaining control over the mainstream media, the central government now wants to arm itself to silence dissenting voices on the net and digital news platforms. The New Rules empower the government officers to decide which posts are against the interests of state and public order. They empower the government to pull down content, force social networks to part with ‘originators’ of messages and content not to the liking of government. These seemingly small steps may lead to eventual subversion of our democratic polity.