Six Decisive Takeaways From BJP’s Defeat in UP

Beyond the index of opposition unity, a quick analysis of BJP's stunning defeat in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha UP by-polls reveals the following features: 1. The anti-Muslim, non-Yadav, non-Jatav 'Hindu' coalition BJP had built in 2014 is in tatters. Kairana is part of the 'riot belt'. Here, in 2014 and 2017, against all expectations,…

Why Is Lenin Special to India?

Public response to toppling of Lenin's statue in Tripura has surprised many, including the BJP, the party that presided over the act. What's so special about Lenin? What kind of a hold has he–a Russian revolutionary–villified by the West, reviled by Hindutva right, avoided by centrists–over Indian public memory? Answers to these questions lie…