The Goods and Services Tax (GST) has moved beyond tax reform to become the economic engine of India’s ambition to become a developed nation. AI generated image Nine years ago, the GST replaced a maze of taxes, cesses and state-level barriers with a single national framework. Since then, it has altered how goods move across the country, how businesses enter the formal economy, how governments track economic activity and how the Centre and states share fiscal responsibilities.

Democracy does not merely test a politician’s ability to win elections. It tests character when applause is easiest to earn through the cheapest of means. Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of former Chief Minister DMK chief M.K. Stalin, has repeatedly failed that test. His arrest over an allegedly vulgar, sexually suggestive remark aimed at Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and actor Trisha Krishnan is, in one sense, a legal matter that must be adjudicated by the courts. Whether his words

Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor’s emphatic victory in the Bankipur by-poll, that ended three decades of uninterrupted BJP dominance, is a classic instance when even the safest urban strongholds of a comfortably ensconced ruling party are no longer immune to local discontent and shifting social coalitions. That said, the parallels between Bankipur and the 2023 Kasba Peth bypoll are too striking to dismiss as isolated by-election quirks. In the latter case, the BJP had similar

Besides redrawing the political map, British rule in India altered the rhythms of everyday life, introduced new social habits and, perhaps most significantly, influenced the way Indians viewed themselves. The end of colonial rule in 1947 brought political independence, but the deeper process of decolonisation — of institutions, cultural instincts and inherited assumptions — has continued well into the 21st century. Indian civilisation, one of the world’s oldest, evolved aroun

The protests at Jantar Mantar have brought together students, activists and political leaders over the NEET paper leak. Actors and filmmakers have offered support, the latest being Salman Khan (the actor, not the educator). The anger is understandable. An examination on which millions stake years of preparation cannot become a commodity available to those with money, influence or access. But what, precisely, must the protest achieve? “Improve education” cannot be its demand.

Rahul Gandhi’s decision to stage a protest outside the Prime Minister’s official residence was a spectacle that exposed a troubling decline in political responsibility. A Leader of the Opposition has every right to question the government, mobilise public opinion and demand accountability. But democratic protest does not mean abandoning every norm of institutional dignity. Gandhi comes from a family that has occupied the highest office in the country for generations. His fath

Are these protests still about NEET aspirants—or have they evolved into a broader political movement? Every few months, Jantar Mantar becomes the centre of yet another protest. This time, it’s a CJP-led demonstration centred around NEET and demands for education reforms. But if you spend some time there, a question naturally comes to mind: is this really a student protest anymore? Most genuine NEET aspirants are either preparing for their exams, waiting for counselling, or fo

Student unrest, NCP realignments and electoral manoeuvres are reshaping the city’s political conversation Pune: The city’s political landscape last week was defined by two contrasting forces: the energy of student activism and the uncertainty surrounding the future of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). In a city where campuses have long served as incubators of political debate and where the Pawar family’s influence remains deeply entrenched, both developments carried significa

The unravelling of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana was always a matter of when, not if. Announced with theatrical flourish ahead of the 2024 Assembly election by the ruling Mahayuti coalition, the scheme promised Rs. 1,500 a month to women across the state. It became the Mahayuti government’s showpiece welfare programme and, by all accounts, a decisive political instrument that helped propel the ruling alliance to a comfortable victory. Less than two years later, th

As the United States marks its semiquincentennial, its finest histories reveal a restless nation unable to escape the foundational neurosis of its own creation. Washington Crossing the Delaware (1851), by Emanuel Leutze. No painting has done more to canonise America’s founding myth. Yet beneath its heroic certainty lies the restless republic that historians from Charles Beard to Robert Kagan would relentlessly question. Behind the fireworks and the dutiful invocations of libe

Mumbai: In another shocker, the Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) question paper has ‘leaked’ - barely 24 hours before the scheduled examination on Sunday - jeopardising the future of thousands aspiring to join the noble profession of teaching, officials said here. Reacting quickly, the Maharashtra State Council of Examination cancelled Sunday’s paper scheduled to be held simultaneously at 1,028 centres across the state and said that the new date will be announced ea

Mumbai: For Sai More, an LIC agent, the Friday commute from his home in Century Bazar, Worli to work place in Churchgate, proved as an expensive affair. On a normal day, he spends Rs 12 on a BEST bus fare till Dadar station and then takes the local train to Churchgate. However, he had to shell out more money than his usual spending on the travel. Thanks to the strike by BEST Samyukt Kamgar Kruti Samiti, a joint action committee comprising 12 unions, pressing for its demands o

For a politician whose own party seems perpetually engulfed in controversy, Congressman Priyank Kharge has developed a curious fascination with lecturing others on accountability. His familiar target is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). In an open letter, Karnataka’s Home Minister demanded that the RSS register itself, disclose its finances, reveal details of its office-bearers and submit itself to greater public scrutiny. The RSS is not a shadowy organisation operating

Political parties can survive scandals and electoral setbacks. What they often struggle to survive is the loss of purpose that follows a crushing defeat. The decision by 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India and extend support to the NDA is best understood through that lens. Much commentary has focused on the arithmetic of Parliament and the legal intricacies of anti-defection laws. Yet the deeper story is about what happens to

For decades, Swapan Dasgupta made a career of diagnosing India’s political ailments. As a columnist, editor, author and public intellectual, the erudite and scintillating Dasgupta dissected challenged orthodoxies and defended the intellectual traditions of the Indian Right. However, following his new appointment as the new Finance Minister of a West Bengal in economic doldrums, he perhaps faces the most demanding assignment of his career. His supporters however are confident

AI generated image Mumbai: In the heartlands of the state, where erratic monsoons and price crashes routinely threaten agrarian livelihoods, farm loan waivers have transformed from emergency financial lifelines into anticipated political rituals. Over the last decade and a half, successive state governments have announced massive debt relief packages to alleviate farmer distress. But how effective have these multi-billion-rupee interventions been? A closer examination of the

Mumbai: Mumbai is to get the Mumbai Metro Region’s largest metro corridor, Metro Line 5, at 34.21 km, following the approval of its extended phases. At the same time, Phase 1 of the project is progressing towards the CMRS inspection stage. This can be seen as a major boost to regional connectivity across the MMR. Extension of Line 5, which is Metro Line 5A, will increase connectivity across Thane, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar and surrounding growth centres. Earlier, Metro Lin

Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde dreams of Mumbai’s transformation with innovative ideas and team work Pic: Bhushan Koyande On May 22, Ritu Tawde completed 100 days as Mumbai’s Mayor. She is the only second Mayor of the City of Dreams from the BJP. In an exclusive conversation with Minal Sancheti, Tawde outlines her plans for Mumbai in the coming days. Excerts… What were some of the challenges you faced in these 100 days? With the support of PM Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Deve

Party’s unprecedented East-West division aims to curb factionalism and revive its fortunes ahead of 2029 polls Dipti Chaudhari Prashant Jagtap Pune: The Congress party has appointed two city presidents for Pune, marking the first time it has adopted such a structure in the city. By geographically dividing Pune into eastern and western zones, the party has appointed former

Tensions within the ruling Mahayuti portend a significant upheaval in the political landscape of Western Maharashtra. CM Fadnavis with DCM Sunetra Pawar during the inauguration and unveiling of the foundation plaque of a cancer hospital in Pune. Pic: PTI Pune: In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Mahayuti had suffered a setback across the Western Maharashtra districts of Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, and Solapur. Had the seat-sharing arrangement within the rival Maha Vikas