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Many would argue that our gender-equality oriented culture is prominently an on-going matter. It is very off-setting for the youth who openly recognise themselves as LGBTQ, and difficult for the people of the past generations to accept this culture on micro and macro levels. Sexual morality has varied greatly over time and between cultures. A society’s sexual norms and standards of sexual conduct can be linked to religious beliefs, or social and environmental conditions, or all of these. In his book, Devdutt Pattanaik, along with editor Jerry Johnsons and others have introduced the animating principles of the major karmic faiths (based on the beliefs of rebirth) related to sexuality. The karmic faiths Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Hinduism share many common roots. The holy scriptures of these religions contain stories, ideas, and narratives of different sexual orientations and gender identities. Sexual orientation and gender identity are two different concepts, as are sex and gender. On one hand, it is biological and on the other it is societal. Sexual orientation is the romantic indulgence towards other people and can range from heterosexuality to homosexuality etc. Gender identity is one’s sense of self as a woman, man, or transgender, and may be different from one’s biological sex. Through the introduction of the modern doctrine of secularism and keeping away organised faith from politics, economics, and identity, there have been escalating instances of societal problems like queer-phobia, which is the explicit and implicit hostility towards LGBTQ people. Hinduism reveals a greater comfort with transgender stories, like describing Lord Vishnu turning into a beautiful damsel Mohini, and Lord Shiva becoming a half- woman. Over time, the traditions and beliefs of the people changed and things turned hostile for the queer. Their exclusion and isolation- socially, economically, and politically- became the new tradition dear to different communities, religions, or nations. However, the overarching and fundamental wisdom common to these faiths make ample room to accommodate the queer with innovative ideas. These karmic faiths describe that our body, our personality, and our sexuality are outcomes of the karmic burden and they are therefore natural. While the third gender is acknowledged in India, homosexual unions are criminalised. This can be traced back to the conservative Christian and Islamic frameworks where there are notes of homoerotic love, like that between David and Jonathan, and it was described as “unnatural sex”. As you read through the book you will realise that the fundamental principle of equality is not a feature of karmic faiths, rather there is a celebration of diversity. They articulate the strains of beliefs that affirm the dignity of queer expressions and encourage a sense of identity that is authentic and liberated from social and illusionary constructions.   Feature Image Credits: Radhika Boruah for DU Beat Radhika Boruah [email protected]]]>

India saw its many ups and downs in 2017; demonetization was on people’s minds till March and a couple more months. Peace was restored in Kashmir, but communal clashes and numerous heinous crimes committed by cow vigilantes reigned in 2017.

India started the year with a victory by successfully launching 104 satellites in a single mission on 15th February. ISRO’s PSLV – C37 consisting of two nano-satellites of India, INS -1A and INS -1B, and nano-satellites of other countries i.e. Israel, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, and United States of America from SDSC SHAR Sriharikota. The 101 international satellites were launched as a part of the commercial arrangements between Antrix Corp. Ltd, the commercial arm of ISRO and international customers. ISRO set a world record by launching 104 satellites in one go.

On July 1, India woke up to one of the biggest reforms after Independence. GST came with a baggage of confusion, uncertainty, and critique. All small and medium-sized businesses have to register with the government and now every business has to make cash memos and bills. The months that followed the reform saw inflation in certain sectors and lower quarterly GDP. Critics are divided on its long-term results, but for now, the loopholes and glitches in the technology have been dealt with and the process is smoother.

The same month, India’s 14th President, Ram Nath Kovind was elected with a majority of 65%  and M. Venkaiah Naidu was elected as the 13th Vice-President of India on 5th August.

Soon after, India’s most contentious issue which persists to date, the triple talaq bill started gaining heat across the debating circles in India. Supreme Court made historic decisions on the right to privacy and triple talaq. The 9-judges bench ruled in favor of the right to privacy and declared it as a fundamental right. Indian citizens were awarded the basic liberty of taking decisions of their lives, which was a much-awaited right for the LGBT+ community. Legalising same-sex marriages in India still has a long way to go but India is beginning to tread on that path.

In the case of Shayara Bano VS Union of India and Ors, the court banned the custom of triple talaq. Thousands of women in our country have suffered because of this practice and our neighboring countries banned the practice ages ago. On one hand, the court’s decision is still questioned by women’s rights’ organisations, and on the other hand, the Muslim community contends that they are not bound to follow the law because religion and the constitution are two separate entities.

The Supreme Court criminalised sex with a minor girl, whether in wedlock or out of it, but the Kerala High Court did not rule in favor of Hadiya, who had a consented marriage with a Muslim.

In what can be termed as a dark mark in the journalistic history, Gauri Lankesh’s cold-blooded assassination sparked outrage and people from various walks of life questioned the freedom of media under the present government. It was a blow to the very spirit of journalism but the media woke up to a renewed fire of protecting its freedom as an homage to Gauri’s death.

The year ended for North India on a bitter note with pollution levels rising across all the northern states. The pollution levels had reached disgraceful levels last October and it is high time the government and we take strict action towards it.

 

Feature Image Credits: Newslaundry

Prachi Mehra

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2017 has come to a close and as we welcome 2018. On this occasion let us look at some facts, figures, and statistics regarding  India’s performance in the past year and think about what could have been done to raise India’s position on the ladder.

While India’s economic growth rate has attracted attention across the world, its recent slowdown has raised the eyebrows of analysts and economists. Despite growth in the business and investment sectors, India continues to grapple with the long-drawn and basic problems of hunger, poverty, corruption, climate change, and poor levels of human capital. The credit rating company, Moody’s Investors Services, upgraded India’s investment ranking from the lowest to one notch up. In the ‘ease-of-doing-business’ rankings, India witnessed a 30-spot rise from 130 to 100. Some analysts have called these improvements long overdue while others have credited  Prime Minister Modi’s concerted action on the structural front in the economy for these recent developments. Due to various reforms in the audit and banking sector and the introduction of the  Goods and Services Tax (GST), bill the economy is undergoing various upturns which are expected to lead to a stronger and well-integrated economy. Modi’s initiatives, like Startup India, Digital India, MakeinIndia etc., are also credited for India’s better performance in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and innovation and competitiveness indices overall. There still persist the overwhelming problems of red-tapism, infrastructural bottlenecks, overregulation, and implementation issues for which immediate reforms must be undertaken by the government. On the other hand, what these business rankings overshadowed were India’s downslide in gender equality, hunger, press freedom, and inequality reports.

India slipped 21 places in the Global Gender Gap ranking for 2017. The Global Hunger Index ranked India 100 out of the 119 countries listed, behind North Korea, Bangladesh, and Iraq but ahead of Pakistan. A paper by Thomas Piketty and Lucas Chancel titled Indian Income Inequality 1922-2014 — From British Raj to Billionaire Raj? pointed out the widening income disparities which endanger social stability. These reports did not invite many hues and cry from the analysts as they show India’s status on fairness, equity, and empowerment rather than the ease of doing business which shows direct consequences for India’s growth and material welfare. Without a healthy, better-fed, and egalitarian society, such strides in development are of little consequence. The real development comes with the enhanced capabilities of the human capital, as pointed out by Amartya Sen. India has set ambitious targets for itself while ratifying the Paris Climate Deal and is taking several measures to ensure increased use of renewable energy. However, it is failing miserably on the front of reducing emission targets and needs to address sustainable development challenges with immediate effort.

Women’s contribution to economic development cannot be neglected. Other South Asian nations like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka perform better than India in areas of health, human development, and gender equality. India can learn from its own in-house examples of Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu; traditionally poor and caste-based societies – on how to develop human capital and assure equity by ensuring universal education and improved social security systems to make sure that the fruits of economic growth trickle down to the last man and woman. Instead of debating over whether a movie should be released or not or why a national leader went to watch a movie after defeat in elections, or whether Christmas should be celebrated or not in some schools, we need to talk about why India has not fared well in 2017 and how we can make  2018 a fairer and more equitable year.

The rankings given below are for referential purposes, sourced from Byju’s.

Index  Published by India’s rank  What it measures
World Investment Report 2017 UNCTAD 9 FDI inflow into the country
Global Competitiveness Index 2017 World Economic Forum 40 Assesses the competitiveness landscape of an economy
Global Innovation Index 2017 Cornell University, INSEAD and World Intellectual Property Organization 60 Innovation performance
Corruption Perception Index 2016 Transparency International 79 Corruption (Rank 1 is the least corrupt)
Global Hunger Index 2016 International Food Policy Research Institute 97 Measures a country’s hunger situation
Global Human Capital Report 2017 World Economic Forum 103 Measures how a country develops its human capital
Sustainable Development Goal Index 2017 Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Bertelsmann Stiftung 116 Assesses the performance of countries towards achieving the sustainable development goals
Ease of Doing Business Index 2017 World Bank 130 Ease of doing business
World Press Freedom Index 2017 Reporters Without Borders 136 Press freedom (Rank 1 is the freest press)
Climate Change Performance Index 2017 Germanwatch and Climate Action Network Europe 20 Measure of a country’s efforts in combating climate change
Human Development Index 2016 United Nations Development Programme 131 Measure of human development

 

 

Feature Image Credits: IndiaSpend

Oorja Tapan
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Net neutrality is the principle that governs internet service providers (ISP’s) to treat all data on the Internet the same and not discriminate or charge differently by user, content, website, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or method of communication. This principle is considered a cornerstone of a free and open internet that provides equal access to all.

Thanks to the very recent decision made by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States of America (USA), this pressing subject matter was put in the spotlight. The decision to repeal net neutrality in the USA comes as no surprise considering the country’s stern capitalist character. It is safe to say that the economic, political and social set-up of the US and the Republic of India are vastly different. While the fate of net neutrality in the US is now in the hands of the Congress, the development of net neutrality in India is absolutely not comparable to that of the United States.

The debate surrounding net neutrality in India emerged when the telecommunication giant- Airtel announced additional telephonic charges for phone calls made using mobile-based applications WhatsApp and Skype in December 2014. It was because of this move that the centre decided to invite comments and recommendations on the topic of net neutrality. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a formal consultation paper on Regulatory Framework for Over-the-top (OTT) services, seeking comments from the public before submission of a said document to the government. This document was received with severe condemnation from Indian internet users which resulted in TRAI receiving over a million emails expressing dissent on this matter. The issue of net neutrality was widely discussed in popular social media platforms including advertisements by companies and comedy sketch group All India Bakchod (AIB).

It is due to this collective online movement that pushed TRAI to take a revolutionary step and come out with recommendations in favour of net neutrality. These rules that prevent ISP’s from misusing their powers can be seen as one of the world’s strongest. The progression of net neutrality in India is an enormous reflection of India as a democracy where the voice of the civic body is now being reflected in the authority’s actions. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Law and IT Minister recently branded the right of non-discriminatory access to the internet as non-negotiable. “I believe the internet is one of the finest creations of mankind and must be available for all. If the internet is a global platform it must have a link with the locals” Prasad told Times of India.

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Feature Image Credits: Egypt Innovate

Image 1 Credits: India.Com

Image Credits 2: Imgur

Bhavya Banerjee

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Need of green energy has been alarming. What if this costs a bit more? We might quickly find many people’s appetite for green energy is lower, especially if the worry cited is something as invisible, distant, long-term, and global as CO2 emissions that impact climate change. Energy is the most important issue that is being discussed throughout the world. The key differentiating factor in the use of energy sources is environment friendliness. Growth of green energy in developed nations is mainly driven by environmental concerns of fossil fuel based projects. In developing nations, green energy projects are adopted to decrease the demand supply-gap and to boost rural electrification and off-grid electrification. But for countries like India, an optimal energy mix of both kinds of energy sources is essential to have a sustainable energy system.

One of the major obstacles in extraction of green energy is high installation cost. While development of a coal based power plant requires around Rs.4 crore per MW, the investment required for wind and solar power-based plants is significantly higher. A wind based plant, with capacity utilisation of 25%, requires an investment of Rs.6 crore per MW.
Operating a green energy source demands the employment of skilled labours which is another big challenge. Proper system planning and integration is another important aspect. Knowing the decentralised nature of green energy projects, the capacity and type of project is to be decided where availability of the energy source can be ensured. Most green energy systems are weather dependent; thus, factors like number of sunny days, wind condition, monsoon, tide level, supply of biomass, etc play an important role in feasibility of the system. Plant availability is not predictable as in case of conventional plants. Social acceptance of renewable-based energy system is still not very encouraging in urban India. Despite heavy subsidy being provided by the government for installation of solar water-heaters and lighting systems, its penetration is still very low. Manpower training is another grey area. Currently, the Indian power sector is facing severe trained manpower shortage. Skill upgradation of the existing manpower and training of new professionals are essential to achieve the goal of “power to all”.

Despite having an installed capacity of over 167 GW, India is facing an energy deficit of 8% and peak deficit of 12%. So far, only 4.5% of renewable energy potential has been explored in India. To reduce the demand-supply gap, the renewable energy development is the need of the hour. While there has been a plethora of analysis on whether India will meet the 175 GW goal by 2022 – the overwhelming consensus is that it will not, as the current capacity stands under 60 GW and the country is adding less than 15 GW per annum – few have stopped to ask if such a goal is even desirable. A dose of realism need not dampen ambition but can instead help in making our approach towards clean and green energy more consolidated and serious.

 

Feature Image Credits: Southquayenergy

Sandeep Samal
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What is the difference between the Judiciary envisioned by India’s constitution-makers, and the functioning one in our country today?

 

The policy makers of the constitutional assembly held the view that the three pillars of our democracy, the executive, the legislative and the judiciary should be independent to ensure accountability. The judiciary would hold the power to interpret the constitution and limit the powers of some branches of government. The citizens of India would have the option to go to the court and present themselves if their rights had been violated.

The harsh reality, however, is that the judiciary is not free from political influence. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is appointed by the President of the Indian State, and governments in power use this to appoint judges who share similar ideologies. Usually the top three senior-most judges are considered for the post, however, there are examples when the Congress government overlooked this practice and appointed A.K Sinha, in 1973.

The very recent landmark judgments regarding Triple Talaq and the Right to Privacy are considered to be an imperative step taken by the judiciary. These judgments created awareness regarding the human rights violations that were taking place, and even initiated a discussion about the decriminalization of homosexuality in India. Although these judgments are important, are they substantial? The legislative body (Lok Sabha) has already indicated that no law will be made against Triple Talaq, or in favour of Right to Privacy. Even if the judiciary does provide a significant judgment in cases like these, it cannot be backed by any legal principle.

The need of the hour is to impose absolute freedom of the judiciary in India. That is the only way to ensure responsibility by the government towards its citizens. This separation of the legislative and the judiciary is necessary since that is what democracy is about. Rights of the citizens cannot be implemented properly until the courts have the liberty to openly criticise the prevailing government without facing consequences.

 

Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times

 

Bhavya Banerjee

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We take a look at the Rohingyas’ history, the reason for their torture, Aung San Suu Kyi’s silence, India’s stand on the issue.

The Rohingyas are an Indo-Aryan tribe whose existence in the Indian subcontinent (before it disintegrated into Bangladesh and Myanmar) dates back to the 8th century. They have lived in the Rakhine state of Myanmar for most of their lives, and constitute mainly of Muslims and a small section of Hindus.

Most of the Rohingyas lived in the northern area of the Rakhine state, which used to be a sprawling land of hills, beaches, and fertile agriculture before the infamous 1962 Burmese coup d’état. Subsequently, in 1982 and then in the 2000s, the Burmese torture upon the Rohingyas continued. Ever since then, the government and some high-profile lawyers have tried hard to invalidate the Rohingyas’ existence by tampering with evidence.

The Rohingyas have suffered from ethno-nationalist bigotry at the hands of the Burmese military for decades because the military considers them as ‘Muslim intruders’ in the largely Buddhist Myanmar. Their taking the side of the British during World War II added fuel to the fire, as the Rakhine residents were pro-Japanese. Their houses were torched, women raped, and the minority tortured, which is why the United Nations (UN) has called it ‘a slow genocide’.

Aung San Suu Kyi is a revolutionary in Myanmar and the world applauds her for it. When we think of her, we think of complex concepts like resilience, peace, and patience. Her journey from Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) to winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 and to winning the general elections has inspired students, and reformed and reshaped the global political sphere. Her role in establishing democracy in the country has been imperative, but her role after being elected as the State Counsellor (de facto Prime Minister) has been nothing but disappointing.

The treatment of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is loathsome, and Suu Kyi’s silence on the matter even more so. Silence from a leader with a platform to implement change, in this specific matter, is the worst crime against basic human rights. Along with this is the denial of well-documented evidence and obstruction of humanitarian aid. The UN has time and again called this section of the society as “the world’s most persecuted minority”, and this description has not changed since she took office.

Kiren Rijiju, the Minister for Home Affairs, has declared that the 40,000 Rohingyas distributed across Indian states will be deported. Neither Bangladesh nor India has the resources to harbour this community. The community also poses a threat on the safety frontier. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) allegedly has connections with Al-Qaeda, and lately, with ISIS too. These connections can spread like wildfire among the refugees in India and elsewhere. On the other hand, a community this vulnerable and oppressed, with hardly any country to turn to, is the responsibility of all better placed nations. In fact, the UN’s intervention has already failed to restore peace and order in the West so far as the rehabilitation of Syrian refugees is concerned. If the global community is not careful, the Rohingyas’ mass displacement could become an even greater crisis, this time plaguing the East. And then, the fault will lie squarely on these nations’ shoulders. The need of the hour is therefore for Myanmar to take its people back with peace and harmony, and for other nations to convince Myanmar regarding the same.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Express

Prachi Mehra
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Bhavya Banerjee
[email protected]

PV Sindhu’s recent feat in BWF World Championships of Badminton made India’s heart soar with pride. We can slowly see a change in the sports culture where sports other than cricket are getting their due recognition they rightfully deserve. For a very long time, cricket dominated the scene, but recent times have suggested that other sports are also being encouraged.

PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal’s outstanding performance in the BWF World Championships of Badminton inspired me to throw light on some of the women badminton players of India who have time and again made us proud

  • Arundhati Pantawane

Born in 1989, Arundhati Pantawane hails from the state of Maharashtra. She is an Indian female badminton singles player. Pantawane won a gold medal at the 2011 National Games, and a silver at the 75th Senior National Badminton Championships. Coached by Pullela Gopichand, she holds the Bahrain International Challenge 2012 title. She recently married Arun Vishnu, a multiple-time national doubles champion.

 

  • Ashwini Ponnappa

Ashwini Ponnappa was born in Bangalore, Karnataka in the year 1989. She represents India internationally in both the women’s and mixed doubles discipline. She, along with Jwala Gutta, has been ranked among the top 20 in the BWF World Rankings. Asnwini won the bronze medal at the BWF World Championships in 2011, and a gold medal in women’s doubles in 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi. Her recent victory includes a gold in women’s doubles in South Asian Games 2016 held in Guwahati.

 

  • SainaNehwal

Saina Nehwal hails from Hisar, Haryan, and was born in the year 1990.  Having achieved remarkable success at an age of 27 years, she has become extremely popular. In 2015, she  attained  world number 1 ranking, hence becoming the only female badminton player from India, and overall second Indian player after Prakash Padukone, to achieve such an astounding accomplishment. She was conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, and the Arjuna Award by the Government. In 2016, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Bhushan Award.

 

  • PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu  currently holds rank number 4 in the BWF World Ranking. She won a silver medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics becoming the only woman player apart from Saina Nehwal to have won an Olympic medal. Coached by Puella Gopichand, Sindhu is a right-handedplayer. Her recent match with Nazomi Okuhara at the World Badminton Championships in Glasgow was the second longest women’s singles match  bringing  the viewers at the edge of their seats.

 

  • Jwala Gutta

Jwala Gutta along with Ashwini Ponnappa have been ranked among the top 20 BWF World ranking in 2015.  She has won the National Badminton Championships fourteen times. She has won a bronze medal in the 2011 BWF World Championships and one at the 2014 Thomas and Uber Cup. She has made India proud at many occasions and continues to inspire young badminton players.

 

Feature Image Credits: www.india.com

Anukriti Mishra

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The Blue Whale Game, also known as Blue Whale Challenge, is a lethal internet ‘suicide game’ that exists in many countries. The players allegedly carry out a list of tasks that are handed to them by the administrators over a period of fifty days, with the final task asking them to commit suicide.

The term ‘Blue Whale’ originates from the phenomenon of ‘beaching’ in which cetaceans (aquatic mammals that consists of whales, dolphins, and porpoises) strand themselves on beach. Beached whales often die due to dehydration. In many cases, some healthy whales and dolphins have stranded themselves which raises the question of self-harm or suicide, though the exact cause is unknown.

The players are allegedly supposed to complete one task in a day. These tasks include self-mutilation and self-torture. For instance, the player is asked to wake up in the middle of the night and watch horror films or carve designs on the hand. The game originates from Russia, where it has resulted in 130 cases of suicide. Philip Budeikin, the inventor of the game, referred to the victims as “biological waste” who did not hold any value and would only cause harm to the society, and thus aimed at cleaning the society by pushing them to commit suicide. He was arrested and plead guilty to “inciting at least sixteen teenage girls to commit suicide”.

In India, a few cases have been reported that have been linked to this game. In July 2017, a boy from Kerala committed suicide after playing the game. Two other cases have been reported in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh resulting in action being taken by the authorities. The issue was raised in Rajya Sabha by BJP MP Amar Shankar Sable who asked for a provision to remove the game.

Aditi Pandey, a student of Lady Shri Ram College, says, “Such a detrimental phenomenon is much like getting into an offline bad company. It is essential to address the root causes of vulnerability of young adolescents and to fight against such harmful groups.” While Aishik Chakraborty from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, comments, “ It is like a cyber nightmare and the worst part is that it exists. A challenge like this can set disturbing images in the minds of the already vulnerable teenagers and the people around them too.”

Image credits: www.asiange.com
Anukriti Mishra

anukritim@dubeat

In  a world where there are 5 steps for everything, be it flying to the sun, we come up with three, even lesser than 5,  infallible ways to win our elections.

Being the proud denizens of the great republic of India, we have had the unequal privilege of enjoying the unpredictability of the vibrant Indian democracy for almost 70 years. Our pious elections are won by the virtue of a candidate’s flawless track record, unquestionable honesty and  knack for development and public welfare, a manifesto which caters aspirations of the people and numerous other paradigms of dharma; so were you told by the political science textbook of class 10th.

Now these are difficult boxes to tick and hence results generally used to be a surprise.

But not anymore. Here we come with 3 foolproof tricks which are 100% guaranteed to make a party rise above the rest and come up with flying (saffron, preferably) colours in a general election.

 

  1.   The Time Factor.

You must have heard the saying that early bird catches the worm. So here is the trick- Hijack the social media and you have hijacked the minds. If you are ruling currently, start projecting your achievements, scarce they may be. If you are on the other side of the table, fret not. Start with bashing the ruling party. Next run to a poet and come up with some jumlas or some cool acronyms. The most important part, start selling dreams and other lures. Hesitate to nothing, even sky is not the limit anymore. (Need a hint- How about making petrol completely free? ). Fake data, false stats, or illegit allegations, all is fair.

 

  1.   The Mr. X. factor

Not having a very good candidate, worry not. Find a superstar campaigner. Or else hire one. Works magic if you have the prime minister campaigning for you.

 

  1. Vote Management.

Now that you are done with campaigns and false claims, it’s time for the finishing move a.k.a polarisation. But you don’t have to do the dirty work, just make an air of it. Media will instantly go gaga. Your opponents will consequently voice minority, hence irate majority and lo! your mission is accomplished. To hell with social fabrics, only winning counts.

 

Picture credits- rediff.com

 

Nikhil Kumar

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