Mainstream Weekly

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  Table of Contents, Mainstream, Jun 25, 2026

  25 June

  * Assessment of PM Modi’s 12 Years of Rule | Arun Kumar
  * The Commemoration of 250 Years of Epochal Declaration of The American Independence In A Time of Backsliding of Democracy | Vijay Kumar
  * Loyalty without leverage: India’s US tilt yields little | Anuradha Chenoy
  * End the “Green” Delusions: Industrial-scale Renewable Energy is Fossil Fuel+ | Alexander Dunlap

• Assessment of PM Modi’s 12 Years of Rule | Arun Kumar

  25 June, by Arun Kumar

  Mr. Modi has been PM of India for the last 12 years. In 2014 the long period of coalition rule at the Center ended and hat was characterized as a period of uncertainty when hard decisions could not be taken and consequently there was policy paralysis and economic downturn. India was called a fragile economy. Since 2014, PM Modi has ruled with little challenge so it is said that there is political stability. Has that meant better economic performance externally and internally?
  BJP claims, (…)

• Arrival of Giorgio Agamben in West Bengal | Arup Kumar Sen

  25 June, by Arup Kumar Sen

  The mode of conducting the recent assembly elections in West Bengal and its aftermath signify a paradigm shift in the mode of governance. Lakhs of voters lost their voting rights through the process of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Critical political observers feel that the SIR, monitored by the Election Commission and legally ratified by the Supreme Court, played a big role in changing the ruling political regime in West Bengal. The party which came to power, the BJP, (…)

• The Commemoration of 250 Years of Epochal Declaration of The American Independence In A Time of Backsliding of Democracy | Vijay Kumar

  25 June, by Vijay Kumar

  The 4th July will mark the quarter Millennium of American Independence.The Declaration of Independence started with following ringing affirmation:
  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Government is instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
  The (…)

• Politicians switching sides to buy the BJP’s insurance against legal (vindictive) action | Arun Srivastava

  25 June

  Rahul Gandhi’s call for a united, aggressive resistance to the RSS and BJP faces major hurdles as the opinion is deeply divided among regional opposition leaders regarding his call to transition the INDIA bloc into a permanent "resistance movement" against the ruling party. While some regional allies share his idea on unified opposition, some are sceptical of his strategic vision, electoral viability, and ability to keep the alliance intact. They feel that he should have shared his idea with (…)

• Beyond Enumeration: Reframing the Meghalaya Socio-Economic Review 2025 through Doughnut Economics | Jos Chathukulam & A M Jose

  25 June, by A. M. Jose, Jos Chathukulam

  [(Abstract
  The Meghalaya Socio-Economic Review 2025 seeks to present a comprehensive statistical overview of the state’s developmental trajectory. However, this paper argues that the document fails to meet the analytical and normative expectations of a socio-economic review. Drawing on the framework of Doughnut Economics, the study critiques the Review’s descriptive bias, conceptual limitations, and institutional omissions. It highlights the absence of engagement with Autonomous District (…)

• Trademark and Political Symbol: Protection of Freedom of Speech and Expression | Sunita Samal

  25 June, by Sunita Samal

  In a democracy, freedom of speech and expression opens up channels of free discussion of issues. This right plays a crucial role in the formation of public opinion on social, political and economic matters. Commercial speech is defined as speech that suggests a commercial transaction or expression solely related to economic interest.
  The High Court of Delhi held that a purely commercial advertisement which does not take into consideration the essential idea of freedom of speech would be (…)

• Why India Needs Impact Assessment Before Passing New Laws | Aftab Mohammad

  25 June

  The Allahabad High Court’s recent order in the suo motu matter concerning the creation of 9,149 additional courts in Uttar Pradesh raises a question that extends beyond court infrastructure in a single State. In its April 13, 2026 Order, a Division Bench of Justices Alok Mathur and Amitabh Kumar Rai observed that it would be “in fitness of things” for Parliament and State legislatures to consider incorporating a Litigation Impact Assessment clause in every Bill before it is enacted. The (…)

• Aruna Roy’s Many-Sided Contributions | Bharat Dogra

  25 June, by Bharat Dogra

  Aruna Roy, the famous activist and author, has said that she prefers to observe her 80th birthday this month quietly at her home, but her colleagues and companions of highly eventful journeys on the path of meaningful social change, justice and democracy would certainly like to use this time to remember her many-sided contributions and learnings from them.
  Aruna Roy the activist started her ‘career’ in a very different way, in fact as an IAS officer. However the call of social activism (…)

• Weaponizing Water Bankruptcy in the Age of Neo-Capitalism | Gopabandhu Dash

  25 June

  The United Nations University recently reported that humanity has entered an era of "global water bankruptcy"—a state in which long-term water usage persistently exceeds natural replenishment, permanently depleting water "savings" such as natural aquifers and glaciers. The term "water bankruptcy" describes a new global reality: humanity’s freshwater usage has so far exceeded natural replenishment that critical water systems have become insolvent and irreversibly damaged.
  Under the (…)