Jayati Ghosh

The government’s high profile war on black money has generated mixed responses. However, both supporters and opponents of the 2016 demonetisation agree that the move has caused immense hardship to people, especially those outside the banking system and without alternative means to access goods and services in a largely cash economy. Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, discusses the conceptual, practical, and implementation issues arising from the November 8 announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A more effective way to flush out black money without disrupting normal economic activities, she says, would have been to announce a specific date for demonetisation of old notes followed up by an efficient tracking system.

Secularism

A. Faizur Rahman

Demands for a common civil code by sections of the polity have brought into focus some features of the Muslim personal law in India. However, a better understanding of rulings by the Supreme Court of India, the conceptual foundations of Muslim laws relating to marriage and divorce, and Muslim laws in other countries will lead to a healthier discussion, create a better appreciation of the issues, and result in an improved legal system, says A. Faizur Rahman, secretary general of the Islamic Forum for the Promotion of Moderate Thought.

Secularism

Mujibur Rehman

The 2013 violence in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh was unique in that the so-called secular forces were not averse to fanning the fires started by Hindutva communal elements. Though this underhand collaboration was aimed at harvesting votes for both sides through a Hindu-Muslim polarisation, it was the BJP that benefited from it. The Samajwadi Party, which might have calculated that Muslims would flock to it in fear and distress, looks set instead to lose the community’s trust and its votes, says Mujibur Rehman, who teaches at Jamia Millia Islamia Central University, New Delhi, and is the editor of the recently published book, Communalism in Postcolonial India: Changing Contours.

Background Note No.3

The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy is organising a public discussion with Jairam Ramesh, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Former Union Minister, Senior Visiting Fellow, The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy, and author of To the Brink and Back: India’s 1991 Story (2015), on July 29, 2016 (Friday), at 5.30 p.m. at Kasturi Srinivasan Hall, The Music Academy, Royapettah, Chennai.

Jairam Ramesh will be in conversation with Mukund Padmanabhan, Editor, The Hindu, on 25th Year of Reforms: A Retrospective of What Happened in June-July 1991, followed by interaction with the audience.

This Background Note is prepared by The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy to set the issue in context.