Counterview

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak  There is little surprise in the presence of American billionaire Elon Musk at the far-right rally in London organised by Tommy Robinson. His inflammatory and venomous speech against migrants has shocked many liberal circles, while racists and right-wing reactionaries celebrate it. His remarks are an extension of a long-term racist project aimed at dividing people and diverting their attention from the many crises that societies face today. The ideals of figures like Elon Musk not only embody democratic, legal, and moral decay but also reveal the rotten core of conservatives who are hastily working to cushion systemic collapse under the guise of liberal progressivism.

By A Representative   The Central Information Commission (CIC) has once again been left headless, marking the seventh time in the last eleven years that the body is functioning without a Chief. The post fell vacant after the retirement of Chief Information Commissioner Heeralal Samariya on September 13, 2025, upon his attainment of 65 years of age. Each instance of vacancy in the past has arisen due to routine retirements, with the dates of demitting office known well in advance. Despite this, the government has repeatedly failed to make timely appointments.

By Vijay Prashad, Atul Chandra  If your house is not clean, then the ants will come through the door and draw in the snakes. The crisis in Nepal escalated in early September, bringing down the center-right government of Prime Minister KP Oli . The immediate spur was the regulation and banning of social media on September 4. Protests over this action were met by police firing, which resulted in the killing of 19 protestors. This escalated into major manifestations, leading to attacks on the homes of politicians and the national parliament building as well as the presidential building.

By Harsh Thakor *  A major debate has emerged in Punjab over the government’s land pooling policy, which proposes to acquire large areas of farmland for urban estates and industrial projects. Farmers across the state have expressed concerns about displacement and livelihood security, with many refusing to part with their land. Several peasant organizations, including the United Kisan Morcha, have initiated protest actions, and local demonstrations are being held in different regions. Political parties too are responding to the growing discontent, as the issue has become a prominent subject in the state’s political discourse.

By A Representative   The Gujarat State Human Rights Commission (GSHRC) has received the second and third reports from the Vishwamitri Committee, a five-member expert panel set up in April 2025 to oversee the rejuvenation of the Vishwamitri River. The committee, constituted under Case No. HRC/2024/PRESS/205/Vadodara City/Legal-1, is composed of environmental and urban planner Dr. Neha Sarwate, environmentalist Rohit Prajapati, zoologist Dr. Ranjitsinh Devkar, botanist Dr. Jitendra Gavali, and architect-urban planner Mitesh Panchal. Its mandate is to recommend appropriate methods for river rejuvenation covering not only the riverbanks but also the demarcated floodplains, tributaries, ravines, wetlands, ponds, and oxbow lakes, and to provide regular progress updates to the Commission.

By Marcelo Depieri  Starting in the 1990s, a new form of development was imposed on Latin American countries. In Brazil, the model of industrialization based on developmentalism, which had marked the country's economic trajectory between 1930 and 1980, was left behind. Since then, the guidelines for economic growth, the role of the state, and the management of public finances followed a liberal-inspired logic.

By A Representative   More than 100 civil society organisations and individuals — including Medha Patkar of Narmada Bachao Andolan, Shaktiman Ghosh of the National Hawkers Federation, Thomas Franco, former General Secretary of the All India Bank Officers Confederation, and environmentalists Soumya Dutta, Ravi Chopra, Disha Ravi and Ashish Kothari, along with collectives such as Himdhara Collective, Friends of the Earth India, National Alliance for Peoples’ Movements, All India Women Hawkers Federation and the Centre for Financial Accountability — have jointly appealed to the Reserve Bank of India, scheduled commercial banks, non-banking finance companies and microfinance institutions for urgent loan relief to households, individuals and small enterprises devastated by the 2025 monsoon disasters. 

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The Mandakini, one of the major tributaries of the Alaknanda and part of the sacred Ganga river system, rises from the Chorbari glaciers of Kedarnath at an altitude of 6,000 meters. It flows past Kedarnath and Gaurikund, its icy current shimmering as it winds through pine and chir forests. I have often stood along its banks in awe, watching the river’s serpentine brightness in the morning sun, and felt a deep spiritual connection.

By Ravi Ranjan*  Poetry in India has never been only about beauty. It has been conscience, witness, and resistance, an art form that breathes life into the anxieties of society while also holding up a mirror to its contradictions. From the ecstatic devotional voices of Kabir and Mirabai to the realism of modern poets who turned their gaze on exploitation and injustice, verse has spoken both for the self and for the collective. In this long lineage, Arun Kamal stands out as a poet who does not merely compose verses but also reflects deeply on the very function of poetry. His poetry and criticism together reveal him as a figure who, in Rajasekhara’s words, is both gold and touchstone—creator and critic in one.