339. An Unequal Citizen?
BIC TALKS
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338. Unpacking Economic Freedom in the Constitution
BIC TALKS
This discussion will explore how the Constitution of India frames the concept of economic freedom. We often think of the constitutional guarantee of freedom in terms of the freedom of speech and expression. This discussion moves beyond this framing to examine the oft-ignored aspect of economic freedom for individuals and organisations. The panellists will discuss the balance between state intervention and individual economic rights, exploring issues like onerous licensing and compliance requirements for businesses, property rights and the right to trade occupation, profession and...
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337. Urban Legends
BIC TALKS
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336. We Are Like This Only
BIC TALKS
In this session, Kunal Shah, Founder of CRED, and Archana Rai, Senior Editor at The Economic Times, will explore the exciting journey of India’s startup ecosystem. They will discuss how consumer practices in India have evolved, from e-commerce to the rapid growth of quick commerce, and how startups are adapting to meet these changing demands. The conversation will also highlight the importance of digital public infrastructure and its role in empowering entrepreneurs and businesses to innovate and scale. Kunal will share his personal journey of building CRED, offering insights into the...
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335. Road Not Taken
BIC TALKS
A discussion based on the book Poles Apart: The Military and Democracy in India and Pakistan. This session delves into the starkly different roles played by the military in the political landscapes of India and Pakistan, and how these choices have shaped the democratic trajectories of both nations. While Pakistan’s history is marked by frequent military interventions that have hindered its democratic development, India’s military has remained notably apolitical, even in moments of crisis such as the 1962 Sino-Indian War, the Emergency, and Operation Blue Star. Explore the critical moments...
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334. Story of an Unknown Indian
BIC TALKS
What does the life of an ordinary working-class Indian look and feel like? Join us for a panel discussion discussing this and more with the author of The Many Lives of Syeda X Neha Dixit and commentator and editor Priya Ramani. In her book The Many Lives of Syeda X journalist Neha Dixit traces the story of one such faceless Indian woman, Syeda X, from the early 1990s to the present day. What emerges is a picture of a life lived under constant corrosive tension. Researched for close to a decade, in this book, we meet an unforgettable cast of characters for...
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333. Demystifying Climate Change
BIC TALKS
Every day we hear something unusual. A fire here, a flood there, a storm surge, a cloudburst. These events affect all of us, our well-being, our health, our family, our work. Their frequency and intensity are increasing. Fortunately, however, we no longer lack explanations for these events. We know fossil fuels and the destruction of Nature by us humans are the primary reasons for the alarming acceleration in global warming. Awareness is the first step towards change, and Rajan Mehta’s Backstage Climate is an attempt to make you aware of global warming and climate change in a...
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332. Not Just a Laughing Matter!
BIC TALKS
Abu Abraham’s career as a cartoonist, columnist and artist spanned over 50 years, from the late 1940s to the early 2000s, during which his work appeared in a range of newspapers and magazines in India and the UK. Throughout this period of significant political change and upheaval, he critically responded to the political landscape, producing a rich and complex oeuvre that reflects these shifts. The centenary exhibition, “,” brought together, for the first time, the breadth of Abu Abraham’s work as a cartoonist and journalist across six decades. Through Abu’s political cartoons,...
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331. Deeper Vulnerabilities of India’s Democracy
BIC TALKS
Democracy, representing the will of the people, is the least imperfect form of government in the present day world. Yet even this will of the people can’t remain unfettered, for without constitutional limits, democracy is often distorted. What then are the challenges to India’s constitutional democracy? In this episode of BIC Talks, Rajeev Bhargava, Founder-Director, Parekh Institute of Indian Thought, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, will speak of the multiple obstacles to Constitutional Democracy but will focus on deep rooted, long standing mental...
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330. Confronting Capitalism
BIC TALKS
What went wrong with capitalism? Ruchir Sharma’s account is not like any you will have heard before. He says progressives are right, in part, when they mock modern capitalism as “socialism for the rich.” For a century, governments have expanded in just about every measurable dimension, from spending to regulation and the scale of financial rescues when the economy wobbles. The result is expensive state guarantees for everyone—bailouts for the rich, entitlements for the middle class, welfare for the poor. Taking you back to the 19th century, Sharma shows how completely the reflexes of...
info_outlineKarnataka elects 28 members to the Lok Sabha and is considered a crucial swing state (to borrow a term from American politics) in the forthcoming elections as the INDIA Alliance is hoping to make major gains here. But if history is any indicator, then the BJP has an advantage.
In the past four parliamentary elections since 2004, the BJP has managed to win more seats than the Congress. In the elections of 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019, the BJP won 18, 19, 17 and 25 seats respectively. In the 2019 elections, the BJP, riding on a national wave that favoured the reelection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, secured a staggering 51.7 percent of the vote share in Karnataka. The lone independent MP who was elected also subsequently extended her support to the BJP which means that the party now has 26 seats in Karnataka. While the electoral history of the past two decades favours the saffron party as Karnataka gets ready to vote in two phases on April 26 and May 7, the Indian National Congress is hoping to regain its past glory in Karnataka. The party which won a thumping majority in the Legislative Assembly elections last year is banking on two issues; its successful implementation of its five guarantees and the injustice done to the State in the devolution of funds from the Union government.
The panel that has been curated carefully will discuss whether Karnataka will follow the same pattern that it has set in place from the past 20 years of preferring the BJP or will it witness a change and provide a boost to the INDIA Alliance. The panel will also dwell on other salient themes such as why Karnataka remains an outlier in south India as far as support to the BJP is concerned and the significance of the BJP’s alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular). Leading up to the elections, both the main parties in the fray have witnessed factional wrangles accompanying the selection of candidates while they have also been accused of perpetuating dynastic politics.
In this episode of BIC Talks, Professor of Public Policy & Governance, Azim Premji University - A Narayana; Senior Journalist at The Hindu - Rishikesh Bahadur Desai and Senior Journalist at The News Minute - Pooja Prasanna are in conversation with Journalist, Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed. This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in April 2024.
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