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New year is here with its pleasant freshness, though not without the pain that never gets dim. The memories that keep haunting are of a man who was killed because he always held human cause above the cold power of the forces of Right. His philosophy of militant nonviolence became the political instrument for him, to be used against the colonial powers. It was the means he used to seek liberation of our country with, that was in shackles, denied sovereignty and dignity, and hence, also its present and future.

The New Year 2025 has started in the backdrop of the restoration of the ruling party BJP’s confidence following its electoral successes in the state assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana and completely overshadowing the Samajwadi Party in the assembly by polls in Uttar Pradesh. The Party leadership of the BJP and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi have shown their capacity of turnaround in a short period of six months following their drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections, the results of which were announced on June 4, 2024.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement cautioning against the proliferation of temple-mosque disputes comes as a surprise. His assertion that Ayodhya should not be seen as a universal template for resolving such conflicts probably reveals the existence of nuanced layers within the ideological framework of Hindu organizations and their relationship with broader societal concerns. While Bhagwat’s remarks could be viewed as a strategic recalibration, they also suggest a possible recognition of the inherent complexities in addressing historical grievances through contemporary lenses.

Slowing down of India’s GDP in the second quarter of the current financial year during July-September 2024 to 5.4 per cent, which was a seven-quarter low, has raised a serious concern about maintaining growth momentum of the country in 2025. India’s Chief Economic Advisor, V Anantha Nageswaran has termed the latest GDP growth figures “disappointing”. Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman, however, said the slowdown was not “systemic” and with better “public expenditure” the loss will be compensated in the third quarter.

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi gets lost in the awesome presence of AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, who was Chief Minister when Atishi was minister. Kejriwal’s advantage is, he went to jail. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also went to jail. So did AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh. Also health minister Satyender Jain. Atishi did not get the honour but Kejriwal says Atishi too will be hauled on trumped up charges.

Nitish Kumar’s political astuteness, the quality to quickly understand a situation and use that insight to gain an advantage has been his worst enemy. No doubt he is the discerning, cunning and ingenious politician amongst his contemporaries, these qualities inter alia have turned him vulnerable. His contemporaries are susceptible to his moves. They nurse the apprehension with Nitish around they will be denied the opportunity to become chief minister and rule.

The second leg of farmers’ movement that had begun in the beginning of 2024, with a call for a March on Delhi from Punjab on February 13, is set to spillover into 2025, since the PM Narendra Modi led Centre was not even ready to talk to the agitating farmers until December 31. The farmers have displayed commendable patience so far but there are signs that the movement may turn startlingly aggressive in 2025.

After a pause, the last week of 2024 witnessed a spate of incidents of localised violence in a number of locations in Manipur. This was apart from the serious charges and counter-charges that the two warring sides levelled against each other. Civil society outfits and associations of journalists have condemned the incidents and have appealed to the authorities for all-out efforts to bring peace to the strife-torn state.

The Union Government continues to rub salt into Kerala’s wounds by ignoring the State’s request for a special assistance package for the rehabilitation of survivors of the Wayanad landslide. The Union Government plumbed a new low when the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) said it considered the landslides to be “of a severe nature for all practical purposes” but would not release any special assistance to the State.

Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal's clarion call to the youth of Punjab to “rush to the Khanauri border in large numbers and save the ongoing satyagraha against the Centre’s highhandedness” has exposed the farcicality of the BJP leadership. The 70-year-old Dallewal has been on hunger strike for 35 days. Farmers are particularly angry with Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar who had claimed that “I am a farmer’s son. I will not show weakness. I will sacrifice my life for my country. Why is a farmer’s son sitting here?”