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An impartial review of the year 2024 makes it clear that hate has become an essential component of the ruling party’s campaign to vilify and malign the religious minorities in India. Further, it also made it obvious that this party is not apologetic about constructing a hateful narrative for selfish gains and spreading a parochial mind-set.

The Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench judgment pronounced on October 17, 2024 in the challenge to Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, saw a fierce battle of ideas with the proponents and opponents of the provision both relying on varying, and often opposing, interpretations to the constitutional provisions in support of their respective arguments.

Parliament's productivity in the just-concluded Winter Session was a record low – only 52 percent of scheduled work completed. Various factors, including disruptions and lack of quorum, contributed to the reduced output. The confrontation between the treasury benches and a belligerent Opposition continued throughout. The current performance highlights the challenges in maintaining productivity.

‘Save the Constitution of India’ protests launched by the opposition parties cost PM Narendra Modi and his BJP majority in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. The protests turned ugly by the close of the year with physical confrontation in the Parliament – which caused injuries to several BJP MPs. Now, at the fag-end of the year, both the Congress and the BJP NDA have announced a series of events in 2025 to take the battle to the other.

Attempts made by groups of people to sneak into India illegally from Bangladesh into Tripura and West Bengal have increased in recent weeks. The Border Security Force (BSF) and various state police have stepped up vigil to prevent the infiltration to the extent possible, more so in view of the continuing violence in Bangladesh. But the situation is not improving as the political turmoil engulfing India's immediate neighbours in the east has fuelled fears of displacement among large sections of targeted minority communities.

Where is the Modi government's sworn affidavit to the Supreme Court on its stand on the Places of Worship Act, 1991? The government is mute and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is calling for unity in a country that is riddled with disaffection and disunity. How can there be unity after months of ‘Batenge tohkatenge’, when ‘Ekhaitoh safe hain’ didn’t work and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has added his two pence to the acrimonious debate by advising the BJP’s Hindu vote-bank not to look for temples under mosques?

Disgraceful indeed! Even in death, former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was not spared. Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not hesitate in playing politics and avenging Singh’s remark “it will be disastrous for the country to have Narendra Modi as Prime Minister” by denying Dr. Singh's mortal remains two yards of land at Raj Ghat for the last rites. Shockingly, Modi made a departure from past practice.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There seems to be no end to the problems plaguing the Congress in Kerala. The latest jolt to the party, already rocked by internecine factionalism, has come in the form of a flaming row over the suspected suicide of Wayanad District Congress Committee treasurer, N M Vijayan, and his son, Jijesh. The unfortunate deaths have put the Congress on the defensive.

The most significant judgment that I obtained this year was from the High Court of Bombay at Goa on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) to halt the continuance of illegal sand mining from Goa’s rivers.

Thirty-three years are half a lifetime. Thirty-three years ago, Dr Manmohan Singh stepped into a high-profile limelight, well after his formal retirement from a senior government job. When he died last Friday at the age of 92, he was considered India’s greatest finance minister and the architect of India’s modern economy.