Check out a new book by Sanjay Jha on India's current scenario

As elections draw close Sanjay Jharsquos new book 2024 India in Free Fall HarperCollins documents India under the current government and what it has witnessed in these four years since the last elections Jha has been a critical voice in Indian politics for a time For someone who shoulders the label of being a former Congress spokesperson his voice may be easy to dismiss as tendentious But his criticism has not been limited to the party in power alone In the past his statements have led to his suspension from his own party as well In his new book there are instances where the authorrsquos praise for Rahul Gandhi seems more exaggerated than making sense However those comments aside on all accounts the facts presented about the last four years 20202024 under the current government are inescapable truthsSanjay JhaPublished in the months leading to a crucial election the book acts as an urgent reminder to its readers about the political failures and the widening fault lines in the last decade or so Some of these include the unfulfilled promises of proper sanitation governmentrsquos negligence during the severe second wave of COVID19 prevalence of cronyism with the strengthening of the big businessesgovernment relationship criticism of farmersrsquo protest against exploitative farm bills several cases of illegal arrests of members of the minority communities the constant namechanging of cities and gross omissions of important historical figures from textbooks Jha warns us ldquoAs India is overwhelmed withhellip the perennial reminder that the past must be rewritten to create New India it enters a slippery slope After that it is usually followed by a free fallrdquoOne of the most significant essays is the one titled The Shame of Manipur Indiarsquos northeastern states have continued to be treated as secondclass citizens or as Jha calls them ldquothird cousin twice removedrdquo He explains how the exigency of women being paraded naked and gangraped in Manipur during violent ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities went completely unheard until a viral video broke the Prime Ministerrsquos silence The horror was reduced to a mere 36second passing mention in his speech The numbness remains a matter of alarming shame Jharsquos unflinching voice as he lists down the atrocities backing them with solid evidence will shake the readers off their indifference In this important hour the book should ideally be read by allOther recommendationsgtgt Indiarsquos Experiment with Democracy by SY Quraishi The former Chief Election Commissionerrsquos latest book is an effort to urge readers for an ldquohonest introspectionrdquo as he asks important questions about requisites of a democracy laying open trends and patterns in voter turnouts figures of political finances during elections and issues concerning the electoral bonds schemes among other things As Quraishi worries for the nation he also carries a tone of optimism and dreams of seeing harmony in the country one day The readers may also like to pick up his earlier book An Undocumented Wondergtgt The Game of Votes by Farhat Basir Khan What role has technology played in the digital era when there exists only a thin line between information and misinformation What are the practices of looking and what manipulations take place in visual media politics How have parties turned to ad agencies for campaigning Khan left explores these in the context of shifting dynamics of governance and political communicationgtgt You Must Know Your Constitution by Fali S Nariman This book comes from a unique viewpoint of one of the most reputed jurists of the country It is not one that demands to be read in one sitting It acts as a guidebook giving detailed analyses case studies anecdotes and developments in the provisions of the most important founding document of the country the Constitution of India Nariman below asserts how it is impossible to write a new one but it is important for judiciary to continue doing its work and interpret it with renewed richness to stay relevant for its peoplePrannoy Roy and Dorab Sopariwala Pics CourtesyYoutube Wikimedia Commonsgtgt The Verdict by Prannoy Roy and Dorab Sopariwala Commenting on the turning points in the elections electoral landslides representation of women and Muslims votersrsquo list the workings of electoral voting machines Roy and Sopariwala decode Indiarsquos elections with robust research and lucid arguments What stories do the numbers tell We find some answers to the question hereBonus Readsgtgt India after Gandhi by Ramachandra Guhagtgt When India Votes by Jaishri Jethwaney and Samir Kapur