Sujit Nair

After a bruising election season, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shifted the national conversation from politics to personal consumption. His recent appeal asking citizens to reduce fuel usage and avoid unnecessary foreign travel sounded less like a routine advisory and more like a warning about difficult months ahead.

Congress took 10 days to decide on their Chief Minister in Kerala. But is that really a political crisis, or have we simply become too used to instant, centralised decision making Democracy works through consultation and consensus. And genuine consensus takes time More importantly, the Congress in Kerala was not choosing between weak or placeholder candidates. It had three politically credible leaders to choose from.

At first, the question sounds absurd. We are constantly told that India is the world's fastest growing major economy, on its way to becoming a global superpower. Which is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent warning of a global “disaster decade” that threatens to revive massive poverty deserves close attention.

History repeatedly shows us that sometimes one simple sentence can convince the world. And sometimes a passionate emotional outburst cannot even convince people sitting inside our own homes. Recently, MEA Secretary Sebi George tried answering that difficult but important question: “Why should the world trust India?”

We casually call it “the cloud” as if our photos, videos, AI prompts, and digital lives float somewhere harmless in the sky.

For years, Indians were told that rising fuel prices were unavoidable because international crude oil prices had gone up. Fair enough. Global markets fluctuate. Governments cannot control everything. But then came a long phase when crude prices actually fell sharply across the world. Did Indian citizens see real relief at the petrol pump? Not really.

Many Indians genuinely believe the world looks at us with admiration and awe. We are constantly told that India is becoming a “Vishwaguru.” A moral and cultural guide to humanity. But step outside India and observe carefully. The reality is often very different.

The same Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh against whom some of India's top women wrestlers came out publicly with allegations of sexual harassment and molestation. These were not anonymous social media whispers. These were national athletes. Women who carried India's flag on the world stage. Women who sat on the streets demanding justice.

Over the last decade, India has witnessed some of the most ambitious national campaigns ever launched by any government. Many were driven by good intentions. Many generated genuine public enthusiasm. Many captured the public imagination. But enthusiasm and execution are not the same thing. Take Swachh Bharat.

Every time we question the government, we see the same response “Why don’t you question the Opposition?” It is a question that has always puzzled us. The primary responsibility of a journalist is not to create artificial balance. It is to hold power accountable. In a democracy, power rests with...