Latest news with #Regeneration
Indian Express
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Explained: Emergency and its lessons
The Emergency was imposed exactly 50 years ago on June 25, 1975. The 21-month period, one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Indian republic, saw the suspension of civil liberties, curtailment of press freedom, mass arrests, the cancellation of elections, and rule by decree. Here's a brief history. Indira Gandhi rode to power on an electoral landslide in 1971, but her government was rocked by crisis after crisis. Expenses incurred during the 1971 India-Pak war, droughts, and the 1973 oil crisis buffeted the Indian economy, causing hardship for the people. Corruption, misgovernance, and state excesses sowed further discontent. In February 1974, the Navnirman (Regeneration) students movement forced Congress Chief Minister Chimanbhai Patel to resign over corruption allegations. This inspired a students' movement in Bihar which saw socialists and right wing organisations coming together to form the Chhatra Sangharsh Samiti. Jayaprakash Narayan, a Gandhian and hero of the Quit India Movement, eventually took the reins of this movement. His call for 'sampoorna kranti (total revolution)', first made on June 5 at Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan, brought Bihar to a standstill. Earlier, in May 1974, socialist leader George Fernandes had led an unprecedented strike of railway workers that paralysed the Indian Railways for three weeks. Over the course of 1974 and early 1975, the JP Movement reverberated across the country. JP himself toured the country, much like Mahatma Gandhi during the Independence Movement, and channeled popular discontent against Indira. 'Sinhasan khaali karo, ke janata aati hai (Vacate the throne, for the people are coming),' was JP's rallying call during his rallies. On June 12, 1975, Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha of Allahabad High Court convicted Indira of electoral malpractice and struck down her election to Lok Sabha from Rae Bareli. As demands for her resignation grew louder, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed signed the Proclamation of Emergency late on the night of June 25. Electricity to newspaper offices was cut off, and people were informed of the Proclamation by Indira herself, through an address broadcast on All India Radio at 8 am on June 26. The Emergency, which lasted until March 21, 1977, saw the Indira's government use special provisions in the Constitution to impose sweeping executive and legislative consequences on the country. 🔴 The federal structure was converted into a de facto unitary one. State governments were not suspended, but they were effectively brought entirely under the Centre's control. Parliament made laws on subjects in the State List, and the President, with parliamentary approval, modified constitutional provisions on the allocation of financial resources between the Union and states. 🔴 Almost all opposition leaders, including JP, were imprisoned. Roughly 1.12 lakh people were detained under draconian laws like the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA), and Defence of India act and Defence of India rules (DISIR). 🔴 With the Opposition in jail, Parliament passed a slew of Constitutional Amendments. The 42nd Amendment of 1976 took away the judiciary's right to hear election petitions, widened the authority of the Union to encroach on State subjects, gave Parliament unbridled power to amend the Constitution, and made laws passed by Parliament to implement directive principles of state policy immune to judicial review. 🔴 Fundamental rights, including the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a), were curtailed. Newspapers were subjected to pre-censorship. More than 250 journalists, including Kuldip Nayar of The Indian Express, were jailed. While most newspapers bent, some like The Indian Express resisted the Emergency, fought the regulations in court, and published blank spaces on their pages instead of pre-censored stories. As this newspaper's former proprietor Ramnath Goenka once said: 'The hard fact is that if we went on publishing, The Indian Express may be called a paper, but cannot be a newspaper'. 🔴 On the pretext of addressing the issues that ailed India, Indira's son Sanjay Gandhi pushed a 'five-point programme', which included family planning and clearance of slums. In April 1976, bulldozers moved to clear the slums near Turkman Gate in Delhi — as locals protested, police opened fire and killed many. Family planning targets, especially in North India, led to forced sterilisations. Government officials were forced to submit to the surgeon's knife before arrears of pay were cleared. Truck drivers could not have their licences renewed without a sterilisation certificate. Sometimes, people were simply picked up from their homes or the streets to meet sterilisation targets. During one such drive on October 18, 1976, police fired on people protesting forced sterilisations in Muzaffarnagar, UP, killing at least 50. 🔴 In 1976, the year Lok Sabha elections were set to be held, Parliament extended its term by a year. For no apparent reason, Indira decided to lift the Emergency early in 1977. Some say she was convinced she would win the next election; others believe better sense prevailed. As it happened, Indira and her party were routed in the election of 1977. The Janata Party — the product of the merger of the Jana Sangh, Congress (O), the socialists and Bharatiya Lok Dal — came to power, and Morarji Desai became India's first non-Congress PM. Many Constitutional changes effected during the Emergency were reversed. While the provision itself was retained, the Janata government made it very difficult for a future PM to repeat Indira's actions. Judicial review of a Proclamation of Emergency was made possible again, and it was made mandatory for such a Proclamation to be passed in both Houses of Parliament by a special majority — a majority of the total strength of the House and not less than two-thirds of members present and voting — within a month. The 44th Amendment replaced the words 'internal disturbance' as a ground for the imposition of Emergency with 'armed rebellion'. The post-Emergency Parliament saw the coming together of the social forces behind the Jana Sangh and the socialists — the Hindutva upper castes, and the Lohiaite agrarian and artisanal castes. The Janata government appointed the Mandal Commission to look into OBC quotas, which eventually propelled the rise of the OBCs in North India. The Emergency also gave India a crop of young leaders who would dominate politics for several decades — Lalu Prasad Yadav, George Fernandes, Arun Jaitley, Ram Vilas Paswan, and many others. Most importantly, the Emergency marked the beginning of the end of the Congress' one-party hold over the country. While the collapse of the Janata experiment in 1979 demonstrated the limits of anti-Congressism at the time, the Emergency set in motion political forces and processes, which in many ways culminated with the decimation of the Congress in 2014. Vikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He has over 17 years of experience, and has worked earlier with The Hindustan Times and The Hindu, among other publications. He has covered the national BJP, some key central ministries and Parliament for years, and has covered the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and many state assembly polls. He has interviewed many Union ministers and Chief Ministers. Vikas has taught as a full-time faculty member at Asian College of Journalism, Chennai; Symbiosis International University, Pune; Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai; and as a guest professor at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Vikas has authored a book, Contesting Nationalisms: Hinduism, Secularism and Untouchability in Colonial Punjab (Primus, 2018), which has been widely reviewed by top academic journals and leading newspapers. He did his PhD, M Phil and MA from JNU, New Delhi, was Student of the Year (2005-06) at ACJ and gold medalist from University Rajasthan College in Jaipur in graduation. He has been invited to top academic institutions like JNU, St Stephen's College, Delhi, and IIT Delhi as a guest speaker/panellist. ... Read More
Forbes
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The ‘Doctor Who' Regeneration Controversy, Explained
Billie Piper as the 16th Doctor in 'Doctor Who' 'The Reality War,' the finale of the 15th season of Doctor Who, saw Ncuti Gatwa exit the role of the Doctor, regenerating into Billie Piper, who previously appeared in the series as the Doctor's companion. Fans of the show were shocked at the reveal, as recasting a former companion as the Doctor was a first for the long-running sci-fi series. The Doctor has been played by a total of 16 different actors across the show's 60-year history, with each new actor introduced via 'regeneration.' Doctor Who is an interesting example of a sci-fi story offering viewers an in-universe explanation for the inevitable recasting that occurs during a multi-decade series. The Doctor is a member of an ancient alien race known as the Time Lords, who have the ability to regenerate into a fresh body when fatally wounded, imbuing them with a new personality and appearance. Canonically, Time Lords are limited to 12 regenerations, but of course, the Doctor was granted an exception, so that the series could continue. The ability to regenerate can result in a Time Lord changing race and sex, and the Doctor's recent regenerations have introduced more diversity to the series, but the show's latest regeneration proved controversial with fans. The backlash wasn't some tedious culture war bickering, but a debate over canon, nostalgia and the future of the show. 'The Reality War' sees Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor regenerate into Billie Piper, who first appeared in the series as Rose Tyler. Rose was the Doctor's companion between 2005 and 2013, during the eras of Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, who both played the Time Lord. Many fans viewed the recasting of a previous companion as a desperate move motivated by nostalgia. One commentator even explained the casting through the lens of Spider-Man, so outsiders could understand the controversy. The discourse sparked a discussion about what kind of audience is still watching Doctor Who today, with some asserting that children are no longer the main audience of the series. Other commentators were disappointed to see Gatwa's time as the Doctor end so abruptly. Gatwa's Doctor was unusually short-lived, lasting a mere 18 months, and the actor never got to see his Doctor face off against the series' most iconic villains. Some viewed the modern Doctor Who regenerations as too frequent, with actors leaving the show before they could truly leave their mark on the role. Many comparisons were made to the MCU recasting Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, a movie which was widely viewed as a gimmick among Marvel fans. Some fans even suspected that there was more to the story, and that Piper's casting was a red herring, noting that Piper was not officially introduced as the Doctor in the show's credits. 'Just how and why she is back remains to be seen,' the BBC said in a suspiciously vague statement after the finale aired. 'It's an honour and a hoot to welcome her back to the TARDIS, but quite how and why and who is a story yet to be told,' showrunner Russell T. Davies said. Despite the controversy, Piper sounded optimistic about her new role, saying that the opportunity to "step back on that TARDIS one more time was just something I couldn't refuse.'
Reuters
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Doctor Who regenerates as Ncuti Gatwa leaves and Billie Piper returns
MANCHESTER, England, May 31 (Reuters) - Ncuti Gatwa, the first Black actor to play the lead role in British sci-fi show "Doctor Who", departed the series on Saturday in a season finale that saw familiar face Billie Piper reappear in his place. The Doctor, who travels through time in what appears to be a blue police telephone box, has the ability to regenerate, allowing a number of actors to play the role since the series was first broadcast in 1963. In a surprise twist, Gatwa regenerated into the form of Billie Piper - who played one of the Doctor's companions in 2005 and 2006. "I've loved every minute of it, but now is the time to hand over the keys to that beloved blue box and let someone else take control and enjoy it every bit as much as I have," said Gatwa, 32, who was announced as the 14th Doctor three years ago. Piper, 42, won plaudits for her portrayal of Rose Tyler, an instrumental character in the show's successful 2005 revival after a 16-year hiatus. "To be given the opportunity to step back on that TARDIS one more time was just something I couldn't refuse," Piper said, referring to the Doctor's police box. Showrunner Russell T. Davies said the "why and who" behind Piper's return to the show had yet to be told. "After 62 years, the Doctor's adventures are only just beginning!" Davies said.
ITV News
26-05-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Derby's market hall reopens after seven-year multi-million-pound renovation
Hundreds turned out to see Derby's new Market Hall, Mark Gough reports Derby's Market Hall has reopened after a seven-year £3.5-million renovation. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Saturday morning (May 24th) - almost 159 years to the day since its original grand opening. Hundreds of people were seen queuing outside waiting to get inside the Grade II listed building. The Market Hall was officially declared open on 29 May, 1866 by Mayor Frederick Longdon, where the occasion was marked with an appropriate inaugural ceremony, including a performance of Handel's Messiah. The council said the transformed Market Hall will bring together the best of the region's independent shopping, eating, drinking, and entertainment, and will offer a variety of new features and experiences for visitors, such as: Stallholders were setting up for the first week of trading, which began today (May 26th). Previously, the Market Hall often had to close to customers if there was a chance of strong winds, snow, or heavy rain in case the glass windows came out of their frames. These windows have now been replaced, and the extensive structural restoration of the roof was finished in August 2022. The revitalised Market Hall has also been redesigned with accessibility and inclusion at its heart, making it an accessible building for all visitors. Leader of Derby City Council and Cabinet Member for City Centre, Regeneration, Strategy and Policy, Councillor Nadine Peatfield, said: "This is a historic moment for everyone in the city to be celebrated by all. "Derby Market Hall will be a flagship, vibrant destination that will attract visitors from across the region and beyond. I am truly excited for the opening event, and I know that visitors will enjoy everything that the revitalised Market Hall has to offer. Located at the heart of the city centre, linking Derbion and St Peter's Quarter with the Cathedral Quarter and Becketwell, the redeveloped Market Hall will play a key role in widening the diversity of the city centre and is expected to generate £3.64m for the local economy every year. "
