Farmers are giving up on BT cotton. GMOs are not useful.
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Are these new technologies destroying the biodiversity of plants, soil, organisms, and pollinators, spreading poisons, and trapping the vulnerable farmers in debt?
The appointment of Taranjit Singh Sandhu as Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor by Narendra Modi, replacing Vinai Kumar Saxena, has drawn attention not only for the administrative reshuffle but also for its strong Punjab and Sikh symbolism. With Sandhu describing his elevation as “Punjab has come to Delhi”, invoking the legacy of his grandfather Teja Singh Samundri, and the ceremony witnessing an unusually large presence of Sikh leaders and Punjab figures, the move has sparked political discussion. Coming at a time when the BJP has already begun mobilizing for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, does this appointment also reflect a carefully timed political signal aimed at strengthening the party’s outreach among Sikh voters and Punjab’s political landscape ?
नरेंद्र मोदी द्वारा तरनजीत सिंह संधू को दिल्ली का उपराज्यपाल नियुक्त करना, जिसमें उन्होंने विनय कुमार सक्सेना की जगह ली है, केवल एक प्रशासनिक फेरबदल के रूप में ही नहीं बल्कि पंजाब और सिख प्रतीकवाद से जुड़े एक कदम के रूप में भी चर्चा में है। संधू ने अपनी नियुक्ति को “पंजाब दिल्ली आ गया है” बताते हुए अपने दादा तेजा सिंह समुंदरी की विरासत का उल्लेख किया, जबकि शपथ समारोह में पंजाब और सिख समाज से बड़ी संख्या में नेताओं की मौजूदगी भी देखने को मिली। ऐसे समय में जब भाजपा 2027 के पंजाब विधानसभा चुनावों के लिए राजनीतिक गतिविधियाँ तेज कर चुकी है, क्या इस नियुक्ति को सिख मतदाताओं और पंजाब की राजनीति की ओर पार्टी के संदेश के रूप में भी देखा जा सकता है ?
At the BJP’s Moga rally addressed by Amit Shah, pamphlets promoting the Centre’s new rural employment scheme meant to replace Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act were reportedly printed but remained undistributed even after the rally ended. The material was meant to explain the Centre’s new programme, Viksit Bharat: Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) and counter criticism from farm and labour unions that the move could weaken rural job guarantees. If a scheme replacing a major rural employment programme struggles to even reach people through basic communication at political events meant to promote it, does it raise doubts about how prepared the Government is to convince rural communities about the benefits of the new plan ?
