How Hindutva has poisoned Maharashtra's politics – Southasia Weekly #41
This week at Himal
This week, as India’s state elections kick off, Imaad ul Hasan unpacks the choices voters face in Maharashtra, where it’s a stand-off between two ideologically incompatible alliances. Hasan writes that politics in Maharashtra have been pushed so far to the right that even progressive voices are endorsing the Maha Vikas Aghadi, formed under the leadership of Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray.
For our next Podcast of the Week, host of the Southasia Review of Books podcast Shwetha Srikanthan will be talking to Ari Gautier about his latest books in translation, Nocturne Pondicherry and Lakshmi’s Secret Diary, exploring little known histories of French colonialism in India.
We’re also excited to announce our panel for BCIS’ Festival of Ideas, which will be on 29 November from 1 to 3 pm IST. Register here to join the conversation, either online or in-person!
Manage your preferences here.
This week in Southasia
Gautam Adani indicted in the US for concealing bribery of Indian government officials
On 20 November, Gautam Adani, the chair of the Indian conglomerate Adani Group was indicted in the US for concealing that he had paid more than USD 250 million (INR 21 billion) to Indian government officials between 2020 and 2024. US prosecutors said senior executives including Gautam Adani had fraudulently raised funds at the expense of US investors. The bribes were made in order to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts. Adani was indicted alongside his nephew Sagar Adani, while several other executives are facing charges of criminal conspiracy and obstructing investigations by US agencies. Prosecutors said Adani Green Energy had also raised more than USD 3 billion dollars in loans and bonds based on false and misleading statements.
In wake of the indictments, Adani Green Energy decided not to proceed with a USD 600 million bond issue which had been raised hours before the charges were filed. Last week, Adani said his conglomerate would invest USD 10 billion in energy infrastructure and energy security projects. In January 2023, US-based short seller Hindenburg Research accused Adani Group of stock market manipulation and fraud - charges which the conglomerate denied. Closer to home, Bangladesh’s High Court ordered the formation of an inquiry committee to re-evaluate power supply agreements with Adani Group, after the group cut power supply to Bangladesh by half over non-payment of dues. The Adani Group’s projects in Sri Lanka and Myanmar have also been subject to criticism, with heightened attention on the group’s growing footprint across Southasia.
Elsewhere in Southasia 📡
Air pollution levels in Delhi hit 50 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s recommended safe limit, as authorities mandate the closure of schools to reduce exposure to toxic smog, weeks after Lahore recorded pollution levels above 1000
The case of prominent Rohingya spokesperson Dil Mohammed, currently detained by Bangladeshi authorities, will be examined by the United Nations, placing international scrutiny of Bangladesh’s treatment of Rohingya refugees and the conditions of his detention
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake appoints 21 cabinet members, after his National People’s Power party secured over a two-thirds majority in the parliamentary election, granting him power to amend the constitution and deliver sweeping reforms
Myanmar rebel army leader detained in China after travelling for medical treatment, a move by Beijing pressuring anti-junta forces to withdraw from Lashio after they broke a ceasefire that China helped negotiate
12 soldiers killed during a targeted suicide bombing at a security post in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwah province. The Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Proposed Media Commission bill withdrawn by lawmaker Abdul Hannan Aboobakr, after Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu said the ruling parliamentary party wouldn’t support the legislation. Critics argued that the bill, which would introduce fines and penalties for violating stringent guidelines, is an attack on press freedom.
China proposes establishment of joint security company alongside Myanmar junta to 'ensure safety of Chinese projects and personnel' in Myanmar as conflict intensifies along the border with China
In Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, the government plans to launch a comprehensive counterterrorism operation against militants after a series of deadly attacks
Rickshaw drivers block roads and rail tracks across Dhaka in protest of the high court’s decision to ban the operation of battery-powered and auto rickshaws on the streets
United Nation agencies try to unlock climate financing for Afghanistan, which the country hasn’t been able to access due to political and procedural issues since the 2021 Taliban takeover
Bhutan’s Druk Green Power signs deal with Indian Tata Power to receive at least 5,000 megawatts of clean energy generation capacity in the country
Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on official visit in Nepal to boost military ties, as Nepal stopped allowing its ethnic Gurkha soldiers from joining the Indian army after Delhi changed its hiring scheme
Tibetan writer and poet Gendun Lhundrub released after four years in detention and environmentalist and philanthropist Karma Samdrup released after serving 15 year prison sentence, highlighting the continued precarity of Tibetan intellectuals
Only in Southasia
All our readers who have ever wondered about the nitty-gritties of documenting bribes should take note of the US court filings on the Adani Group - and specifically, the ‘Bribe notes’ meticulously maintained by Gautam Adani’s nephew Sagar on his mobile phone. These notes did not just track the state or region where bribes were given out, but also the government officials who had received the bribes (recorded with helpfully abbreviated titles) and even the rate per megawatt for the total bribe offered. For instance, the bribes to be paid to the government of Andhra Pradesh were set at INR 25 lakhs (or USD 29,588) for 1 Megawatt of power, to be bought from the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited. An impressive amount of attention to detail which unfortunately worked against the Adanis in the end.
Got a meme or satirical post you'd like to share? Send us a meme that made you laugh from the past week here.
From the archive
21 November marks 40 years since Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s death. In light of this, our March 2013 essay, adapted from a presentation organised by the Hri Institute in Bangalore is worth revisiting. Acting as an accidental archivist, Faiz’s daughter Salima Hashmi discovers letters exchanged between mother and father in trying to set up a museum dedicated to her father. They include letters exchanged during Partition, acting as a repository of the times when the British Empire was being dismantled in the Subcontinent.