Brands Must Learn That Religious Traditions Are Not Disposable Creative Props

By BPN News Desk August 25, 2026

Op-Eds Opinion

The controversy surrounding Kriti Sanon’s Raksha Bandhan advertisement has now moved far beyond the question of whether one outfit was appropriate for one festival. What began as criticism of a jewellery campaign has developed into a wider argument about how brands use religion, culture and

Op-Eds Opinion

Eggs Allegedly Thrown at Ganpati Procession: Fadnavis Must Send a Clear Message

By BPN News Desk August 24, 2026

What happened in Mumbai’s Mazgaon on Sunday night cannot simply be filed away as another brief episode of tension during festival season. A Ganpati arrival procession was passing through the locality when organisers alleged that eggs were thrown towards the procession. The allegation immediately triggered anger, confrontation between groups and a massive police deployment

Op-Eds Opinion

The True Economics of Ethanol: How Many Times Is India Subsidising E20?

By BPN News Desk August 24, 2026

India’s ethanol programme has been sold to the public through an exceptionally attractive proposition. Blend domestically produced ethanol into petrol, reduce dependence on imported crude oil, save foreign exchange, create an additional market for Indian agriculture and put more money into the rural economy. At a time when geopolitical conflicts can send crude prices

Op-Eds Opinion

Who Is Targeting Abhishek Upadhyay the Journalist Who Pursued the Ram Temple Donation Theft Case?

By BPN News Desk August 24, 2026

Journalist Abhishek Upadhyay is back before the Supreme Court. This time, the immediate issue is an FIR registered by Ghaziabad Police over an alleged road-rage incident near Shipra Mall on August 18. But reducing the controversy to a traffic altercation misses the much larger question surrounding the case. Upadhyay was among the journalists who pursued […]

Op-Eds Opinion

RHA Is Turning Dipke’s Own Playbook Against Him – And BJP Could Be The Biggest Winner

By BPN News Desk August 22, 2026

Something important happened at Jantar Mantar on August 21, and it would be a mistake to view it merely as another protest over reservation. The Reservation Hatao Andolan, or RHA, brought together protesters questioning caste-based reservation, demanding greater emphasis on merit and economic disadvantage, and challenging what they see as an expanding political culture of

Op-Eds Opinion

Shruti Bhadana, Neeshu Azad, Shraddha Singh: If Women Demand Equality, Why Should an Apology Replace Accountability?

By BPN News Desk August 21, 2026

India has spent decades debating equality between men and women. Women have rightly demanded equality in education, employment, politics, property, opportunity, public life and personal autonomy. The principle behind that struggle is simple: an adult woman is an independent citizen, capable of making her own decisions and entitled to the same dignity and opportunities as

Op-Eds Opinion

Pakistan Preached Kashmiri Rights To The World. PoK Just Exposed The Farce

By BPN News Desk August 20, 2026

For decades, Pakistan has carried Kashmir into virtually every international arena available to it. At the United Nations, in meetings of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, in diplomatic exchanges and through its political leadership, Islamabad has repeatedly presented itself as the champion of Kashmiri political rights. Its argument has been familiar: Kashmiris

Op-Eds Opinion

India’s Multiplex Problem Isn’t Just Popcorn – It’s Parking

By BPN News Desk August 19, 2026

For years, India’s debate about the rising cost of going to the movies has revolved around two familiar villains: expensive tickets and even more expensive popcorn. Every few months, photographs of multiplex food menus circulate on social media, consumers complain about paying several hundred rupees for popcorn and soft drinks, and the cinema industry responds […]

Op-Eds Opinion

Adani Is Welcome in Congress-Ruled States, But a Scandal When Modi Works With Him?

By BPN News Desk August 19, 2026

Something rather inconvenient happened for Rahul Gandhi’s favourite political narrative on August 18. Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan flagged off the first export-import containers from Vizhinjam International Seaport as the project moved into full-scale EXIM operations. It was an important moment for Kerala: a major deep-water port moving beyond transshipment and

Op-Eds Opinion

Warner Bros. Discovery Aired The Operation Sindoor Story. Pakistan’s Answer? Cry Bias

By BPN News Desk August 18, 2026

More than a year after the guns fell silent following Operation Sindoor, the battle over what actually happened between India and Pakistan has moved from missiles, drones and airbases to something equally important in modern warfare: the historical narrative. Pakistan has spent much of the period since the May 2025 confrontation portraying the episode as […]