This year saw monumental events from the Lok Sabha elections, abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, to the Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission.
Here are our cartoonists' takes on the important events of the year:
10. This cartoon was published ahead of the last of the seven phases of this year’s Lok Sabha elections. In this phase, polling was held in 59 constituencies, including in Varanasi where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seeking to retain the seat.
9. Home Minister Amit Shah said on the occasion of Hindi Divas, 2019, that the country should come together to promote Hindi. “Today, if one language can do the work of uniting the country, then it is the most spoken language, Hindi,” he wrote on Twitter. This evoked severe criticism in non-Hindi speaking States, especially Tamil Nadu. However, Mr. Shah later claimed that he did not push for Hindi over regional languages.
8. This cartoon was published a day after, in a blow to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the CBI investigation into the Saradha chit-fund scam in which top Trinamool Congress leaders are accused. While the CBI complained of “severe intimidation” by the Trinamool Congress, the party and the West Bengal government run by it accused the CBI of becoming a “tool” in the hands of the Centre to destabilise the Mamata Banerjee government in the guise of investigating the scam.
7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned the opposition’s slogan “Chowkidar Chor Hai” (the guard is the thief) into a campaign opportunity by reaching out to almost 25 lakh security guards across the country via an audio bridge. Mr. Modi said during the audio interaction, “I have a habit and I urge you too to cultivate it, of turning abuses thrown at you into an ornament and go forward (Gaali ko gehna banakar aagey badhein)”.
6. This cartoon was published two days after the Centre decided to end the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir. In addition, it also lost its statehood and was reorganised into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
5. India’s ambitious second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22. Early on September 7, the Indian Space Research Organisation lost contact with the spacecraft’s lander Vikram. However, this was also the time when India’s large cities were staring at water crisis, according to the Water Stress Index.
(Cartoon by Deepak Harichandran)
4. U.S. President Trump had set off a diplomatic kerfuffle between India and the U.S. when he said Prime Minister Modi had asked him to mediate in the Kashmir dispute. These comments were made during Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s July visit to the White House, prior to India’s abrogation of special status for Kashmir in the first week of August.
3. This cartoon was published on August 5, the day India abrogated the special status for Jammu and Kashmir.
(Cartoon by Deepak Harichandran)
2. This cartoon was published a day after the Union Cabinet approved a Constitution Amendment Bill to provide 10% reservation to economically backward sections in the general category. The decision, ahead of the general elections in April-May, was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
1. The most viewed cartoon of 2019 was published two days after the Union government told the Supreme Court that the documents related to Rafale fighter aircraft deal had been stolen from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), and the petitioners seeking a review of the verdict dismissing all pleas against the purchase of the jets relied upon those papers.
