About the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the news from Australia is that a group of Indian-origin Punjabi taxi drivers in Adelaide raised funds to the tune of Rs 1.6 lakh in support of the fledgling party’s candidates’ electioneering in Punjab
If there is one area for which it is difficult to predict how a Modi government will work, it is internal security – beyond an aggressive approach of a Hindu nationalist. Also, if there is one area which can turn up a Waterloo for Modi, it i
Congress`s prospects in Haryana are riddled with a slew of controversial land deals and strong anti-incumbency of the party’s 10-year rule under chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The Indian National Lok Dal opposition, on the other hand,
A day before Narendra Modi was to file his nomination in Varanasi, I called up my young friend Shahid, who is from the weaver community. “How can we meet, as the entire city is expected to come to a halt tomorrow?” I asked. I was aware
The Chinese have a curse which goes thus: May you live in interesting times! In the uncertain world of international affairs, the next prime minister of India can rest assured of exciting and challenging times. Exciting, because major geopolitical
Having a PM (or a PM candidate) from the state is not a first-time event for Gujarat. The twice-caretaker PM, Gulzarilal Nanda, used to be elected to the Lok Sabha from Sabarkantha in north Gujarat. Morarjibhai Desai, though largely Mumbai-based i
We are in the last leg of the elections—the world’s largest such exercise, and looking to formulate a new government. Whatever be the result, the job of this column is not to speculate on the same–there is little doubt that India
The Gujarat model has come in for criticism on two counts: for not doing enough in social sector, and for not doing anything at all for environment. Indeed, an aggressively pro-industry policy has only added to the environmental disaster in the st
Given the fact that there is little difference between the Gujarat model and the post-reform liberalised economic scenario across the country, achievement of Modi’s 11 years as chief minister can largely be credited to a less-talked about fa
When looking for policies that need a relook, trust former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India Dr KC Chakrabarty to make some noise. And he did just that before bidding farewell at the central bank as he hinted his inclination towards mak
Around 11 am on March 24, an hour into the supreme court (SC) resuming work after a week-long Holi break, senior lawyer Dushyant Dave entered court number one – the chief justice of India’s (CJI) court – and made an accusation th
Nothing is more interesting in the business of news or entertainment than getting Mamata Banerjee in full flow. No amount of nasal lectures on development, faux-aggression on women’s empowerment, or a different sort of nasal rage against cor
From tackling a sad growth rate and ever-rising inflation to a depressed business environment, Narendra Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, has been portrayed as the one-stop solution to all the economic woes the country faces after
Punjab is a unique state in its own way and has its own set of problems. And these problems were never part of the poll manifestos of the traditional parties till the last election. Usually seen as politically inactive even d
Fifty-eight years after Winston Churchill made the famous Iron Curtain speech on March 5, 1946, Russia ‘annexed’ Crimea on March 8, 2014. Churchill, known also for his witticisms, had described Russia thus in a 1939 BBC broadcast: &ldq
The 150-year-old government-run India Post is the world’s largest postal network with over 1,55,000 post offices across the country. It is still widely in use, despite the increasing penetration of internet and mobile phones in the communica
That old cliché – you either love or hate him – applies to many (dare we say most) politicians. More so for Narendra Modi, the Gujarat chief minister and now seen by many as India’s next prime minister. Chang
Only the most ardent of fans would recognise Deepak Adhikari even in West Bengal. Unless, of course, you add a.k.a. Dev. These days, Adhikari, among the biggest stars reigning over Bengali cinema, is also known by another acronym, this one within
RS Sharma, an IAS officer of 1978 batch, Chief Secretary, Jharkhand will take over the charge of secretary at the department of electronics and information technology (DeitY). He will replace J Satyanarayana, who is retiring on
To move around in Benaras (also known as Varanasi), it is better to let go off the four-wheeler. And if you are anywhere near the congested markets and by lanes along the Ganga ghats, the only advisable mode of transport is by foot.
