What Manmohan Singh should tell Barack Obama
'China is not a disinterested observer in South Asia. It is in possession of part of Jammu and Kashmir and has been an unscrupulous supplier of arms and war-like nuclear material to Pakistan.' Why India cannot be an Asian power like China
Power and influence are not given. They are taken. China knows how to take it, India does not, says strategic expert B Raman. The Mamata and Mayawati factor
'The BJP and Samajwadi Party seem to be on a downward slope in UP; the Left Front seems to be on its way out in Kerala and West Bengal.' For Mumbai, slum-free plan may not work
It is surprising that the slum dwellers have so far not revolted and asked the government to pack up and go because, from their point of view, the slums are not a problem but a spontaneous solution to the housing problem in Mumbai which has always been behind the demand curve, the supply kept short deliberately so that progressively higher prices can rule. Will Bonapartist Foneska outgrow Lankan democracy?
'There is nothing necessarily fatal if a soldier develops a passion for politics. An Indian commentator pointed out that, after all, there is the precedent of Dwight Eisenhower. But then, the nagging worry remains whether in the South Asian clime, like the sapling brought in from distant China, Fonseka, a US Green Card holder, may blossom and outgrow the botanical garden that Sri Lankan democracy used to be.' Indian democracy at the crossroads
Some measures like conducting candidate debates, fixing the terms for elected representatives, having a constitutionally empowered political finance regulatory authority and effective policing of campaigns and elections by the Election Commission will go a long way in making India a truly functional and thriving democracy. Decoding the Headley-Rana case
The key to the conspiracy hatched by David Headley and Tahawwur Rana may lie in Bangladesh and Pakistan. The BJP's hour may have passed
'The Karnataka crisis clearly showed the BJP in the grip of regional satraps, for whom the national leadership is of little consequence.' The Chicago conspiracy: What is Rana's role?
Security expert B Raman deciphers the FBI affidavit against Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the Pakistan-origin Canadian arrested with David Headley for alleged Lashkar connections, and speculates who could be their handlers in Pakistan. Defeating 'new terrorism': India must act
'There is no option but to successfully defeat the terrorist organisations inimical to India's national security and determined to create a communal-sectarian schism with a view to destabilising India on behalf of the ISI and the Pakistan army.' An open letter to Raj Thackeray
'Your militia can rampage outside the legislature, but it can, and will, be thwarted entry into the legislature. You cannot carry your grudges on any aspect of life in Maharashtra there in the fashion your men have done.' How India must face the Chinese threat
India needs to agressively counter China's imperial ambitions and its plans to encircle and break up the country. The struggle for Dharma is never wholly won
'Indian civilisation has thrived for millennia because of the element of Dharma in society, however strong the demons are.' Will the route of Koda's loot be dealt with?
If there were people willing to offer bribes worth crores of rupees there were definitely other people who were willing to stand behind Madhu Koda's shoulder, offering hints about investing all those rupees. Who were they? asks T V R Shenoy. Chinese media builds up anti-India rhetoric
'There is an upsurge already in Indian and Chinese nationalisms and the attitudes of the two peoples get sharpened on issues like that involving territory, affecting public sentiments.' Every Indian language is a great one
'Why should we have to complain about its forced usage or suffocate having someone pushing it down our throats?' Opinion: Proud to sing Vande Mataram!
'At the far end we have the likes of Maulana Mahmood Madani with their separatist agenda, but that does not mean every Muslim is persuaded by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind's bunkum.' Aren't we all minorities, Mr Chidambaram?
A secular state cannot subscribe to the concept of a majority and a minority for it is that very inequity that a secular state strives to eradicate, argues Vivek Gumaste Tibet, India's legal ticket to claim Arunachal
'As a responsible law abiding nation, India has a moral responsibility to tell the truth that Tibet is an occupied country,' says Tashi Phuntsok. Heightened alert needed on 26/11 anniversary
While security agencies have been able to prevent any major terror strikes since the Mumbai attacks last November, we should not lower our guard, writes security expert B Raman. One song cannot make or mar the future of a nation
'India's pluralist character, vibrant democracy, assertive intelligentsia and all attendant principles/institutions are the best assurance to allay the misgivings of the minorities.' The stench of money in politics
When business interests begin deciding who will rule, democracy is in trouble, writes Mahesh Vijaypurkar Talks with Pak will only end in frustration
'The dialogue process is just too inadequate to meet the challenges from Pakistan,' says former R & AW chief A K Verma. Why India needs to crush the Maoist insurgency
It is a blatantly illegal and no holds barred war against the Indian State, against the idea and existence of the Indian democracy and must be dealt with an iron hand. Why the Thackeray cousins love the media
'If the Thackeray cousins love the media, the media too adores the two bespectacled Thackeray scions, who in their bid to espouse their Marathi manoos agenda, have become an easy bait for a medium that depends for its survival on high TRPs and ad revenues.'